What is Osteopathy?
Osteopathy is a philosophy that believes the body has all it needs to heal and maintain its own health. That when the structure is in order, the function manages itself. And when the structure loses mobility or becomes distorted or dysfunctional, the whole system is affected.
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Structure can become dysfunctional due to injury or repetitive motions or stresses such as in a job, hobby, or habit. Liberating a motion restriction not only allows freer mobility of a joint, but better efficiency of blood, lymph and nerve flow which speeds healing and is even involved in immunity.
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Osteopathic practitioners work on all levels of tissue, coordinating and balancing the entire mechanical picture. The fascia is connective tissue that wraps your muscles, bones, blood vessels and organs and connects everything together. The muscular layer allows us to interact with the neurology which controls muscular and vascular tension and tone. And the deep ligaments and joint layer has a large portion of the sensory nerves, which is what you feel when a joint is not working well. Being able to work with all these layers and interact with a whole being, makes osteopathy highly effective for a multitude of ailments. Because you are a whole integrated you, not just a joint or set of muscles.
The body is able to heal and maintain its own health.
When structure is distorted, so is function.
Osteopathic practitioners work on the whole you, not just a single joint, muscle, or symptom.
What can you expect in a treatment?
Osteopathic treatment is slow and gentle with no sudden or thrusting maneuvers. Treatment is customized to your body and what is found at each treatment. This is why a treatment "plan" cannot be given when you start treatment. Each person and body takes on treatment in a different way depending on their personal history and vitality. A person with many health issues or injuries is not going to respond the same way one with an isolated acute injury does. Reading and responding to a patient's body while they are on the table is part of what makes osteopathic practitioners unique. Working with your body rather than working on your body.
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Treatment can be customized positionally as well if there are certain positions you are not comfortable or unable to get into. Sitting, standing, lying on your back, front or sides are all possibilities when receiving osteopathic therapy.
Treatment is catered to the individual at that moment. Slow and gentle manipulations to work with your body, not on your body.