Osteopathy is a manipulative therapy that works on the body's structure (the skeleton, muscles, ligaments, and connective tissue) to relieve pain, improve mobility, and restore all-round health. Osteopaths believe that we function as a complete working system - our body structure, organs, systems, mind, and emotions are all inter?related and mutually inter?dependent. Because of this, problems that affect one part of the structural body upset the balance of the body generally, and also the emotions. Similarly, internal problems can reveal them?selves in the body's structure as it adapts to accommodate pain, discomfort, or disease.
Elements of Therapy
Diagnosis Diagnosis is made by the practitioner asking numerous questions and listening to the responses. He or she will then assess body framework and posture, evaluating the way the body functions before checking parts such as the spine, hips, and legs. Joints will be tested to establish how well and with what ease they move, and the osteopath will palpate the tissue as it moves. This is known as active movement testing.
There will also be passive movement testing, which means feeling the body's response to the movements of sitting, standing, walking, and so on. The way in which movement is restricted can reveal the cause of a problem. The main physical examination is carried out by means of palpation (touch) and movement, and joint testing, but sometimes it may be necessary for further tests or X-rays at a hospital.
Treatment There is a wide range of techniques used. However, some osteopaths favor one or more particular forms of treatment. The techniques and the amount of pressure used will be adapted by the practitioner to suit particular conditions.
Manipulative techniques used by the osteopath involve both direct contact and indirect contact and, therefore, include long-lever and short-lever actions. Osteopaths use many techniques depending on the state and also the position of the muscles being treated, and each one is carefully calculated and executed with engineering precision.
