Osteopathy,a system of medicine that stresses healing through the manipulation of body parts while also using many standard medical practices, such as surgery or drugs.This system of medicine is based on the theory that disturbances in the musculoskeletal system affect other bodily parts and cause many disorders that can be corrected by various manipulative techniques used in conjunction with conventional therapeutic procedures. Also called osteopathic medicine.
Osteopathy was the first of the complementary therapies to be legally recognised.Osteopathy is an established, recognised system of diagnosis and treatment that lays its main emphasis on the structural integrity of the body.The strength of Osteopathy lies in the unique way the patient is assessed from a mechanical, functional and postural viewpoint and the manual methods of treatment applied to suit the needs of the individual patient.
Osteopaths are trained to use their hands to investigate the underlying causes of pain and to treat their patients using a variety of manipulative techniques. These may include muscle and connective tissue stretching, rhythmic joint movements, high velocity thrusts to improve the range of movement of a joint, and gentle release techniques, which are especially useful in the treatment of children or the elderly.
Osteopathy is a hands-on therapy. Through touch, massage, manipulation and stretching techniques, an osteopath can diagnose and treat people with physical and emotional problems. Since osteopaths are concerned with the structural integrity of the whole person, there are no formally recognized specialities. However, some practitioners develop their expertise in specific fields, such as the treatment of children, elderly, sports injuries or pregnancy-related problems. Similarly, some osteopaths choose to concentrate on certain methods, such as cranial technique, which focuses on the patient's breathing and the nervous system, concentrating on diagnosing and correcting imbalances through gentle manipulation of the skull.
Osteopathy is not just about bones - easing muscular tension also plays a considerable part. This belief that a relaxed muscle will feel comfortable, is based on the physiological fact that muscles use up energy when they contract, wastes energy and makes muscles less elastic, and therefore more prone to becoming damaged. Tense muscles slow down the circulation and lymphatic systems, so that your body's growth and elimination processes are restricted. They inhibit heart function and can worsen the effects of common respiratory conditions, such as asthma.
Origins of osteopathy :
Andrew Taylor Still, born in 1828 in Virginia, USA, trained as a doctor according to the system of medical education available at the time. As time went on he followed a different path from many of his peers, eschewing alcohol and the habit of contemporary physicians of administering crude drugs at their disposal in heroic quantities. This drove him to seek new methods of treating sickness. The outcome of his research was the application of physical treatment as a specialised form of treatment for which he coined the name 'Osteopathy'.
In 1892 AD Still organised a school in Kirksville, Missouri, for the teaching of osteopathy and it was from these small beginnings that osteopathy was brought to the UK around the turn of the century. The first school of osteopathy in the UK was set in London in 1917 and over time other schools and colleges followed.Today there are around 3,000 osteopaths in the UK performing over six million patient consultations a year.
Osteopathic Principles :
These are the eight major principles of osteopathy and are widely accepted throughout the osteopathic community.
1. The body is a unit.
2. Structure and function are reciprocally inter-related.
3. The body possesses self-regulatory mechanisms.
4. The body has the inherent capacity to defend and repair itself.
5. When the normal adaptability is disrupted, or when environmental changes overcome the body’s capacity for self maintenance, disease may ensue.
6. The movement of body fluids is essential to the maintenance of health.
7. The nerves play a crucial part in controlling the fluids of the body.
8. There are somatic components to disease that are not only manifestations of disease, but also are factors that contribute to maintenance of the disease state.
Osteopathy can help in many different problems including :
* Asthma and breathing problems
* Back and neck pain
* Back pain in pregnancy
* Digestive disorders
* Foot, calf and knee pain
* Frozen or stiff shoulders
* Headache and migraine
* Hip and thigh problems
* Insomnia
* Joint pain, like arthritis
* Postural problems
* Slipped discs
* Sports injuries, like tennis elbow, and repetitive strain injuries
* Trapped nerves
* Whiplash injuries.
