Osteopathy is a 'hands on' manual therapy and one of
the oldest approaches to treatment of injuries in the joints,
muscles ligaments, fascia and tendons.
Treatment can improve
many parts of the body by restoring normal movement in areas that
have become dysfunctional. This allows the tissues to nourish,
replenish and repair themselves more naturally.
After a specific injury to a part of
the anatomy, the body accomodates by adjusting the posture to the most pain free
position whilst placing
the eyes firmly on the horizon. The final adjustment is in the
delicate area of the neck and back of the head.
Hence
headaches being the final symptom of lower back or foot problems
which patients may be unaware of.
Compensation gradually builds
up until the body cannot accommodate more change, at which time it
may break down at the weakest part after something quite trivial.
The osteopathic approach involves looking at the whole body,
not just treating the immediate area of
pain.
Osteopathy is a system of complete medical practice, based on the principle
that health depends on the maintenance of proper relationships among the various
parts of the body. According to osteopathic theory, defects in the musculoskeletal
system the muscles, bones, and joints influence the natural function
of internal organs. To correct structural abnormalities, osteopathic therapy,
or treatment with the hands or by mechanical means, is used.
The practitioner,
the osteopath, may use this treatment alone, in combination with other accepted
therapeutic methods such as drugs, surgery, and X-ray treatments, or not at
all, depending on the needs of the individual patient. Osteopathic medicine
holds that true health involves complete physical, mental, and social well-being,
rather than merely the absence of disease. The body is viewed as having a capacity
for health that the osteopath can help the individual fulfil. He or she must
therefore treat the whole patient, considering such factors as nutrition and
mental habits in addition to the physical symptoms. The fundamental principles
of osteopathic medicine were formulated in 1874 by the American doctor Andrew
Taylor Still. Still organized the first osteopathic medical school at Kirksville,
Missouri, in 1892.
