Osteopathy is an established healthcare system of diagnosis and treatment that emphasises the link between the musculoskeletal system (muscles, joints, nerves, ligaments, bones, connective tissue) and function of the body. In the same way that a car engine needs to have all the different but integrated parts running smoothly, if your musculoskeletal framework is in balance then your body as a whole will function more effectively.
One of the key facets of Osteopathy is that it takes a holistic approach to pain and dysfunction. In addition to treating the immediate symptoms, Osteopathy strives to address and remove any underlying factors that may be causing, predisposing or maintaining your state of dysfunction. Osteopathy also looks at the integration of the body as a whole as very often dysfunction in one area of the body can invariably lead to pain and discomfort elsewhere. For example, headaches due to muscular tension can sometimes be the result of imbalances in the pelvis, altered spinal alignment or poor posture during work. Osteopathy can help address such underlying issues.
Osteopaths use a highly developed sense of palpation (touch) in addition to diagnostic methods used in conventional medicine to identify areas of restriction, weakness and tension within the musculoskeletal framework and tissues of the body
Structural and tissue misalignment is very often the result of excessive demands placed on the body, which can be due to a number of factors including injury/physical trauma, poor posture, stress, disease or the normal aging process. These demands affect the functioning of the body and can lead to pain, dysfunction, muscular tension and mobility within the body. Osteopathy can help to remove these restrictions so that the dysfunctional areas can begin to function normally again, thus facilitating your body’s own ability to heal itself, naturally.