Osteopathy

Osteopathy is a science-based manual therapy approach that assesses the body as a whole and examines the relationship between the musculoskeletal system, the nervous system, circulation and the internal organs. The aim is not simply to reduce pain, but to locate its source and support the body’s own healing mechanisms.

Rather than focusing on the painful area alone, osteopathy is a science-based manual therapy approach that treats the body as a whole. It examines the relationship between the musculoskeletal system, the nervous system, circulation and the internal organs.

The underlying principle

Where pain is felt and where it comes from are not always the same place. Shoulder pain may originate in the neck; knee pain may originate in the biomechanics of the hip or the foot. Osteopathic assessment investigates these relationships.

The aim is not simply to reduce pain, but to locate its source and support the body’s own healing mechanisms.

What does treatment involve?

Treatment is delivered by hand and chosen according to the individual. Depending on the assessment findings, techniques directed at the joints, muscles, fascia and circulation may be used. Everything is adapted to the person’s age, general health and presenting complaint.

Osteopathic treatment is rarely planned on its own; it usually sits alongside an individual exercise programme and changes to daily habits. A lasting result depends as much on what is sustained between sessions as on what happens during them.