What does an Osteopathic Manual Practitioner do?

Manual Osteopathy is a hands on form of therapeutic care that is effective at relieving chronic pain. The Manual Osteopath evaluates the balance of the tissues and attempts to ease restrictions, whether that be in muscles, ligaments, bones, blood and lymph circulation or nerve supply. And of course these are all connected through the fascia, in which care is taken to understand and treat through myofascial therapy.

Joint articulation is an important part of osteopathy, but a manual practitioner cannot “ snap you in” These techniques aren’t high velocity, they will be slow and gentle and help to increase range of movement,  ease neurological irritation and reduce pain and discomfort.

Muscle energy techniques are an important part of helping to reduce muscles spasms, and return neutral joint positioning.

In cranial/ sacral therapy we assess and treats the positioning of the skull bones and influence the cerebral spinal fluid that flows around the central nervous system and to the sacrum.

And finally visceral manipulation is the osteopath’s tool for treating the organs and viscera of the body. They can help maximize organ function, improving their mobility, motility, their inherent movement by removing adhesions the abdominal which are a common cause of referred body pain.

History of Osteopathy

Osteopathy emerged in the late 19th century, pioneered by American physician Dr. Andrew Taylor Still. Frustrated with the limited effectiveness of conventional medicine of his time, Still developed a holistic approach to healthcare that emphasized the body’s innate ability to heal itself. He believed that disturbances in the musculoskeletal system could affect other bodily systems, leading to illness. Thus, he developed manual techniques to diagnose and treat these dysfunctions, aiming to restore balance and promote health. In 1892, Still founded the American School of Osteopathy (now A.T. Still University) in Missouri, marking the formal establishment of osteopathy as a distinct medical discipline.

Manual Osteopathy was developed for practitioners that were not medical doctors. Still working within the 2 main principles. One, that the body has a natural self-sufficiency and tendency towards health. And two, that the functioning of the body follows the structure . Health and disease are conditioned by the mechanisms- structural state of the body.