How Manual Osteopathy Works

The two essential components of manual osteopathy are:

1)  the structural assessment for diagnosis

2)  the different manual treatment techniques

The aim of the structural assessment is to identify specific somatic dysfunctions. The Glossary of Osteopathic Medicine defines somatic dysfunction as “the impaired or altered function of related components of the somatic system: skeletal, arthroidal, myofascial structures and their related vascular, lymphatic and neural elements.”

Diagnostic criteria for somatic dysfunctions focus on the tone and possible abnormalities of tissue texture. Areas of asymmetry and misalignment of bony landmarks are also evaluated, along with the quality of motion, balance and organization.

The goal of manual osteopathy is to treat somatic dysfunction. By combining a thorough understanding of anatomy with the pathophysiology of disease, manual osteopathy works to restore normal physiological function.

4 Basic Principles of Holistic Approach in Manual Osteopathy

Osteopathy is based on the following 4 principles:

1)  The person is a unit composed of body, mind and spirit

2)  The body is capable of homeostasis, self-healing and health maintenance

3)  Structure and function are interrelated

4)  Rational treatment is based on an understanding of the above principles

Osteopathic practitioners use a wide variety of therapeutic manual techniques to improve physiological function and help restore the homeostasis altered by any somatic (body framework) dysfunction. Osteopathic treatment can improve many parts of the body by restoring normal movement in areas that have become dysfunctional. This allows for the restoration of normal function and enables the tissues to repair themselves more naturally.

What is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a diagnostic and therapeutic system that is founded in the late 19th century and often seen as the origin of Western manual medicine. It is based on the premise that the primary role of the practitioner is to facilitate the body's innate ability to heal itself. The basic concept in osteopathic philosophy is that the structure and function of the body are interrelated and that problems in one organ affect other organ systems.

Osteopathic philosophy was developed by 19th century American physician and surgeon Andrew Taylor Still, who believed that the body has the innate ability to heal itself. He advocated unobstructed movement in aspects of the body such as fluids, tissues, and joints. Still believed that in both health and sickness, the neuro-musculoskeletal system interacts with the rest of the body, including the organs. Like the chain reaction of dominoes, when part of the structure is altered, abnormalities in other systems (the circulatory, lymph, and nervous) can occur, thus resulting in disease.

Because of the close association between the spinal vertebrae and the autonomic nervous system via the sympathetic trunk and ganglia, the neuromuscular system is regarded to play a vital role in maintaining homeostasis. This association is believed to be one mechanism in which changes in the musculoskeletal system can affect other organs (somatovisceral reflex), or vice versa whereby visceral pathology can manifest as abnormalities in musculoskeletal tissue texture and intervertebral joint motion (viscerosomatic reflex). These abnormalities are known as "somatic dysfunctions" and can be useful aides in the physical diagnosis of both musculoskeletal and visceral disease.