WHAT IS OSTEOPATHY?

OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE was founded on the frontier of Missouri in 1874 by Dr. Andrew
Taylor Still. Dr. Still was an M.D. who became dissatisfied with 19th century medicine after loosing three of
his children to meningitis. His strong will and individualistic personality pushed him to look beyond the
medical practices of his time in search of a more effective approach to health care. Dr. Still went back to the
roots of medicine, and studied the early teachings of Hippocrates, the father of medicine. He also
concentrated on an in-depth study of anatomy, and the relationship between body structure and body
functioning. He discovered that inherent motion in bone muscle and fluid is present in the body, and that
maintaining this motion was key to maintaining health. Dr. Still found that these inherent motions where the
body’s natural ability to heal itself, and pioneered hands-on techniques to assess and enhance them He also
emphasized preventative medicine, eating healthy and keeping fit in mind, body and spirit as a means of
maintaining the body’s inherent ability to heal itself.

OSTEOPATHIC MANUAL TREATMENTS

Everyone is born with an innate ability to maintain health in mind, body and spirit. Osteopathic medicine aids
the body’s innate ability to maintain this health. It consists of a hands-on approach to diagnosing and treating
a person. A variety of gentle techniques are utilized to free restrictions in muscles, fascia, joints, bones and
fluid motion. Removal of restrictions in the body enables better motion, and where there is motion there is
life on all levels.

A typical osteopathic treatment consists of the physician placing their hands on the patient’s body to check
bone and soft tissue alignment as well as fluid movement. Areas of the body which have restrictions in
motion due to alignment of fluid blockage issues are delt with through the application of osteopathic
techniques. These techniques may use muscle contraction against resistance, or the detection of tender
points, and positioning of the patient in such a way as to relieve these tender areas and subsequently muscle
spasm. Other techniques include applying gentle pressure to areas of fascial and ligamentous tension, or
enhancing fluid motion in the body. Throughout the treatment, no matter what technique is being utilized, the
osteopath focuses on the patient’s inherent healing mechanism and allows it to guide them. This can be very
relaxing, and it is not uncommon for patients to fall asleep during a treatment.

Osteopathic treatments can be utilized for any and all medical conditions. For instance, a patient with
asthma would benefit from treatments focused on removing restrictions in the rib cage, thoracic vertebrae
and diaphragm to allow better respiratory motion. Lymphatic drainage techniques would aid in removal of
excess mucus, a common problem of asthmatics. A patient with headaches would benefit from aligning and
balancing movement of the cranial bones and sacrum aiding in cerebral spinal fluid motion. In addition,
fascial release, muscle spasm removal in the neck, alignment of cervical vertebrae and facial sinus drainage
techniques are commonly used to alleviate headaches. A patient with lower back pain would benefit from
techniques to align the lumbar and sacral areas of the spine, fascial and tender point techniques to relieve
soft tissue and muscle spasm, and fluid balancing of the spine.