What Is Osteopathy And How Can It Help Me?

What is Osteopathic Manual Treatment?
Osteopathic Manual Therapy (OMT) is a gentle, full-body treatment geared towards enabling the body’s ability to self-heal. While that may sound like a mouthful, its science and practices are grounded in just that: the body self-heals. Osteopathy is a specialized post graduate program much like physiotherapy or chiropractic. Osteopathic practitioners spend four years studying at The Canadian Academy of Osteopathy before they can be licensed professionals.

The Body Works as a System 

Just like the engine of a car, the plumbing of a home, or the lights on a Christmas tree, in order for the system to work, all pieces need to be functioning normally. An issue hindering performance can be either near or distant from the manifesting symptoms and can either have complex or very simple answers. The same concept applies to the human body. Osteopathy takes a holistic approach looking at the systems of the entire body.

Take for Example a Sprained Ankle…

...that is taking too long to heal. While many practitioners will focus on the ankle alone, OMT considers the body as a whole. Once we rule out medical red flags that could indicate something more serious we begin a thorough investigation. 

A primary concern is if the ankle is able to remove old blood to make space for new blood coming in with healing factors. We then consider the path venous blood has to take from the ankle to the heart and assess if any problems may be obstructing that flow. An obstruction could be from muscle tension, postural asymmetry, or even something as simple as wearing pants that are too constricting. 

Once we are comfortable that blood can leave the foot then we can look at the path new blood has to make to enter the foot so it may heal properly, which follows the same thought process. We similarly consider nerves and lymphatics and what may be disrupting their normal function. While it may simply feel as though we are massaging a muscle or manipulating a joint, there is so much beneath the surface of that movement both literally and figuratively.

What Can I Expect From Osteopathy?

A wide range of problems from muscular to more complicated physiological issues can be resolved with Osteopathic treatment. More often than not, patients should experience results after three or four treatments. If not then OMT may not be the solution for them. 

If OMT is something you feel you or someone you know could benefit from, or have any questions do not hesitate to contact our coach and resident osteopath, Chris Robertson.