Osteopathic Medicine

Source: Anne Woodham http://www.ivillage.co.uk/health/comp/therapy/articles/0,,181041_182353,00.html

Osteopathy concentrates as much on why there is a problem in the muscles and joints as on the problem itself explains Anne Woodham

Osteopathy - from the Greek osteon ('bone') and pathos ('suffering') - was developed in the late 19th century by an American army doctor, Dr Andrew Taylor Still, after his wife and three children died from meningitis. He believed that when the body was correctly adjusted, there would be less strain on the muscles and joints, all the systems would function smoothly and the body could heal itself naturally.

How does it work?
Osteopaths use touch and manipulation to diagnose and treat problems caused by misalignments of the muscles, bones, joints, ligaments and connective tissue that make up the musculo-skeletal system. In a healthy body, this framework supports and protects the organs, helping all body systems - nerves, circulation, digestion and hormones - to function at their best.
Physical and emotional stress, injury and poor posture can have a negative effect on the musculo-skeletal system. Pain creates muscle tension, which in turn creates more pain. Osteopathic techniques that range from soothing massage to high velocity mobilisation of joints help ease muscle tension, improve mobility and promote self-healing processes.

Osteopathy is a holistic approach, regarding your way of life and your mental and emotional state as important influences on total well-being. An osteopath will be as concerned about why a problem has arisen as with the problem itself. For example, is your back pain due to a lifetime of lifting heavy loads the wrong way?

Specialisations include cranial osteopathy, developed by an American osteopath, Dr William Garner Sutherland, in the 1930s. Practitioners use delicate touch around the skull and lower spine to ease tension believed to disturb the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Cranial osteopathy is believed to be particularly successful for babies and young children and in treating problems following trauma and injury.

What can I expect?
After taking a thorough medical history, an osteopath asks about lifestyle and emotional health and carries out standard medical tests. You will probably be asked to undress to your underwear so that the osteopath can see as much of your body as possible, and to stand, sit and lie down on a special treatment table to study the way you hold yourself and move.

The osteopath will also ask you to bend this way and that while feeling your spine. Years of experience sensitise their fingers, so that by palpating (feeling) tissues, muscles and joints, and by testing temperature, tone, shape and response to movement, they can detect problem areas.

Treatment is tailored to individual needs. It may consist simply of massage and stretching techniques, or it may involve manipulation of the joints, taking limbs through their full range of movement. An abrupt high-velocity thrust, though painless, can cause the joint to 'click'. You may be positioned in such a way that tension from areas of strain or injury is released spontaneously. 'Muscle energy techniques' involve working against resistance provided by the practitioner in order to release tension.

What is it good for?
Osteopathy can help with back and neck pain, joint pain, sports injuries, frozen shoulder, sciatica, PMS and menstrual pain, headaches, insomnia, depression and digestive disorders. Cranial osteopathy is used to treat colic, sleeplessness and glue ear in children.