What is Osteopathy?

Description of Osteopathy
Osteopathic Training and Registration
History of Osteopathy

Use the Osteopathy menu item above to access Conditions and Techniques

Description of Osteopathy

Osteopathy is an established, well accepted form of physical therapy. It focuses on the musculo-skeletal system (muscles, joints, ligaments etc.) and the way in which this interrelates with the body as a whole.

Using palpation (feeling through the hands) and many of the diagnostic procedures applied in conventional medical treatment, osteopaths seek to identify the mechanical problems in the body.

Then, using a variety of techniques, osteopaths provide a safe, natural and non-invasive treatment tailored to the individual patient, aiming to restore the optimal functioning of the body and its ability to heal without the use of drugs or surgery.

You should not feel rushed when attending an appointment with an osteopath.  Your osteopath will take the time to listen to the particulars of your problem and will not only treat the direct symptoms but also, in time, work with you to rectify the cause and prevent it from happening again.  This will include scanning the mechanics of areas quite remote from the symptoms (e.g. looking at the feet and pelvis to prevent recurring headaches) and to offer advice on lifestyle changes and specific rehabilitation exercises.

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Osteopathic Training and Registration

All osteopaths have trained to a minimum standard of competency to ensure the safety of their patients.  Originally this was recognised as a Diploma of Osteopathy (DO) but more recently all osteopaths must study a minimum of 4 year full time to achieve a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) or Bachelor of Osteopathy (B Ost.) degree.

In addition to the hours spent learning the academic components like anatomy and physiology, all students must also attend a minimum of 1000 supervised clinic hours. Such wide-ranging medical training gives osteopaths the skills to diagnose conditions when osteopathic treatment is not advisable, and the patient must be referred to a GP for further investigation.

The General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) was established under the Osteopaths Act 1993 to regulate, promote and develop the osteopathic profession in the UK, maintaining a Statutory Register of those entitled to practise osteopathy.

Only practitioners meeting the highest standards of safety and competency are eligible for registration.  Proof of good health, good character and professional indemnity insurance cover is also a requirement.

It is an offence for anyone to describe themselves as an osteopath and practise as such, unless registered with the GOsC.  The public can, therefore, be confident in visiting an osteopath that they will experience safe and competent treatment from a practitioner who adheres to a strict Code of Conduct.

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History of Osteopathy

Andrew Taylor Still (1828-1917) was the founder of Osteopathy.  Disillusioned with the medicine of his day, which relied on blood letting and sometimes lethal doses of poisons like mercury, Still combined his readings of medical texts with an interest in machinery and nature to conceive Osteopathy in 1874.

He laid forth the 3 original tenets of osteopathy namely:
- structure governs function
- the body contains it's own medicine chest
- and the rule of the artery is supreme.

Still strongly believed that if the bodies normal structure was altered or malaligned then its function would be affected and disease would ensue.  By helping the body back to more normal alignment then health would be regained. Through years of dedicated study he acquired a near perfect knowledge of the body's anatomy and implored his 'children' (students of the first osteopathic school) to similarly master anatomy. 

"The Osteopath’s business is to know the plumbing of the house of life."

Still's original philosophy of osteopathy is still at the heart of today's osteopathic profession.  Today's practitioners still study anatomy to an impressive degree and relate structural dysfunction to the patients' presenting symptoms. Treatment is aimed at realising an improved functioning, balanced structure and hence improving the local function of the circulatory and nervous system.

More information can be found through the Links page.

Photo of A T Still is the property of the Still National Osteopathic Museum.

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