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What is Osteopathy?
Osteopathy is one of the nine regulated health care professions in
the UK alongside doctors, dentists etc. Osteopaths in the UK are regulated
by the General Osteopathic Council. This means that Osteopaths are bound by
a strict code of practice and conduct. It also means that the title ‘osteopath’
is protected by law and only those included on the UK Statutory register
are entitled to practice as osteopaths.
A recent description of Osteopathy is:
Osteopathy is an independent system of primary contact healthcare that
focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, management and prevention of
musculoskeletal and other related disorders without the use of drugs or
surgery. It is a patient focussed, rather than a condition/disease centred,
approach to healthcare.
Osteopaths, in close collaboration with the patient, seek to
identify the causes of impaired health and restore the optimum functioning
of the body, aiding its own intrinsic ability to heal. Diagnosis involves the
use of a combination of specific osteopathic and conventional medical
procedures. A particularly well developed skill in osteopaths is the use of
touch (palpation) to evaluate the state and motion of tissues and joints,
and the ability to monitor the changes in these. Cranial Osteopathy is a
refined treatment that uses very gentle pressure to encourage the release
of stresses throughout the body, including, but not exclusively, the head.
Cranial Osteopaths are trained to feel involuntary motion which is a very
subtle, rhythmical shape change that is present in all body tissues.
Impacts to the body or head can block or disrupt this movement which can
lead to a wide variety of problems both in the head and elsewhere in the
body.
This means that osteopathic treatment methods can vary according to
the particular circumstances and individual patient needs, ranging from the
well known high velocity thrust with its dramatic clicks, through the
subtle stretching and manipulation of joints and muscles, to the very
gentle cranial techniques. Treatment
is based on the skilled application of these osteopathic techniques and
reinforced with other self help measures, such as guidance on diet,
lifestyle, coping strategies and exercise. The approach emphasises the
integration of the musculoskeletal system with other body systems and the
influence that the impaired function of each has on the other. It also
seeks to empower patients in assisting their own recovery to good heath.
sue@meridian-osteopaths.co.uk
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