Osteopathy/Osteopath DO/OMM

The term is rooted in ancient Greek, osteon, meaning bone, pathos to suffer.  The founder, Andrew Taylor Still, in 1874 while a physician on the Missouri frontier, discovered that he had the ability to put his hands on people and change their physiology.  He had many influences such as Methodism, Magnetic Healing, Bone Setting, Evolution Theory, and Spiritualism, for a start.  Stills’ experience as an apprentice physician at his father’s side, as a Hospital Steward and then as a Scout Surgeon during the Civil War, gave rise to his school of Osteopathy in Kirksville, Missouri.  He wanted to share his knowledge and in 1892, at the age of 64, Dr. Still began teaching formally.  The first class consisted of only 22 students, both women and men. Currently, in most countries, osteopathy is a form of complementary medicine, emphasizing a holistic approach and the skilled use of a range of manual and physical treatment interventions (osteopathic manipulative medicine is known as OMM in the United States).  Osteopathy is a therapy, which uses manipulation to treat a wide range of health problems directly or indirectly relating to the muscles, joints and ligaments of the body.  The therapy is based upon the principle that restoring harmony and balance to the musculoskeletal system influences all levels of the body.  In practice, this most commonly relates to musculoskeletal problems such as back and neck pain.  The manipulations are very gentle, pressures and positioning to encourage the tissues, fascia, to gently relax and unwind, releasing the shock of imprinted traumas.  Patients often experience a sense of deep relaxation, tingling, fluid flows and relief of pain.  Emotional releases may occur as well. The client is typically clothed and the work can be done on a massage table and no lubricant is used.  Cranial osteopathy is the source of the Cranio sacral therapy and Visceral osteopathy is the origin of Visceral manipulation therapy to name a few of many techniques derived from the osteopathy.