About Osteopathy
Osteopathy is an established, recognised system of diagnosis
and
treatment that lays its main emphasis on the structural integrity of
the body. It is distinctive in the fact that it recognises much of the
pain and disability we suffer stems from abnormalities in the function
of the body structure as well as damage caused to it by disease.
Osteopathy uses many of the diagnostic procedures used in conventional
medical assessment and diagnosis. Its main strength, however, lies in
the unique way the patient is assessed from a mechanical, functional
and postural standpoint and the manual methods of treatment applied to
suit the needs of the individual patient.
Osteopaths use soft tissue techniques and massage, as well as
mobilisation, manipulation, exercises and postural advice to help
relieve the following and more: Back Pain, Joint
Pains, Headaches, Sports Injuries, Posture
Problems, Trapped Nerves, Limb Problems,
Growing
Pains, Pain from Arthritis, Sciatica, Neck
pain, Shoulder pain, Frozen shoulder, Knee,
Ankle and
foot problems, Arm and forearm problems and almost any pain involving
your body structure.
Cranial Osteopathy is also available and especially suitable for the treatment of babies and children. Of course this method of treatment is also beneficial to some adults. In this technique, gentle pressure and movements are used to first assess and then change the movements of the bones of the body, including the skull (cranium).read more
Osteopathy for Child and Baby
It is a common belief that babies and children should have no structural stresses or strains in their bodies, because they are so young. The reality is very different.
Birth is one of the most stressful events of our lives. The baby is subjected to enormous forces, as the uterus pushes to expel the baby against the natural resistance of the birth canal. The baby has to twist and turn as it squeezes through the bony pelvis, on its short but highly stimulating and potentially stressful journey. read more
Osteopathy for Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a unique experience. Enormous physical, chemical and emotional changes take place over a relatively short period of time. The body has to adapt to carrying up to 20lb of baby, waters and placenta, which can impose terrific physical strain on the organs and tissues of the body. For many years, osteopaths have used their skills to help relieve the aches and pains caused by weight and posture changes during and after pregnancy. read more
Osteopathy for Arthritis
Osteopaths spend a large amount of their time in dealing with the pain and suffering caused by arthritis. Many people mistakenly assume that arthritis is untreatable and that they must learn to live with their symptoms.
In many cases, osteopaths are able to help considerably. Pain relief and lifestyle management can improve the quality of life for arthritis sufferers. read more
Osteopathy for Sport
Whether youre an enthusiastic amateur or an elite professional, Osteopathy Care can help with the prevention and treatment of common sporting injuries. read more
History of Osteopathy
Osteopathy was founded in America in 1874 by Dr Andrew Taylor Still of Kirksville, Missouri. Dr Still was a doctor in a small frontier town in the mid-west. Life for a country doctor in those days was very different from what it is today. There were no pain-killing drugs, X-rays or other hospital tests. The local apothecary or chemist, if there was one, sold little more than remedies based on herbs and folklore, for modern pharmacology was as much in its infancy as medicine. The germ theory of disease put forward by Lister and Pasteur was still unheard of, so even if patients undergoing surgery survived the terrible ordeal of an operation without anaesthetic, they often died from an infection soon afterwards.
Medical training was in no better state. There were few medical schools and those that existed were very expensive, so there was little opportunity for anyone wishing to enter the medical profession. Dr Still was fortunate. As the son of a doctor, he went to medical school and received a formal training. After finishing this, he worked with his father. Doing the rounds of his rural practice he particularly noticed the way his patients health was affected by the way they used their bodies.
As time went on he followed a different path from many of his peers avoiding alcohol and administering crude drugs which were at their disposal in heroic quantities. This drove him to seek new methods of treatment. The outcome of his research was application of physical treatment as a specialised form of treatment for which he coined the term Osteopathy. read more