What is Osteopathy?

"We look at the body in health as meaning perfection and harmony, not in one part, but the whole"
                                                                               - Dr. Andrew Taylor Still

Osteopathy is a manual therapy, founded by Andrew Taylor Still in the 1800s. Dr. Still strongly believed in the innate healing power of the human body and found that if the structure was free of all obstructions to proper blood and nerve flow, then health would be maintained/restored. This relationship between structure and function is a core principle of osteopathic treatment to this day.

Keeping this founding principle in mind, osteopathic manual therapy removes stresses and strains on the muscles, ligaments and joints of the body in order to aid circulation of the vascular and nervous systems. If blood and nerve flow improve, the body will have the necessary tools to restore health and function.

Osteopathy achieves these treatment goals through a gentle holistic approach. The body is not a set of segmented parts, but rather an integrated whole which works together in order to function properly. Therefore the whole body (muscles, fascia, ligaments and joints, from the head to the feet) must have each part working properly in order for the whole to function optimally.