What is Osteopathy? Rather, how do I practice Osteopathy?
Osteopathy is a philosophy which works on the premise that the body is a self-healing, interconnected system — which requires integrated function between its various parts.
My job as an Osteopath is to solve problems – to understand the “why” and not just the “what” behind your pain, injury or predisposition to a certain type of injury.
Osteopathic treatment requires duality of focus. Alternating between precise detail about a small area and the global pattern of how the body is working as a whole. Micro and macro with observation, range of motion testing and palpation (manual diagnosis by touch). This never stops, as the body will unravel its pattern of compensation with each change we make. One can never take their eye off the ball. To be effective, the right technique must be used for the individual problem and retested with the sensitivity to detect whether adequate change has been made before moving on.
Osteopathic treatment requires duality of focus. Alternating between precise detail about a small area and the global pattern of how the body is working as a whole.
Every Osteopath has their own style — mine is structural and primarily involves; joint adjustment/manipulation, trigger point release/soft tissue work, stretching and mobilisation.
Of course, this isn’t one-size-fits-all, so when required, I also bring in gentle cranial, visceral and fluid drainage techniques to name a few. The most satisfying moments in my practice are those where I develop a new technique in the moment to solve an unusual problem.
Stay tuned for Part 2.
If you’d like to know how I can help you move and feel better, contact us today.
