Who can Osteopaths treat?
Osteopathy is a philisophical approach to health care which is to say we can approach anyone and treat them osteopathically.The popular misconception is that osteopaths "crunch bones" and this is misleading. There are alot of people who have conditions that prevent the use of techniques that manipulate joints due to underlying medical issues or pathology. It does not however prevent us from using many of the other techniques to palliate and ease symptoms in patients who may be suffering from other illness. So the statement osteopathy is for everyone we really mean everyone. We have the interest of our patients at the heart of our practice and wish to promote their health by the optimal relation of anatomy to free the full potential of their physiological reserve.
The fact that we train to a very high standard in the subjects of anatomy and biomechanics means we have an acute understanding of the fuctioning of the musculoskeletal system which allows us to approach musculoskeletal issues with some good success. We also appreciate the proper relation of all tissues, musculoskeletal, neurovascular, and viseral also have a profound influence on the health of the individual. We therefore devise osteopathic treatments to help digestive peristaltic function and the ventilatory mechanism. The indirect consequence of this dysfunction is not lost on us and in fact our training encourages us to think about consequence of action over the long term. Lastly osteopaths appreciate that within all the muscle, bone, ligament, blood, fat, hair and mucus resides a sentient being that thinks, loves, weeps and laughs!
We as osteopaths believe that human beings ability to express our selves physically connects us essentially with the essence of what we are. Within Osteopathic literature the term "Primary machinary of life" is used, what we mean by this is the musculoskeletal system. In truth though I feel the primary machinary of life is the manifestation of our conscious mind and the vehicle for our consciousness.