What is osteopathy

Osteopathy  consists of a series of  manipulative techniques  aimed at restoring some specific functions of the body. The basic assumption of osteopathy is that the deformation of some skeletal sectors and the consequent interference on the adjacent nerves and blood vessels are the cause of most diseases. The restoration of the body’s self-healing capabilities  is made possible by manipulating the skeleton, muscles and ligaments. 

The  doctrinal pivot  of osteopathy is the integration of body, mind and spirit. In the state of health, the structure of the organs and their function are strictly correlated in harmonic balance, while in that of disease there would be a disharmony between the various components. By restoring normal mobility through an adequate manipulation of the ‘irregular’ osteo-muscular districts , the body would renormalize the blood circulation, regaining the ability to heal itself, especially if corrections of eating habits, behavior and lifestyle are added to the manipulation. . Said like this, it appears a bit tricky. We understand better how an osteopathic visit takes place.

Osteopath: the law and professional requirements

The osteopathic visit

It is above all the  musculoskeletal pathology  that leads patients to consult the osteopath . The most common indications are  high and low back pain  (cevricalgie, back pain, lumbago), with or without neuralgic irradiation (sciatica), torticollis, cervicobrachial neuralgia, coxalgia, fasciitis and tendinitis. Osteopathy is equally effective in non-muscle-joint diseases such as  asthma , lung infections, ear infections, abdominal colic, dysmenorrhea and other visceral pathologies.

During the osteopathic visit, the osteopath, through the use of a variety of manual and non-manual techniques, restores and relaunches joint, visceral and fascial movement, stimulates and facilitates the mechanisms of self-regulation, body adaptation and restoration of homeostasis.

Generally, an osteopathic visit opens with an anamnesis that starts from the patient’s main disorder, and then goes back to the osteopathic lesion (s) involved in the problem (integrated in its entirety). Its goal is to diagnose , with the help of clinical and osteopathic tests, the mobility and elasticity / deformability barriers of the anatomical structures that can limit the organism in its physiological functions.

This procedure will allow him to develop an appropriate treatment . To this end, he will use structural or functional manual techniques on all structures of the locomotor system (ligaments, muscles, fascias, bones, etc.), visceral and craniosacral.

Remember that in osteopathy it is not the therapist who heals, but his role is to eliminate the “obstacles” to the body’s communication paths in order to allow the organism, by exploiting its own self-regulation phenomena, to achieve healing. Osteopathy aims to restore the harmony of the skeletal support structure in order to allow the body to find its own balance and well-being.