Osteopathy

The holistic medicine

„Find it, fix it and leave it alone“

ANDREW TAYLOR STILL

The founder of osteopathy

Still was born in 1828, the son of a doctor. He accompanied his father to work and became a doctor himself. He quickly discovered that classical medicine had its limits and, in many cases, yielded no benefits at all. He broadened his studies with the aid of analyses and post-mortem examinations, and discovered that the body possesses self-healing powers. He viewed his patients as a whole, and this permitted him to determine the original illness.

The term “osteopathy” has been in use since 1874. The first osteopathic schools in Europe were founded during the early 1900s.

Becoming an osteopath

In Germany, one must complete a 5-year program of extra-occupational study, as well as examinations. Prerequisite to this study is a completed education as a physiotherapist, alternative practitioner, or physician.

What inspired us to become osteopaths?

With the knowledge and techniques that became available to us during our professional careers as physiotherapists, we were pushed to our limits time and time again, and we were only been able to assist the patient up to a certain point. The principle reason for this was that we had been focusing treatment on the patient’s symptoms without first successfully exploring the cause.

The study of osteopathy teaches us to treat the patient findings in a holistic manner. This approach reveals the origin of the current discomfort.

What is osteopathy?

Summarizing this complex science in just a few short words is no simple task. As we have already mentioned, it seeks to heal the patient by emphasizing the cause of the pain on the basis of a productive and fruitful discovery.

Examination and treatment are accordingly focused on the entire body, which we divide into three regions:

1. The system of bones and soft parts.
2. The organic system.
3. The central nervous system.

Osteopathic treatment mobilises the body’s self-healing capabilities and, for this reason, a period of time is permitted between treatments in order to allow the body to deploy these natural healing powers.

Case study

The following case study is depicted in very simplified fashion and is intended to provide a better understanding of the approach used in osteopathy.

A patient arrives complaining of chronic pain in her left shoulder, a procedure is carried out to mechanically restrict the joint. In connection with her medical history, the patient complains of recurring abdominal problems, such as heartburn and gastritis. The examination results reveal that the woman’s abdominal area is sensitive to touch. Her neck and shoulder muscles are tense.

The vegetative nerve (vagus nerve) supplies the upper abdominal organs. It departs from the skull together with a nerve that innervates the shoulder and neck muscles; these two nerves are connected together. Repeated irritation of the vagus nerve results in redirection of impulses in the nerve supplying the shoulder muscles, which, in turn, results in tension and, in the long term, impairment of the shoulder joint.

The osteopath is able to treat organs and improve their functioning, and harmonisation of the vegetative nerve system is accordingly of great importance in this case. Often, it is not necessary to focus treatment on the symptom, as the pain will decrease and/or disappear as a result of treatment of its cause.

Osteopathy

Osteopathy

The holistic medicine

„Find it, fix it and leave it alone“

ANDREW TAYLOR STILL

The founder of osteopathy

Becoming an osteopath

What inspired us to become osteopaths?

What is osteopathy?

Case study

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