What Is Osteopathic Manual Therapy?

Osteopathy is a science of healing which places an emphasis on the structural and functional integrity of the body. It relies on manual contact for structural diagnosis and treatment. Osteopathy is a patient-centered form of health care rather than disease-centered.

Osteopathic practitioners utilize a wide-variety of therapeutic manual techniques dictated by their understanding of osteopathic principles and the structural individuality of each client. Through manual manipulation, osteopathic practitioners are able to influence all areas of the body in order to optimize the body's intrinsic self-healing and self-regulating mechanisms. 

Osteopathic manipulative treatment is used as a means of facilitating these normal mechanisms by addressing areas of tissue strain, stress or dysfunction that may impede normal neural, vascular, or lymphatic flow.

Practitioners provide treatment based on their understanding of Osteopathic principles and not individual techniques. As such, the way in which they assess their patients and integrate patient management, duration, frequency, and choice of technical application, are distinctive aspects of their practice.

• Get to the root cause of the problem rather than to simply treat symptoms
• Relieve pain, discomfort, and inflammation
• Improve motion restrictions
• Improve circulation and lymphatic drainage
  
• Encourage the body's innate ability to self heal and self regulate