What is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a primary care profession. It is a method of diagnosis, treatment, prevention and rehabilitation. The Osteopath’s aim is to find the cause of the patient’s presentation rather than just treating the symptoms. By treating the structure, the osteopath restores the body’s function and therefore allows it to heal itself. The body should be in a state of balance.

Osteopaths can treat people of all ages, including pregnant and post partum women, babies, children, teenagers, adults and seniors.
Osteopaths consider each person as an individual therefore treatment is different for every patient.

Treatment includes techniques such as soft tissue massage to release tension, joint articulation and manipulation to improve mobility, cranial technique to rebalance the body and visceral and fascial technique to release deeper restrictions.

Various conditions presented in practice include:

• Back pain
• Headache/ migraines
• Poor posture
• Neck and shoulder tension
• Sports injuries
• Sciatica
• Pre- and post-natal pelvic and back pain
• Arthritis and Rheumatic pain
• Frozen shoulder
• Tennis elbow
• Foot/knee complaints
• Menstrual pain, digestive problems or irritable bowels
• Stress related problems
• Jaw and sinus pain

Visceral technique

Viscera is the collective name for the organs present in the chest and abdomen. Visceral osteopathy therefore seeks to release tensions from the tissues of these organs to allow them to function freely. Often when there is a build up of tension in these organs they exert a pull on the spine through their ligamentous attachments. Visceral osteopathy may also aid functional problems of poor digestion or restricted breathing by directly addressing poor mobility of the organs in question.

Cranial technique

Cranial osteopathy is a refined and subtle type of osteopathic treatment that encourages the release of stresses and tensions throughout the body, including the head. It is a gentle yet extremely effective approach and may be used in a wide range of conditions for people of all ages, from birth to old age.
Cranial osteopaths are trained to feel a very subtle, rhythmical shape change that is present in all body tissues.

This is called Involuntary Motion or the Cranial Rhythm. Tension in the body disrupts the cranial rhythm. Practitioners compare what your rhythm is doing to what they consider ideal. This shows them what stresses and strains your body is under at present, and what tensions it may be carrying as a result of its past history. It also gives them an insight into the overall condition of your body, for example if it is healthy, or stressed and tired.

This is a good method of treatment for pregnant women and babies who need a more gentle approach and also patients who suffer with stress.