Osteopathy is a form of manual medicine, a manual therapy, that focuses on assessing, treating, and preventing health problems by moving, stretching, and massaging muscles and joints to improve overall body function.
If you have ever visited a physiotherapist, chiropractor or similar practitioner then that wouldn’t be too far from what Osteopathy is all about. However, Osteopathy is perhaps a more holisytic physical therapy that uses different techniques not used by a physiotherapist or chiropractor. And it is not about cracking joints, as is often associated with chiropractors. Far from it.
Osteopathy is a gentle, non-intrusive physical therapy that aims to ease the body and all its systems into the most optimum condition so that it can function effectively. Osteopathy takes a holistic approach to healthcare emphasizing that connection between the body’s structure and its ability to function properly. Practitioners use a variety of hands-on techniques to diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions. At its most basic level of treatment, Osteopathy can alleviate muscle aches and pains from strains and imbalances, realign joints, ease symptoms of conditions such as arthritis, help with fascia release, relax the nervous system and much more.
Hippocrates, often called the “Father of Medicine,” famously stated, “Look well to the spine for the cause of disease.” This shows that the practice of working with the structure of the body to improve health is very ancient but the statement also aligns very well with the core philosophies of Osteopathy:
1) The body is one unit. Our body has eleven different systems, which include the Nervous System, Musculoskeletal System, Cardiovascular/Circulatory System, Lymphatic & Immune Systems, Respiratory System, Integumentary System, Digestive System, Endocrine System, Urinary System and Reproductive System. Osteopathy operates on the principle that these systems work together inextricably.
2) Structure and function are interrelated. If the body’s structure is disrupted or misaligned, it will impede its functions.
3) The body self-regulates its own equilibrium, combined closely with philosophy number 4, which is that the body self-heals. By a process of Stabilization-Detoxification-Fortification, the body will regulate and heal itself.
5) If the body’s systems are disrupted, self-maintenance disintegrates. That is, if one system or part of the body is restricted, blocked, out of alignment, or ill, it has the potential to have an adverse effect on all the other systems. Realign the systems and overall health will improve.
What conditions can Osteopathy help with?
Osteopathy can treat a wide range of conditions, focusing on musculoskeletal and other related issues. Osteopathy can address injuries such as whiplash and sports injuries, as well as conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.
Musculoskeletal Issues:
- Neck and back pain (Read my article on osteopathy and back pain)
- Sciatica
- Joint pain and sprains (hips, knees, shoulders, etc)
- Headaches and migraines
- Whiplash
- Muscle spasms and strains
- Sports Injuries
- Arthritis
- Postural problems
Other Conditions:
- Stress (Read my article on how osteopathy can help with PTSD, stress, depression and anxiety)
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic fatigue
- Repetitive strain injuries
- Digestive issues
- Respiratory problems (asthma, etc)
- Pregnancy-related discomfort
- Neurological issues
If these conditions are left untreated, they can develop into primary and secondary pathologies, in addition to the original problem. Osteopathic treatment aims to identify these restrictions, misalignments or ‘lesions’, remove, ease and correct them to help restore balance for the whole-body unit. Osteopathic treatments restore proper body mechanics, reduce pain, and improve overall function. With the body’s systems returned to a more open, unrestricted flow, the body is then in a much better state to be able to heal itself.
What can I expect in a Manual Osteopathic & Therapeutic Bodywork treatment?
For your home visits the therapist will bring their own massage table, saddle-stool and any other equipment required. See more details for how to prepare at the bottom of this page.
During a Manual Osteopathic & Therapeutic Bodywork treatment the client is fully clothed. Osteopathy is a gentle and non-intrusive physical therapy that aims to create ease within the body. In your first session the therapist will assess the whole body for misalignments, mobility restrictions, pains or tenderness, and will ask for any relevant medical history. Using a massage table, practitioners will use gentle techniques such as soft tissue massage, joint mobilization, muscle energy techniques, gentle viscera and organ kneading, and other therapeutic exercises to guide the body’s structure back into optimal alignment and good circulatory flow. The techniques used are specific to each patient’s requirements.
How will I feel?
Osteopathy has a gently gently approach and most clients feel a sense of relaxation and relief from pains. Using gentle musculoskeletal movements, stretches and adjustments to realign the body’s structure, the flow of all the body’s systems is freed-up and there can be a sense of one’s posture feeling opened up. You can expect to feel relief from techniques such as assisted stretching and joint mobilization as previously restricted movements are gently released.
Osteopathy is not about cracking bones, which can be seen in many social media videos of physical therapies. On the contrary, in a Manual Osteopathic & Therapeutic Bodywork treatment the techniques can often seem very minimal but the effect is maximal and often takes place as the body heals itself in the days to follow. The Osteopathic approach is never to lean into pain but rather to move into a position of comfort, away from pain, so the body can relax, feel at ease and heal itself. A tense body rarely heals.
Osteopathic techniques calm the nervous system, which is in control of the whole body. A calm nervous system relaxes the patient which then allows more of the body’s energy to be refocused on healing diseases and other conditions of the somatic kind. Less aches, pains and illness in the body has a positive impact on the patient’s stress reduction and mental health, resulting in the Osteopathic treatment having optimum impact on the whole person, not just the body. As a result patients often experience sleepiness after a session.
In the days following a Manual Osteopathy & Therapeutic Bodywork treatment you may experience mild soreness or aches as the body readjusts back into it’s natural posture, similar to how you might feel after exercise, a hike or massage. This is perfectly normal and is part of the body’s healing process. This typically subsides after 24 hours and then your body will feel like new. Much like a lotus flower floating on water!
Osteopathy and Therapeutic Bodywork is not all about solving problems.
You don’t need to have pain or a physical condition to book sessions. Maybe you or a loved one you want to treat enjoy looking after yourselves, are craving a pampering session and want to feel good. Here’s the thing, Osteopathy, Therapeutic Bodywork, in fact generally working with the body’s tissues, improves flexibility, mobility, circulation and is a proven relaxation method. It’s common knowledge that massage helps people relax but what isn’t as well known is that some people find Osteopathy even more relaxing than massage. It is often the case that clients who come for an Osteopathy treatment begin to favour that as their go-to wellness and relaxation treatment from then on. Book an Osteopathic Pain Relief & Relaxation treatment now and see what all the fuss is about!
Read more on how osteopathy can help you relax and reduce stress in Max’s short article here.
Trusted local osteopathic care – at-home or wherever you are!
If you have any questions about bookings or Manual Osteopathy & Therapeutic Bodywork Treatment please email me at ithacawellnesscanada@gmail.com or call 778-929-6143
MAX’S LOCATIONS FOR MANUAL OSTEOPATHY & THERAPEUTIC BODYWORK
COQUITLAM, PORT MOODY & TRI-CITIES
Member of British Columbia Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners (BCAOMP)
We would like to respectfully acknowledge that Ithaca Wellness operates on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded shared territories of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Stó:lō (Sto:lo) First Nations. We give thanks to these nations who continue to live on and care for these lands and waters, and for their wisdom towards wildlife.