Osteopaths use their highly trained sense of touch, called palpation, to assess the tissues of the body for dysfunction and with their hands manipulate these tissues to bring about better movement, blood and nerve supply in order to facilitate healing.

Osteopaths are trained to recognise and treat many causes of pain. Osteopathy lays its main emphasis on the structural integrity of the body, and is unique in the way the patient is assessed from a mechanical, functional and postural standpoint, and the manual methods of treatment applied to suit individual needs.

Osteopathy was developed in the late 1800s by Dr A.T. Still. He believed that the body had the inherent ability to heal itself. He theorised that healthy functioning of the body is dependant on structure, so any imbalance could impair its ability to recover from, and remain resistant to, disease or injury. Through observation and experimentation, Dr Still developed osteopathy, a manual treatment applied directly to the tissues in a manner designed to correct the subtle imbalances within the body's structure.

What is Osteopathy?