What Is Osteopathy?
    Osteopathy takes advantage of the body's natural tendency to strive toward a state of health     and homeostasis. The key factor that permits this process is the ability of the body to circulate     all fluids that carry the body’s life-sustaining compounds. Any obstruction that impedes this     circulation is the focus of Osteopathy. These impediments may take many forms as bones,     organs or tissues are misaligned. Other impediments may include emotional patterns that are     responsible for maintaining the body in a certain adaptation of defense. These are quite often     responses to stressful incidents of the past, present, or of a repetitive nature.
    Over time, the body gradually loses its ability to efficiently self-regulate due to aging, trauma,     illness, surgical scarring, childbirth, or the cumulative effects of mental, emotional, physical     stress. In most cases the patient has had some combination of the above and the results     manifesting themselves locally in the body or more frequently, the symptoms are experienced far     from the original occurrence.

   What Happens In Treatment?
   
 At your first appointment, the osteopath will:
    
    1. Do a thorough survey of your health

 The osteopath will want to learn a lot about your current and past health, to find out:
        *what problem is bothering you now
        * what general health issues you have, if any
        * what medical treatments you have had throughout your life

     2. Give you a physical examination

 The osteopath will examine you physically to check your condition and make sure it is safe for you  to receive osteopathic treatment. The osteopath will assess all the systems and structures of your  body that may be related to your complaint, such as:
       * your posture
       * your gait (the way you walk)
       * the motion of your joints, tissues and organs

 The osteopath will also palpate various areas of your body to learn about
       * the tone of your tissues (their strength and tension)
       * whether there are any restrictions
       * your biorhythm
 It's a good idea to wear loose clothing, such as shorts and a T-shirt or sports bra.

    3. Develop a treatment plan

 Together, you and the osteopath will review the results of your health survey and physical  examination. Based on all this information, the osteopath will propose a treatment plan for you.
       * check to see the results of your previous treatment
       * reassess the areas to be treated
       * use one or more of the osteopathic treatment methods, depending on what you need. Your           body needs time to adapt to each treatment, especially if your problem is chronic.

  A week is usually enough time for your body to adapt, so in most cases treatments are given  once a week  or once every 2 weeks. As your condition starts to improve, you will need  treatments less often.

 Many patients frequently report feeling a deep sense of relaxation, tingling, and/or flow of fluids  as their pain is relieved. Although treatment varies, Osteopaths primarily concentrate on  normalizing the body's "mechanism".

   Osteopathic Treatment Methods
   Osteopaths identify, assess, and treat the body's structures and rhythms using a gentle,     hands- on approach. This fundamental technique is called osteopathic palpation. Osteopaths     spend many years developing the very sensitive sense of touch they need to master     osteopathic palpation.
    Osteopathic palpation is what makes osteopathy different from other forms of manual therapy.     
Osteopaths use it in the 4 major treatment techniques.

     1. Soft Tissue Manipulation
     Osteopaths use soft tissue manipulation in many different ways. In general, they use it to      evaluate the condition of tissues and to help the body's fluids (such as blood and lymphatic      fluid) flow smoothly. Keeping fluids flowing smoothly reduces harmful fluid retention and makes      the body's immune system more effective.

     2. Functional Technique
     Osteopaths use this technique regularly because it can be used on any structure of the body.      They use it to gently move tissues or joints to ease restrictions and allow full movement to      return. For this technique to be effective, osteopaths need skilled hands that can palpate very      subtle changes in the body.

     3. Muscle Energy Technique
     The muscle energy technique can have a dramatic effect on muscles and joints. The patient's      muscles are gently contracted and relaxed against the osteopath's resistance. Osteopaths use      this technique to relax muscles, restore neurological balance, ease joint restrictions, and      increase fluid circulation in an area of the body.

     4. Osteopathic Articular Technique
     
 Osteopaths use this technique to:
        * reduce muscle spasms near a joint
        * ease neurological irritations around a joint
        * make joints more mobile
        * reduce pain and discomfort

 The articular technique involves gently moving 2 joint surfaces. Before doing this, osteopaths  carefully prepare the soft tissues around the treatment area. They also move the patient into a  position that will minimize the energy and force needed to perform the maneuver. Many patients  find this technique less forceful than joint manipulations.

 A click is sometimes heard when the correction is made. This is just the synovial fluid moving  through the joint.

 The osteopathic articular technique is a very small component of osteopathy. Patients who do not  want to have this (or any other) technique performed on them are encouraged to discuss their  concerns with their practitioner. Osteopaths can use other methods to achieve similar results.

    How Long Will It Take to Get Better?
    A chronic condition often takes years to develop. With this in mind, it stands to reason that it will     require time to resolve, although every body has its own time table. For a patient with an acute     problem (flu, muscle strain, etc.), the course of treatment is shorter because the condition is not     as deep as a chronic illness. Much is also dependent on a patient's level of vitality (i.e. immune     system). In other words, a patient in generally good health will respond more quickly to     treatment than a patient with lower vitality (i.e. weakened immune system).

    What Does Osteopathy Treat?
    Treatment is aimed at the structural problems present, not the disease entity. By removing the     obstructions to health, Osteopaths are able to treat virtually any illness or trauma. Our     philosophy is the body is a unit whose parts integrally affect each other. Therefore, dysfunction     in one area affects other areas as well. Some common illnesses treated with Osteopathy     include: