Osteopathy Overview 

Osteopathy is a unique system of medicine originated in the United States during the late 1800's after a Physician named Dr. Andrew Taylor Still began experimenting with treating the individual rather than the symptoms.  At the time there was a meningitis outbreak and  Dr. Still became discouraged with the lack of successful allopathic medical treatment so started to devise his own.  He had huge success with his then alternative treatments and began to teach them, today Osteopathy is still taught at the Kirksville College of Osteopathy started by Dr. A.T.Still and there continues to be a tradition of osteopathic excellence from pracitioners who have contributed to the growing body of Osteopathic research and practise.

In Canada, Osteopathy is experiencing a renaissance.  In 1981,  an Osteopathic program was founded and initially offered in Quebec and has since graduated Canadian educated Osteopaths  trained in the traditional art and science of Osteopathic Manual Medicine of A.T. Stills.    Additional Osteopathic programs in Ontario and Vancouver have been established to educate and train professional Osteopaths who do not prescribe pharmaceuticals agents or perform surgery.  Additionally, the population of Osteopaths in Canada continue to grow as practitioners from the UK, Australia and New Zealand establish osteopathy clinics in Canada.  

Osteopathy is a unique system of diagnosis and treatment where gentle techniques are used to release and realign the body. This hands-on therapy not only works with the body framework (muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons and fascia), it also works with the internal organs to aid your general health.

There is a reciprocal relationship between the structure and function of the body. By treating the body framework and the organs, we are able to affect digestion, circulation, lymphatic drainage, respiration and metabolism.

The goal of treatment is to relieve pain, improve mobility and to support and stimulate the body's ability to heal itself.  An Osteopath uses a highly trained sense of touch developed over years to both diagnose and treat the body.  

Osteopathic philosophy views the person as a whole, considering body, mind and spirit.  By always looking for the cause of problems, we avoid merely treating the symptoms.

Who can Osteopaths help?
Because Osteopaths use a wide variety of techniques and each treatment is tailored to the individual, osteopathy is great for the whole family. Osteopaths  treat newborns through to the elderly, professional sports people, office workers and manual labourers.

What conditions can Osteopathy help ?
Osteopathy can treat and help a variety of conditions which include though not limited to:

• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Whiplash
• Headaches
• Migraine
• Sports Injuries
• Disc injuries and sciatica
• Jaw problems (TMJ)
• Frozen shoulder
• Ankle sprains
• Arthritis
• Rib sprain
• Scoliosis
• Occupational overuse syndrome