"To find health should be the object of the physician. Anyone can find disease"
A. T. Still, Osteopathic founder.
Osteopathy is a well established and recognised system of physical therapy which is based on the almost unique premise that the body's structural integrity governs its function and that it has the ability to heal itself so long as there are no barriers to this process. Such barriers can arise from the accumulation of stresses from our day to day lives, from lifestyle factors such as postural or work related strain, trauma, general health and fitness issues such as diet and of course from disease processes such as age related degeneration..
Prior to acceptance onto the register of Osteopaths, students of Osteopathic medicine are required to undergo a four year university course to gain the background medical knowledge and clinical reasoning skills that enable them to accurately assess and diagnose the cause of a patients symptoms and to know when osteopathic treatment is appropriate and when to refer to other healthcare professionals. One of the unique characteristics of the osteopathic approach to diagnosis and treatment planning is that the aim is to discover the root cause of the problem. This often means that the presenting symptoms are not the only issues addressed with the treatment regime. In a lot of cases, following resolution of the initial complaint the person actually finishes the treatment course in better shape than before they were in pain - osteopaths feel that preventing a recurrence is every bit as important as curing the problem!