Osteopathy is one of the safest, hands-on, drug-free, and non-invasive manual therapies available for treatment of neuromusculoskeletal and joint complaints. Founded in 1874 by Andrew Taylor Still, M.D. (1828-1917), osteopathy addresses the body as a whole and recognizes that:
- The human body is a unit in which all parts are connected
- The structure of the body determines its function
- The body has the ability to self-regulate, and self-heal
- Rational treatment combines all of these factors
Manual osteopaths will use many guided and purposeful techniques to restore function of the body by correcting bone, joint, muscle, and fascial restrictions along with their vascular (blood), neural (nerve), and lymphatic (fluid) components.