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What is osteopathy?   “Disease gets
no opportunity where the tissues have
a good mobility”
A qoute from Dr. A.T. Still (1829-1917), founder of osteopathy. He combined his medical knowledge with his own, new insights. He established that all body tissues should show a certain degree of mobility, and that a loss of this mobility may be detrimental for overall health. He introduced a medical profession which was not based on symptoms, but searched for the primary cause of the complaints. He developed a technique to detect decreased tissue mobility in the body with his hands. With specific manual techniques, he was able to reestablish the tissue mobility, which consequentially had a positive effect on the body to provide overall good health and wellbeing. This treatment method was and still is ground-breaking, because the body itself is stimulated to recover on its own which occurs in a seemingly simple and subtle way. An osteopath is trained to augment the intrinsic healing mechanisms to help the body restore normal function. In the last decades, Dutch people are getting more acquainted with osteopathy. The osteopath does not specifically look at symptoms, but observes the whole person, in all of his/her aspects. The osteopath searches for mobility loss of the organs, musculoskeletal system and nervous system. The goal of osteopathy is tracking down and treating mobility losses which imbalance the body and thereby limit the ability of the body to recover by itself. Osteopathy itself strives towards accomplishing the most optimal functioning of the individual, with as little complaints as possible. Years of experience, professional handling, knowledge of osteopathy, and if needed collaboration with other disciplines will be used to achieve this goal together with you. Note: Osteopathy is no replacement of the general practitioner or specialist. Osteopathy and regular medicine complement each other. If it appears that your complaints need further medical examination, we will advise you to consult your general practitioner or specialist. “Osteopathy: a
philosophy, a science, an art”
One of the basic principles of the osteopathic philosophy is the relationship between structure and function in a living being. A change of function leads to a change in structure and vice versa. Mobility loss leads to function loss and thereby causes structural changes in body tissue. The osteopathic philosophy sees the human body as a unit which consists of different systems which are able to influence each other. A healthy human body has the natural ability to correct for disruptions, and should be able to adapt to different circumstances. Certain events, such as illness, operations, stress or trauma may have a disrupting effect on the body which may affect the body's ability to recover by itself. The effectiveness of osteopathy is not only demonstrated by countless examples from our own practice and from the practices of colleagues, but is also shown in several scientific studies. In both the Netherlands as well as other countries, a number of studies have been conducted to investigate the effectiveness and safety of osteopathic treatment. An overview of recent studies which have been conducted can be found by clicking the button 'Links'. Osteopathy can be seen as a handicraft. The osteopath examines and treats only with his hands. In osteopathy the most important aspect is the art to feel, determining the quality of different body tissues coupled with knowledge and experience of what is normal, and what is not. The art of osteopathy, is being able to implement the osteopathic philosophy in practice. |