Osteopathy (also called osteopathic medicine) relies on manual contact for both diagnosis and treatment. It respects the relationship of body, mind and spirit both in health and disease. Therefore, it is not for relaxation nor should it be assimilated as a SPA service !
It emphasizes on the structure and functional integrity of the body and its natural tendency for self-healing.
Osteopathic practitioners use a wide variety of therapeutic manual techniques. Properly combined they improve/correct your physiological function and/or support the stability of your body’s equilibrium which has been altered by somatic (body framework) dysfunction (I.e. skeletal, arthrodial and myofascial structures; and related vascular, lymphatic, and neural elements.)
This explanation might feel a bit technical and it is not always easy to explain osteopathy in simple words. So, to help you understand, lets make a comparison;
Imagine Your Body is Like a Car...
When you have a problem with your brakes, you take your car to the garage. The mechanic will check out your traction control and either put oil/tighten screws or replace the faulty part. Right ?
Similarly, when you have a pain in your ankle, a doctor will check you out, maybe send you for X-ray/MRI and either prescribe medication & physiotherapy or forward you to a surgeon to fix it.
So… What does the Osteopath do ?
The Osteopath considers the body as a whole and, as such, he perceives all your body elements (blood flow, nervous impulses, …). It’s like if a mechanic, by simply applying his hands on your car, could perceive all electrical currents, fluid movements, ECU, CAN connections, etc…
Because all are intimately related to each other, your body is constantly communicating to keep in everything in balance and healthy. That’s what osteopaths call the Breath of Life.
By applying hand on your body, the osteopath can feel your breath of Life and determine what’s wrong and what is the deep root of your problem. He will trigger messages to your body to naturally correct your disorder. Your body self-healing power will then get your balance back in the right place, As it should…
Comparative between the Human Body and a Car : ECU (Engine Control Unit) – Muscles, CAN bus (Controller Area Network) – Nervous System.
Ok, but …. How does it work ?
When you cut yourself, you bleed… Afterwards, the bleeding stops and your wound starts to self heal , right ?
Well Osteopath use this same self healing property of your body to heal you . When they apply their hand on you their specifically target the problem and trigger your self healing mechanisms to take care of it .
Our Osteopathic Techniques
When there is a disorder (an imbalance), your body will try to correct by itself. However, sometime, the way it corrects it self, creates another imbalance and so on… That’s why, when you are having pain in on place, the origin could be somewhere else (i.e., pain in the hand but the origin could be the jaw, ribs, …).
Through their unique sensory skills, experienced Osteopaths combine various techniques according to the type of disorder you are suffering from:
So.. For What & When should i see an Osteopath ?
Osteopathy can help you prevent & treat a wide range of disorders. These range from Back Pain to headaches but is applying to any type of pain (pregnancy, gut ,etc…).
Most of acute conditions can be treated in 1 to 2 sessions, if treated quickly after onset of symptoms.
What you should ALWAYS inquire about ...
AN EFFECTIVE OSTEOPATHY SESSION
ALWAYS LASTS AROUND 1 HOUR*
Beware !!
An Osteopathic consultation always begins by:
- a verbal assessment (Anamnesis).
- a review any medical documents (X-Ray, MRI, Blood Tests,…).
Afterwards, you will be invited to:
- remove your shoes, your belt and empty your pockets.
- lay down on the table, relax and take a nap if you feel like it .
All Our Sessions last at least 1 hour (less for kids & babies- usually between 20 to 35 min).
That’s the minimum amount of time required to get all the proper benefits of Osteopathy.