Montreal Osteopathy Clinic

What is osteopathy?

Osteopathy is an art

Osteopathy is an art and a science that provides manual treatment that realigns bones, muscles, organs, viscera, glands, etc. to achieve balance and thus the ability to function better. The fundamental principle of osteopathy is to promote the body’s self-healing abilities through its internal regulation (homeostasis). This is based on deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and semiology.

The osteopath must feel (in the osteopathy jargon we say “listen”) with her hands all the responses of the body to the diagnostic tests. She must interpret the tensions before normalizing them. Her therapeutic manual work must continuously balance the quality and quantity of her gestures to maximize effectiveness.

The 5 pillars of osteopathy

1. Totality and holism:

Within the body, everything is linked and inseparable; a localized issue cannot be considered independently, but rather as part of the entirety of the body.

For example, if the pleura is fixed, such as it is after pleurisy, the shoulder’s movements will be affected. The effect is felt in the shoulder, but the cause is the pleural fixation. For an effective treatment, the shoulder must be freed from the ligament’s constraints, but the ease of sliding must also be restored in the pleura.

2. The relationship between structure and function:

Any structural issue will also affect organic function. An osteopath’s work consists of adjusting the body from an abnormal state to a normal one. For instance, a D6 lesion will impact the stomach. Any damage to a function will have repercussions on the structure. A stomach ulcer will transmit information through D6, which causes muscle spasms and osteo-articular disorders.

3. The relation of cause and effect:

Our physical bodies are extraordinarily complicated. The cause and effect phenomenon is endless. The original cause of certain cases can be important, but as time goes on, the effect becomes more important than the cause, with death being the end point. Death is the end or the accumulation of all the effects.

4. The importance of fluid corrections:

Osteopathic treatment mobilizes the water found in the core (blood, lymph, cerebrospinal). Osteopaths apply pressure manually which goes from the inside to the outside, in the same way that masseurs use blood circulation, lymphatic and cerebrospinal fluid to diffuse and reach the targeted cells.

5. Homeostasis: Our bodies possess the power of self-healing.

Any natural remedy can be found within the body. Health can be defined as a balance made possible by the homeostatic abilities of the body.