Fields of osteopathy
As already mentioned, osteopathy is a holistic medicine. Holistic means that the whole organism is examined and treated.Osteopathy is divided into three sub-areas: The founder of parietal osteopathy was Andrew Taylor Still, visceral osteopathy goes back to H. V. Hoover or M. D. Young in the 1940s and craniosacral osteopathy to William Garner Sutherland and John E. Upledger. All in all, osteopathy is a coherent medical system that follows the principles of applied anatomy, physiology and pathology.
- Parietal osteopathy: includes the treatment of muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons
- Visceral osteopathy: for the treatment of internal organs and their connective tissue structures
- Cranial (synonym: craniosacral) osteopathy: includes the central nervous system, brain, skull, spinal cord and surrounding structures
Causes
Andrew T. Still regarded the body as a functional unit. If a disorder occurs in one area, it has effects, such as loss of function and movement, on other areas. If more and more of these movement losses come together, the healthy organism can no longer compensate and the first symptoms appear.
These can also occur in completely different parts of the body and may seem to be independent of the functional disorders found by the osteopath. Examples of such symptoms are: Neck/headache and back pain or tension in case of movement disorders of the spine, heartburn/fullness in case of a restriction of the stomach, menstruation problems (menstrual pain) or constipation in case of restrictions of the pelvis, dizziness / tinnitus (ringing in the ears) in case of a loss of cranial movement, etc. Still formulated four basic assumptions or principles, which are still used in today’s osteopathy:
- The human being is a unity: all parts of the body, the spirit and the soul are connected and interact with each other.
There is a life energy that flows through the entire body.
- Structure and function influence each other: incorrect posture, for example, can gradually lead to anatomical changes, and injuries or scars can restrict the function of tissue.
- The body can regulate and heal itself (self-healing powers): Ideally, all parts of the organism work together harmoniously, the immune system fends off illness, injuries heal again and irreparable damage is compensated. In a healthy person all processes are in balance (homeostasis). If this is disturbed, it can lead to complaints and diseases.
- A healthy blood circulation ensures the function of the body and its tissues. If it is disturbed, damage is possible. Treatments stimulate the entire blood flow and remove blockages.
