| |
Focus
of Osteopathy:
All
areas of medical health care can benefit from Osteopathy and many medical health
care providers can learn this method. Why do we need the professions of
Osteopathic Medicine and Osteopathy?
The osteopathic professions have, at their core, a unique philosophy, leading to
a fundamentally different approach to diagnosis, therapy and prevention than in
regular medical practice.
In
osteopathy we have a kind of network thinking and action. The fundamental
concept is the interconnected relationship between structure and function. This
is the unique core of osteopathy.
Regarding ‘structure’, the focus of osteopathy is the assessment of both the
physiologic and pathologic structure.
Regarding ‘function’, we analyse the physiologic function from the perspective
of balance, homeostasis and somatic dysfunction.
The interconnected relationship between structure and
function was always emphasized by Dr. Still. This was one of his most important
contributions.
Regarding regulation we analyse the role of the peripheral and central nervous
system in the coordination or discoordination of structure and function.
A
‘network-based’ way of thinking and acting in Osteopathy is the central
perspective for assessing structure, function and the regulation of all parts of
the patient’s body.
The main
goal of therapy is the improvement of function within the parietal, visceral and
cranio-sacral systems. Improved function will improve structure as well as the
regulation within the body.
Osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMT) influences
all body systems in a micro- and macroscopic way.
This is due to the Tensegrity construction of all
cells and the fascial continuity within the body.
With these same constructional principles osteopathy
can regulate down to the cellular level.
|
|
