Osteopathy was first developed in 1874, by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, as he was dissatisfied with the effectiveness of treatment and medicine available to him at the current time in 19th century (Jennifer Robinson, 2023). Core osteopathic principles are the following: the human body is a dynamic unit of function; the body possesses self-regulatory mechanisms that are self-healing in nature; structure and function are interrelated at all levels; and rational treatment is based on these principles (Paulus, 2013).
Optimal bodily function requires structural integrity and for mobility to be restored and then further maintained. The body’s structure includes bones; muscles; ligaments and tendons; fascia; and can also include visceral tissue or the body’s organs.
The musculoskeletal system is an area of primary focus. When an individual is suffering from an impairment or restriction, this can cause a local, but also a global or generalized disorder, i.e. a restriction in one area of the body can cause or create discomfort in a different area of the body. Another focus of manual osteopaths is the organism’s circulatory systems. These include blood flow through the arteries and veins, but also the flow of the lymphatic system. This also includes the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) throughout the brain and spinal cord, by way of the primary respiratory mechanism (PRM), which is related to the movement of the spheno-basilar synchondrosis. This is the primary focus of cranial osteopathy, and is a popular treatment modality among many manual osteopaths (Banton et al., 2023; Bordoni et al., 2019; Judkins et al., 2017).
References
Banton, A., Vogel, S., & Lee-Treweek, G. (2023). Making sense of cranial osteopathy: An
interpretative phenomenological analysis. International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine,
50, 100673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijosm.2023.100673
Bordoni, B., Morabito, B., & Simonelli, M. (2019). Cranial Osteopathy: Obscurantism and
Enlightenment. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.4730
Judkins, R., Vaughan, B., & Mulcahy, J. (2017). Evaluation of New Zealand osteopathy patients
experiences of their treatment. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 29, 20–26.
Paulus, S. (2013). The core principles of osteopathic philosophy. International Journal of
Osteopathic Medicine, 16(1), 11-16.
Robinson, J. (2023, September 20). What is osteopathic medicine?. WebMD.