Osteopathy views the body as a functional unit, meaning that the structures of the body (anatomy) and their functions (physiology) are interrelated. Also, the body is known to have its own self-protecting and self-regulating mechanisms, maintaining its own homeostasis.
When the soft tissues and structures in the body are not in a neutral position, compression, tension and torsional forces are placed through all the layers of the body from the skin through to the bone. These forces affect vital, yet delicate structures like nerves, arteries, veins and lymphatic vessels. When the function of these fundamental structures is compromised, the typical symptoms experienced are pain, discomfort, restriction of movement, and/or any additional abnormal physical signs.
Osteopathic Manual Therapy involves an assessment of the whole body and focuses on assessing the body's structure through skilled palpation and motion testing. The treatment includes the patient to be active and passive throughout, while techniques are applied to the soft tissues alleviate lesioning (restriction) in any of the tissue layers. The goal of treatment is to alleviate restrictions through all layers of tissues, to allow the flow of all the vessels and conduction of all nerves to be restored, so that proper nutritions is delivered to the tissues and drainage of toxins is maintained. The intent in alleviating restrictions is to promote a more neutral position of structures in the body which allows for optimal functioning of the body as a whole.