What is Osteopathy?
Aches and pains can be felt in all parts of the body - but to fix a problem it must be understood in terms of anatomical structure and its function.
Osteopathy is a study of anatomy, physiologyand body function. Firstly we need to know what is normal for the body, then we need to help and train the body to get back to that normal (for it) state.
Osteopathy helps the body return to it's optimal and or normal functional state, whether there is a problem for example with a 'bad knee', 'bad back' or 'growing pains'.
It has nothing to do with finding the right technique.........................
Structural Osteopathy
'Structural' Osteopathy(most people think of this as ''Osteopathy'') is the understanding of the Joints, Muscles, Ligaments, tendons and connective tissue of the body, in other words the anatomy, physiology and function of the human body. This is imperative to an understanding of how the body goes WRONG or is INJURED in some way, and how it can be restored to OPTIMUM function and therefore health ie IT WORKS PROPERLY!!!!!
TopCranial Osteopathy
Osteopaths view the body as a unique, interconnected, self-healing system. They believe that the structure and the function of the body are closely related, and a disturbance in the body's framework can interrupt the natural function of multiple systems, causing a wide range of symptoms.
Cranial osteopathy(another facet of osteopathy) is a part of an extremely gentle osteopathic treatment, which focuses on relieving stress and tension throughout the body. Because it's such a gentle form of therapy, it can be practiced on people with a wide range of conditions, and is suitable for all ages, from newborns to the elderly. Structural osteopathy is what would be termed as traditional osteopathy, and can involve manipulation (clicking joints) massage and articulation.
The third part of osteopathy is visceral osteopathy which deals with the internal organs and their function.
So, when a person has some form of trauma, physical or emotional, the whole body can be affected.It is therefore important to use ALL aspects of Osteopathic treatment together as appropriate.
Cranial osteopathy was founded by William Garner Sutherland, a pupil of the founder of osteopathy Andrew Taylor Still, in the 1930s. As a student, studying the structure and function of the human skeleton, Sutherland was particularly interested in the way the bones of the skull fit together. This led him to investigate particular structure of the skull bones and their slight movement. It was this investigation that led to the development of the cranial part of osteopathy and to the understanding of the role of cranial motion in health and sickness throughout the whole body.
Osteopaths are trained to feel and interpret the very delicate, rhythmic shape change that exists in all body tissues. This motion, called 'Involuntary Motion' or 'Cranial Rhythm' (it actually is felt though the whole body), comes about due to the particular movement of cerebrospinal fluid bathing the spinal cord and the pull of the soft tissue connections to the cranial bones. This involves a rhythmical elongation and narrowing, followed by a shortening and widening. This cycle repeats approximately every 10 seconds, and is separate to the rhythm generated through breathing.
The cranial rhythm was first described by Dr Sutherland in the early twentieth century, and its existence was confirmed by a series of laboratory tests in the 1960's and 70's. The motion is completely involuntary and so small in amplitude that only specially trained practitioners can feel its motion throughout the body.
Cranial osteopathy is simply another aspect of osteopathic understanding and is taught to a greater or lesser degree in all osteopathic schools; however, practitioners may choose to further their knowledge and experience of cranial therapy by doing a post-graduate course and some practitioners choose to treat solely with cranial techniques.
Who is Cranial Osteopathy for? ..................Everyone!
"Cranial osteopathy can be of particular benefit to mothers and babies post childbirth". Birth is one of the most stressful events of our lives and the compressive forces exerted on the body during this process can contribute to a lot of musculo-skeletal problems sooner or later in life. In the latter part of pregnancy, the baby changes position in preparation for birth (engages). "If the baby engages in an awkward position it can cause abnormal strains to babies head and body (intra-uterine compression)", which are particularly mobile in babies in order to aid the passage through the birth canal.
Similarly, when the birth is particularly traumatic or very long or very short, the head gets exposed to abnormal forces and can result in additional stress to the cranial bones limiting their ability to expand on the baby's first breath. "Even c-sections can be traumatic for the baby". The sudden exposure into the world comes as a 'shock' as the baby hasn't had time to prepare. The result of these abnormal compressions and subsequent inadequate expansion of the head on the first breath is that the "baby can be left with a feeling of pressure inside the head. Signs that your baby may be experiencing birth compression might be; constantly crying irritable baby, sleep disturbances, feeding problems, wind, colic, sinusitis and ear, nose and throat disorders. The abnormal tensions in the cranial bones can also affect the nerves exiting from the skull. Babies can develop nausea and colic when the nerve supplying the stomach is irritated as it passes out the skull when the cranial base is misaligned."
Cranial osteopathy may also be able to help with irregular head shapes (following forceps / suction cap deliveries). However,the success of the treatment will depend on how soon you bring the child in for treatment. Since, as we age, our bones start to ossify (harden) and their malleability is reduced.
And for mothers? During pregnancy, the body has to adapt to a constantly changing physical and chemical environment. Subtle treatment including cranial osteopathy can help to transition the body in a non-traumatic way, as well as helping to return it back to 'normal' post birth. It helps the body change essentially
What about everyone else? "Cranial osteopathy may be of benefit to adults who are afraid of more physical spinal manipulation, particularly when the nervous system is out of balance as with migraine, period problems, and irritable bowel syndrome. It can be a gentle, yet effective way to treat musculo-skeletal problems presenting to traditional osteopaths such as; osteoarthritis, neck/back pain, frozen shoulder."
How many sessions will I need? As with all therapy, "this depends on the duration of the complaint and the complexity of the strain pattern. As an example, babies with colic might receive 3-5 sessions."
Visceral Osteopathy
Visceral Osteopathy is the treatment of internal organs: digestive tract, respiratory system and reproductive system and is one part of an over-all osteopathic philosophy, but focused on treating 'visceral' or organ problems that may cause pain or problems of the spine or joints in other parts of the body. It may also be used as part of treating local visceral problems such as slow bowels.
We breath in and out approximately 20,000 times per day, as we do this the diaphragm (breathing muscle) contracts as the chest expands and pushes the viscera(guts) down and towards the mid line of the body (there are some exceptions to this), massaging the internal organs at the same time.
For example the kidney's moves up to 2cm each time we breath in. 2cm X 20,000 is quite a long way! The Guts do not just hang in the body but are attached to each other and to the bones and muscles of the chest and abdomen. If there are any restrictions in any of these areas then the body may not work efficiently.
Visceral problems (excluding pathology) may therefore be associated with local symptoms such as lower back pain or urinary infections e.g. kidneys or bladder. Reflux or heartburn e.g. oesophagus or stomach may also be affected.
Some times pain is what is known as referred pain. The guts can refer pain to joints in the body. With discomfort such as pain of the left shoulder (e.g. spleen) or on the right shoulder (e.g. Liver), Osteopathic treatment of the viscera may therefore help in these cases, and is helped by then treating the affected joint.
Visceral OSTEOPATHY is used in conjunction with 'Classical' Osteopathy to obtain best results.
'. . . the knee bones' connected to the thigh bone . . . connected to the hip bone . . . connected to the Back bone . . . DON'T FORGET THE VISCERA ARE ATTACHED (among other things) TO THE BACK BONE!'.