Osteopathy is an established recognized system of healthcare which relies on manual contact for diagnosis and treatment. It respects the relationship of body, mind and spirit in health and disease; it lays emphasis on the structural and functional integrity of the body and the body's intrinsic tendency for self-healing. Osteopathic treatment is viewed as a facilitative influence to encourage this self regulatory process.
Pain and disability experienced by patients are viewed as resulting from a reciprocal relationship between the musculoskeletal and visceral components of a disease or strain.

For what kinds of problems can osteopathic treatment help?

While often identified with the treatment of back pain, osteopathic treatment is useful in a wide variety of health complaints. The application of osteopathic principles in clinical practice varies with the training, interest and license of the individual practitioner. A partial list of complaints in which osteopathic treatment would commonly be applied would include:

• Back pain
• Headache
• Neck pain
• Shoulder pain
• Non anginal chest pain
• Athletic or overuse strain injuries

Depending on individual practitioner expertise, osteopathic manipulative treatment may make a significant contribution to the health care management in the following diagnoses:

• Muscle or ligament strains, ankle, elbow, knee
• Traumatic injuries without laceration or fracture
• Pregnancy and childbirth, gestation, labor and post-partum
• Muscle tension headache independent or associated with migraine
• Sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, Otitis media
• Infant colic, plagiocephaly
• Osteoarthritis
• Pneumonia, bronchitis, congestive heart failure
• Hypertension
• Gastric reflux, non acute cholecystitis
• Anxiety and depression
• Vertigo