Osteopathy is an established system of diagnosis and treatment that lays its main emphasis on the structural and functional integrity of the body. Osteopathy is primarily a hands on manual treatment. It is based on the principle that health depends on the inter- relationship of various parts of the body.

According to osteopathic theory, defects in the musculoskeletal system – muscles, bones, and joints – can influence the natural function of internal organs, the nervous and the vascular systems.

Osteopaths have now become primary healthcare providers, and are often the first point of contact for people in pain.

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History of Osteopathy

Osteopathy was founded by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, during the American Civil War. Dr. Still realised that his patients' health was affected by the way they used their bodies and that the mainstream medical approach was not always effective. In 1874, he formed a new method of treatment that used spinal and peripheral manipulation, which he called Osteopathy. In 1892, the first Osteopathic school was opened in Kirksville, Missouri, where Dr. Still worked as a principal and tutor. In 1917, Dr. Martin Littlejohn, a student of Dr. Still’s, opened the first English school of osteopathy. It was called the British School of Osteopathy.

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