About Osteopathy

What is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a system of detecting, treating and preventing health problem by establishing healthy mobility in the joints and muscles by manual treatment. It was established by an American physician A. T. Still (1928-1917) in the late 19th Century, and it was introduced to UK in the beginning of 20th Century.

Currently in UK, the osteopaths are statutory regulated by Osteopaths Act 1993, and all the osteopaths are required to pass the examination and register with General Osteopathic Council, after completing four years of full time studying (or five or more years of part time). Osteopaths are also obliged to complete Continuous Professional Development each year to ensure our knowledge is up-to-date.

Osteopaths takes a very holistic approach; One of the important principles of osteopathy is "The Body is A Unit". This means that osteopaths examine the whole body and its balance, rather than focusing on the area that produces the symptoms. This may feel very different to the conventional medical approach, however, osteopathy is based on a detailed understanding of modern anatomy and physiology. In UK, osteopaths go through the training in pathology, neurology, pathophysiology and so on, so that we can safely look after the clients as primary care practitioners.

What can osteopathy treat?

Here are the examples of what people come to us for.

Back pain
Neck pain (arising from mechanical problem)
Lumbago
Chronic spinal and joint pain
Arthritic pain (Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis)
Muscle strain and spasms
Stiffness, reduced mobility in the body / limbs
Neuralgia (including Sciatica)
Pain or imbalance in hip or pelvis
Headache caused by mechanical neck pain
Shoulder pain
Arm, elbow, wrist, finger pain
Knee and ankle strain, arthritic pain
TMJ (jaw) problem and pain
Repetitive strain at work, sports, or other daily use
Minor sports injuries especially if it recurs and does not resolve completely with time
Back / pelvic pain during pregnancy and after birth
Inability to relax
Fibromyalgia
Posture problem
Gait / posture alignment, helping the form in sports

What we osteopaths try to do is to assess the whole body and detect what structures / tension is causing the strain to the area of discomfort. We try to take the strain off and let the body to heal. This way we encourage the body's natural ability to heal itself.

Osteopaths treat "the person", not "the symptom". Therefore we can treat any joints, because this approach can be applied to any areas and any soft tissues of the body. Our aim is to re-establish the alignment and balance of the body, so that it can function at its best, hence re-establishing your "health".

There are many more symptoms that we can assess and treat. If you are unsure if osteopathy can help you, why not getting touch with me?

How does osteopaths treat you?

Osteopathy is a hands-on diagnostics and treatment system. We detect the problem by assessing the mobility and palpating the area, and looking at the balance of the whole body.

The treatment technique I use is a combination of joint mobilisation, myofascial release, stretching, unwinding, soft tissue massage, and cranial osteopathy.

I also incorporates techniques of CFT (Craniosacral Fascial Therapy) in my treatment. CFT is developed by Dr Barry Gilespy, combining William Sutherland’s Cranial Osteopathy (or Cranio Sacral Therapy) and John Barne’s Myofascial Release, along with dental techniques developed from Dr. Gillespie’s experience as a periodontist.

CFT techniques are designed to gently unwind and release accumulated fascial strain. This allows optimal mobility and better nervous system function. I am one of the first students learned CFT from the global team visiting UK. I have completed trainings for adults and babies / children, and have experienced in treating babies as young as 3 days old.

Both CFT and Osteopathy are non-invasive and gentle, and seems to suit very well together. Therefore I combine both approaches and techniques to get optimum results.