About Osteopathic Care
How Osteopathic Manual Practice works
Traditional Osteopathic Manipulative Practice is a natural approach that aims to restore function as well as address pain and imbalance in the body through hands-on treatment. Osteopathy is unique because it focuses on the cause of pain and dysfunction rather than concentrating only on symptoms.
This requires what is called palpation – a trained skill that an Osteopath uses to work with the position, mobility and quality of the tissue they are addressing. This includes focusing closely on the many aspects of touch – detecting position, moisture, texture, temperature and motion issues.
Palpation is a gentle yet very intentional touch that sends signals deep into the body. Sensory information is then received through touch receptors on the fingertips and palms, and through the proprioceptors (motion and position sensors) embedded deep in the joints of the hands, wrists, arms and even in the shoulders.
For more information on osteopathic care, visit The Canadian College of Osteopathy, British College of Osteopathic Medicine or A.T. Still University.