Traditional Osteopathy is “a natural medicine which aims to restore function in the body by treating the causes of pain and imbalance. To achieve this goal the Osteopathic Manual Practitioner relies on the quality and finesse of his/her palpation and works with the position, mobility and quality of the tissues” (Canadian College of Osteopathy).

Manual Osteopathy is a treatment approach based on the principles that the structure of the body affects how it will function, and that it functions as a unified whole. On a practical level, this means that problems in any one part of the body will affect all the other parts because all tissues and systems are connected. Osteopathy is beneficial in

• reducing musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction
• restoring optimal health by promoting joint mobility, better posture, nerve function and circulation, which in turn improves organ function like digestion and elimination.

Through a variety of gentle, hands-on techniques, Structural Osteopathy employs one or more of the following applications:

Structural techniques mobilise joints and release restrictions and tension in muscles, ligaments and fascia. 

• Functional Technique
  • Functional techniques allows for a restricted segment of the body to be drawn further in the direction it prefers to move until the tension of the tissues holding it there melt and the segment is free to move in all directions.
• Muscle Energy Technique
  • Muscle Energy Technique is based on the premise that muscle tension restricts a joint’s ability to move in all directions and uses muscle contraction and relaxation to achieve a release.  
• Myofascial Technique
  • Myofascial techniques treats the connective tissue which envelopes muscles, organs, nerves, blood vessels, and infiltrates bones. Fascia can become short or adherent to other structures with trauma, inflammation and poor posture. Due to its continuous nature throughout the body, an area of fascial tension like a scar can create pain or discomfort in seemingly unrelated areas of the body. 
• Joint Mobilisations and Osteoarticular Techniques
  • Joint mobilisations and osteoarticular techniques aim to restore mobility, improved nerve function and circulation to a restricted joint. The technique is performed by combining many parameters of movement to create a cumulative barrier and at that point applying an energetic impulse into the restriction.

Craniosacral Therapy

• Craniosacral Therapy enhances circulation and nerve conduction and can remove patterns of strain anywhere in the body. The craniosacral rhythm is a subtle rocking motion caused by the production of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain. When the CSF is produced the brain expands, creating a tension on the dura (envelope surrounding the central nervous system), which pulls on the bones of the head causing them to move slightly. The tension created in the dura at one end is transmitted all along the spinal cord inferiorly to the other end, causing the sacrum to rock gently.