How Does Osteopathy Work?

Osteopathy works by giving targeted help to the
(a) healing mechanism and
(b) the systems of the body that support the healing.

(a)The Simple Version…
Osteopathy works through a multiplicity of effects, all based around the clinically enhanced effects of “massage” type treatments. A simple way of thinking of it goes like this:

1 Soft-tissue work (osteopathy) reduces the muscle spasm.
2 This reduces some of the pain and increases flexibility – usually almost immediately.
3 This allows an increase in blood flow to the damaged area.
4 An increased blood flow increases the speed of healing and drainage of toxins.
5 This also creates an increase in flexibility decrease joint pressure and stiffness as well as decreasing tissue debility.
6 It can also allow trapped nerves or joints to be ‘released’.
7 Finally it helps to bring correct physiological functioning back to the person ie they can get on ‘doing’ things (even whilst they are healing). You can continue to heal and get on with your life at the same time.

(b) A Bit more Detail
Osteopathy is based on three leading principles:

Biomechanics
“If you make it move it gets better better”.
The first principle is based on the observation that every body part that should move, stops moving when it goes wrong.

From this we extrapolate the following axiom “Where there is Movement, there is Healing”. In the hands of an expert, getting a restricted joint, muscle or tissue to move again, often gives considerable relief from pain and starts up the recovery process.

Neuro-Vascular
“If you rub it you can make it heal quicker”
- by helping the nerves and blood supply

The second principle relates to an observation that you may have experienced in your childhood. How many times when you fell over and hurt your little knee did mum or dad “rub it better”? The science behind that is very simple. Again, in expert hands, rubbing a tissue in a particular way can help to reduce pain by influencing your nerve threshold.
(a) Help to the Nerve: The so called ‘Sensitisation or Habituation’ response of nerves. Using tested techniques, a well trained osteopath moves the balance in favour of Habituation (a form of “numbness” to pain. Rather like if you have a pair of sunglasses sitting over your head, after a while you don’t feel it anymore).
(b)Help the Blood flow: Further and more significantly rubbing an area it also helps to re-vascularise that region. This is important for speeding up healing. Where there is blood there is healing. Where there is movement there is also healing. The problem is that when movement stops blood flow also reduce with it. This is because at some point some of the blood vessels will have to pass through the muscle spasm on its way into the injured tissue. The muscle spasm thus forms a barrier to the free flow of blood. Less blood gets in less healing agents get in, and less waste is allowed to escape the area. Quickly the damaged area feels raw as it gets more chemically congested. Osteopathic techniques help to reverse these effects.

Chemical Factors
“All the medicine you need is already within you – provided you give healing a fair chance”.
You just have to be patient until the body’s healing is viable and your health has become self-sufficient again. People who seek professional help may have fallen at this hurdle – they were doing more than the body was capable of supporting. It is true there are many who don’t know “doing right from doing wrong” and need advice. With our expert help, we will help you every step of the way.

The final principle identifies the most obvious of all - that blood fluids carry every raw material needed for tissue repair and healing. Whether it is healing a muscle, ligament, tendon or nerve. The body makes, stores and carries its own medicine. As osteopaths we use a number of approaches that help to liberate these medicines. Some techniques rely on vascular (blood) profusion, some on neurological (nerve) reflexes, some on direct manipulation and some on the Cranial mechanism.

Osteopathy
In summary using a very simple but highly developed sense of touch we can help decrease pain, help the body to move again, help release natural the medicines made by the body where they are needed and above all facilitate Healing. All very Natural. And all in Harmony with You and Nature.