Introduction and Osteopathy Journey

     Manual osteopathy is a relatively unknown modality of healthcare that, while it shares some similarities with massage therapy and chiropractic techniques, in reality it’s on its own wavelength. Manual osteopathy has a holistic approach to treatment, meaning to treat clients as a whole (and not just as another low back complaint) and works with the fact that our bodies are a unit; all of our joints, organs, systems all work together, therefore dysfunction in one area can lead to an imbalance in the body. That imbalance is where pain, movement restrictions, and other symptoms can come into play. Structure governs function.

Manual osteopathic practitioners, through in-depth orthopedic assessment, treatment of soft tissue, mobilization of joints, organs and fluid, and post-treatment care such as nutrition/diet and therapeutic exercise recommendations, can effectively address and treat chronic pain, which makes the profession such an asset!

I became a Registered Massage Therapist in summer of 2021 and have been practicing ever since. I love my profession and believe there is no greater career than one in which you help people every day. While I enjoy being an RMT, I realized that I was seeing the same clients over and over with little to no improvement of their complaint and that struck me.

I felt something missing, felt the need for change, the need to be able to do more for my clients to help treat their dysfunctions more efficiently. In comes Manual Osteopathy. I had heard of osteopathy previously (during my 2 years at massage therapy college, we had osteopathy students use the facility on the weekends), but didn’t really know what it was. After doing more research and seeking out osteopathic treatment, it clicked for me! “This is it, this is what I need to do!” I didn’t feel like I was finding a new career, but more so building on the career I already have. I’ve been treating soft tissue for years, and now that I’ve added some tools to my belt thanks to the National Academy of Osteopathy, I’m able to offer more to my clients and treat them more efficiently and thoroughly. I am so excited to see what Manual Osteopathy will bring to my practice!