Calgary Osteopath | Osteopathy Treatment

Osteopathy, or Osteopathic Manual Therapy as we call it in Alberta, is the manual (hands on) therapy component of Osteopathic Medicine.

We use our hands to assess the state and function of the tissue and structures of the body, and do detective work to find root disruptors driving various symptoms. Our hands-on treatment is gentle, and we work to remove barriers to the bodies’ natural attempts to optimize function and health. This includes treating stiffness and imbalanced absorption of bones and their joints, myofascial (muscles, their tendons, and lining elastic like connective tissue) work including performing myofascial release and fascial stretch therapy, visceral (organ) manipulation, freeing tension around or in the lining of blood vessels and nerves, and cranial and facial work (including the TMJ/jaw joints and the tongue).

Osteopathy was started by a physician in the US where it later received the title of Osteopathic Medicine – a second recognized stream of medicine. The graduates of such programs earn the title Doctor of Osteopathy and are called Osteopathic Physicians. Only the manual (hands-on) portion of Osteopathy spread throughout the rest of the world where a second stream of medical training wasn’t developed. The Osteopathic International Alliance describes people thoroughly trained in a 4-6 year program of study of the manual component of Osteopathy as Osteopaths who practice Osteopathy.

In Canada each provincial Health Act and College of Physicians and Surgeons has various protected titles that those practicing only manual Osteopathy may not use depending on the province. This has resulted in various titles being used by representative associations for those thoroughly trained in manual Osteopathy such as Osteopath, Osteopathic Manual Practitioner, Osteopathic Practitioner, and in Alberta, Osteopathic Manual Therapist – of which Amy is one.