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The five basic principles of Osteopathy

1. Life is movement

Life represents itself in form of movement. Everything has to be mobile, that means ever bodily structure requires freedom of movement. Areas without optimal mobility will suffer from dysfunctions, which will lead to diseases. Not only do the structures of the musculoskeletal system such as joints and muscles need to be free, but also all organs, fluids (blood, lymph, etc.) must move freely and without any disturbance.

2. Structure and Function

Structure and function of the body condition each other. Dysfunctions can manifest themselves in impaired mobility of the structures of the body. Osteopathy examines movement of the bodily structures. This way dysfunctions can be diagnosed and consequently treated with osteopathic techniques in order to re-establish original range of movement. Once mobility has been re-established, the body’s self-healing powers are activated and all functions return to optimal function.

3. The law of the artery

All tissues must have optimal supply of nutrients and oxygen as well as disposal of products of the metabolism and CO2, for example. Long-term disturbance of this supply and disposal system might impair quality and mobility of the tissue. This holds true for all fluids in the body (like arterial and venous system, lymph, brain fluid etc.) Osteopathy strives at sustaining optimal supply and disposal of all fluid structures to ensure ideal function of the body.

4. Bodily globality

The human body functions as a unity. All structures and tissues of the body are mechanic (joints, muscles…) and they are all connected to each other via the nervous system and the fluids. Deviation from normal function and mobility has influence onto the whole functioning of the body. It is the interaction of the individual structures that allows the body to function as a union. This is the reason why osteopathy never treats single illnesses or complaints but always considers the human in its totality.

5. The body is able to heal itself

It is with thanks to the self-healing powers, that our body possesses the ability to sustain our health and re-establish health after disease. This can be demonstrated in numerous ways like, for example:

  • when coagulating blood closes a wound,
  • when a bone grows back together after a fracture,
  • when bacteria is fought in case of infection,
  • when we become immune after a viral infection.

Osteopathy assists this natural process of healing by re-establishing mobility of all tissue and the circulation of all fluids in the human body.