 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
What is Osteopathy? 'Osteopathy is an established recognised system of diagnosis and treatment, which lays its main emphasis on the structural and functional integrity of the body. It is distinctive by the fact that it recognises that much of the pain and disability which we suffer stems from abnormalities in the function of the body structure as well as damage caused to it by disease'. (Description by General Osteopathic Council, 28th October 1998) History of Osteopathy Andrew Taylor Still, born in 1828 in Virginia, USA, trained as a doctor according to the system of medical education available at the time. As time went on he followed a different path from many of his peers, eschewing alcohol and the habit of contemporary physicians of administering crude drugs at their disposal in heroic quantities. This drove him to seek new methods of treating sickness. The outcome of his research was the application of physical treatment as a specialised form of treatment for which he coined the name 'Osteopathy'. In 1892 A. T. Still organised a school in Kirksville, Missouri, for the teaching of osteopathy and it was from these small beginnings that osteopathy was brought to the UK in the early 1900's and the British School of Osteopathy was formed in London in 1917. Osteopathy Treatments Osteopaths are most commonly associated with the treatment of back pain. Statistics for 1991-92 report that 60% of the population will suffer with back pain at some time. This amounts to 81 million days Sickness and invalidity benefit being paid for. The annual cost of back pain for the NHS amounts to 480 million pounds and lost production costs are estimated to be in excess of 3.8 billion pounds. (Clinical Standards Advisory Group report on back pain 1993) The following list is by no means exhaustive but goes some way to illustrate the variety of different conditions osteopaths see on a daily basis:
|
||||