Osteopathy is a manual therapy based on treating the body as a whole. Addressing all structures in the body is paramount to finding the root cause of the problem. Not just treating the "local" area of symptoms. Often symptoms such as pain are warning signals from the body that is the "end of the story." These signals can arise from injury, imbalances or dysfunction occurring elsewhere in the body.

 

For example, hip pain could be due to the body compensating from an old ankle sprain on the opposite foot. Addressing the cause, the opposite foot, as well as the symptomatic hip will allow the body's innate ability to self regulate and recover from the pain. The body's complex inter-relationships are the fundamental reasons why Osteopaths look beyond the "local" area of pain. Manual Osteopathy in Canada is a 5 year program designed for practicing health professionals such as physiotherapists, massage therapists, and chiropractors. Upon completion of the 5 year program students are to fulfill an additional 2 year Thesis requirement for their designation DO(MP).