Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine is a hands-on medical practice that improves the physical structure and function of your body.

What is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a hands-on approach to healthcare that focuses on how the body moves and functions as a whole. Using a deep understanding of anatomy and highly trained touch, osteopathic physicians restore motion, relieve pain, and support overall health. Unlike other forms of bodywork, Osteopathy was developed as a complete medical system, recognizing how the muscles, bones, and nerves work together to affect all areas of health.

Many well-known bodywork techniques, such as muscle energy, visceral manipulation, and cranial therapy, were first developed by osteopathic physicians before spreading to other professions. Even chiropractic care has roots in Osteopathy—D.D. Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, studied at the original Osteopathic College in Kirksville before developing his own method. Over 120 years ago, A.T. Still, the founder of Osteopathy, emphasized the importance of fascia, something modern medicine has only recently begun to understand.

Because the musculoskeletal system is the largest system in the body and requires constant support from the heart, lungs, and digestive system, improving movement and structure can have a powerful effect on overall health. Good muscle function is even linked to longevity! Osteopathic Manipulation works with precision rather than force, making small, targeted adjustments that can create big results. Patients often say, “It didn’t feel like you were even touching me, but I feel so much better!” By treating the body as a whole, Osteopathy helps restore balance and function, offering a highly effective approach to both pain relief and overall wellness.

The four tenets of Osteopathy

The body is a unit; the person is a unit of body, mind, and spirit.
The body is capable of self-regulation, self-healing, and health maintenance.
Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated.
Rational treatment is based upon an understanding of the basic principles of body unity, self-regulation and the interrelationship of structure and function.