the history of osteopathy & Osteopathic manual practice(oMP)
Holistic Approach
OMP is a whole body approach to health care to improve function and relieve pain by treating root causes, not symptoms. It recognizes the vital link between the structures of the body, such as the joints, muscles, nervous system, circulation, connective tissue, and internal organs as a holistic unit. One system affects another, gets injured and healed connected to each other.
Osteopathic Philosophy
The osteopathic philosophy embraces the idea of the unit of structure and function through four principals:
* The body is a unit; the person is a combination of body, mind, and spirit.
* The body is capable of self-regulation, self-healing and health maintenance.
* Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated.
* Individual treatment is based on understanding of these principals: body unity, self- regulation, and the interrelationship of structure and function.
Osteopathy in the US vs Osteopathy in Europe
Osteopathy was founded in Kirksville, MO in 1874 by Dr Andrew Taylor Still. American Doctors of Osteopathy (DO) are recognized as medical professionals with the same scope of practice as medical doctors (MD) and similar to a MD they can prescribe medications and perform surgery, take x-rays, and offer other medical and diagnostic care.
Osteopathy came to Britain in 1913, when one of Dr Still's early students, John Martin Littlejohn, returned to London and established the first osteopathic school in the country in 1917. The school modified its curriculum by removing the surgery and pharmacology aspect. Since those early days osteopathy has evolved significantly, informed by experience and research, to become an internationally practiced profession all across Europe and many other parts of the world.
To differentiate the European style of osteopathic medicine in the United States, the profession has been named Osteopathic Manual Practitioner (OMP).
OMP offer only hands-on manual therapy. They do not prescribe medications, perform surgery, or diagnostic care such as x-rays.
European OMP students go through full time osteopathic training for 4-5 years. They receive extensive training in Osteopathic manual training and similar to medical students education in anatomy, physiology, differential diagnosis, etc., without the pharmacology aspect.