What is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a form of manual medicine that has its roots in the United States with the D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) degree. D.O.’s are fully licensed physicians, and practice medicine in all of the same medical specialties as M.D.’s. Unfortunately, today, very few D.O.’s still practice Osteopathy.

It was originally founded in the 19th century by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, M.D. He was a physician who realized that most of the medical approaches of his time were not only ineffective but also quite harmful. He was aware of the powerful healing potential of the body. It was also evident to him that within the human body, just like a machine, if the parts were not aligned or moving correctly, the organism could not function at its greatest potential. If the body’s healing capacity was maximized by getting the body moving more effectively, it could help patients get better! This is what prompted his exploration into the physical body, and how to best manipulate its components.

Within it, Osteopathy has many modalities of manipulative medicine. One particular type of treatment which you may be familiar with, is referred to as HVLA (high-velocity low-amplitude), and is most similar to what chiropractors refer to as “adjustments.” Dr. Still was known as a “lightning bone setter” in his time. He started doing these treatments in the 1870s, long before chiropractors even existed! This was not, however, the only tool under his belt. He also used gentle indirect techniques, and by the 1880s, had coined the term ‘Osteopathy’ to describe the breadth of his manual techniques. In 1892, he founded the first Osteopathic Medical School in Kirksville, Missouri.

Another Osteopathic treatment approach that you may be familiar with, is quite the opposite of HVLA. It was pioneered by one of A.T. Still’s first students, William Garner Sutherland. It is an extremely gentle approach mostly performed from a patient’s head, which D.O.’s refer to as Osteopathy in the Cranial Field. The name you may be more familiar with is ‘craniosacral therapy.’ This term is used by non-physicians who were taught the technique outside of Osteopathic Medicine. Those who are familiar with craniosacral therapy are often not aware that it originated from Osteopathy! This is likely because virtually no D.O.’s practice Osteopathy anymore.

It is fascinating how so many approaches to manual medicine originated from Osteopathic Medicine, and yet so few D.O.’s actually implement these techniques in their practice. Those who end up practicing manipulations often end up doing it full-time. They tend to refer to their practice as being in ‘Osteopathy,’ or ‘Traditional Osteopathy,’ as distinct from Osteopathic Medicine, since so few Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.’s) actually practice Osteopathy anymore. It can definitely get confusing, but hopefully this article can help clear that up a bit.