Did you know that osteopathic medicine is now 141 years old? The term osteopathy was first coined in 1874 by Dr Andrew Taylor Still MD DO, a physician and surgeon Kansas State and Territorial legislator, free state leader and also one of the founders of Baker University. Born in 1828, Dr Still is widely recognised as the first doctor to look at the body as a whole, searching for the cause of bodily dysfunction rather than just treating the symptoms.
His reasoning was that the body is only in its optimal health when in a state of equilibrium and all of the tissues and cells work together in harmony, whereas any deviations in the musculoskeletal system could be the cause of disease, aches and pains. Dr Still believed that he could treat people with his hands, using manual therapy to help return the body to normal function. From this belief, he was able to develop the practice of Osteopathy in Baldwin City, Kansas, and founded the American School of Osteopathy in Kirksville, Missouri in 1892.
As many of today’s miracle drugs weren’t available in the late 1800s, Dr Still looked out of necessity into the ways that the body is able to heal itself and developed ways in which he could use his hands to access this ability within the body, helping the body to correct its own abnormalities.
So where does the term ‘Osteopathy’ come from?
Osteopathy comes from the osteon system. Dr Still named his system of medicine after the osteon system as this was the starting point from which he would look to find the cause of aches, pains and illnesses. The osteon system is present in many bones and consists of layers of compact bone tissue that surrounds a central canal, the haversian canal. Osteons are connected to each other, much like Dr Still’s belief that all parts of the body are interrelated.
Osteopathy today
Today, osteopathy continues to an effective way of treating a wide range of different diseases, illnesses, aches and pains. With advances in medicine, the philosophies of Dr Andrew Taylor Still can be combined with modern medicine and therapeutic techniques to help return the body to health. Osteopaths still view the body as a whole and treat every patient as an individual.
As well as taking a manual approach to osteopathic treatment, osteopaths can also provide solutions of exercise, diet, resting properly and dealing with stress correctly to help keep the body healthy. In many cases, osteopathy may also be recommended alongside a range of modern medicines.
If you would like to learn more about osteopathy or feel that osteopathic treatment could benefit you, please call our Halesowen practice on 0121 585 8555 or our Wombourne practice on 01902 894 894 to arrange an appointment.
