Philosophy

Dr Andrew Taylor Still (1828–1917), a physician from North America, developed osteopathy as an alternative to the conventional medicine of his time.

Osteopathy is a form of manual medicine. Diagnosis and treatment use manual techniques exclusively.

Osteopathy addresses, among other things, musculoskeletal complaints and the mobility of tissues. In the osteopathic approach, bodily functions are considered in relation to one another. Whether a particular finding causes symptoms and whether osteopathic treatment may be appropriate must be assessed on an individual basis.

Dr Still considered the human organism a unit. His approach places complaints in the context of the entire body and takes each person's individual circumstances into account.

Another principle of his teaching is the assumption that the body has its own regulatory and adaptive processes. Treatment aims to support these processes. This osteopathic model is not scientifically established for every condition. The limits of treatment must therefore be considered individually (see also: Limitations of osteopathy).

Following an individual assessment, osteopathy may be used as a complementary approach. It does not replace necessary medical diagnostics or treatment by a physician. Whether it is suitable for particular complaints, and what benefit it may offer in an individual case, cannot be predicted in general terms.