Osteopathy is an established, recognised system of diagnosis and treatment, which lays its emphasis mainly on the structural and functional integrity of the body. It recognises that much of the pain and disability patients suffer from stems from abnormalities in the function of the body structure as well as damage caused to it by disease.

Osteopathy is a 'whole body' system of health care. As an alternative (or complement) to orthodox medicine, osteopathy defines its subject as the whole person. It takes into account not only physical symptoms, but also the patient's lifestyle and attitudes, and his or her overall health. It seeks to treat the patient as a whole, considering mental, physical and emotional factors simultaneously, rather than as a collection of body systems that can be treated in isolation from each other.

It is a manual medicine that encourages movement of the body to return to efficient normal function, which will then enable the body to 'help heal itself' from any disease or stresses it may have developed. We provide healthcare through touch and manipulation of the body and its tissues, with the aim that, if the biomechanics of the body and its tissues can be returned towards efficiency, then some or all of the patient's symptoms will be resolved. The sense of touch is extremely therapeutic and something that osteopaths incorporate within their work. They use palpation and observation to make evaluations of how soft tissue factors relate to the state of the internal environment of the body. This enables them to form an individual treatment plan.

We also consider the interplay between the emotional and physiological state of an individual and the physical condition of the body. Osteopaths see a person as an interlocking relationship of body, mind, and soul. We believe that restricted movement within parts of the body and soft tissue tension could be related to physiological problems within the body. This could affect to body's ability to adapt and to heal itself.