Osteopathy is a branch of medicine specialized in the examination and treatment of the musculoskeletal system. Osteopaths use different manual techniques to treat the body as a whole. Osteopathic treatment helps restore the internal balance of the body, thus reinforcing its natural immune system and overall wellbeing. The treatment is suitable for people of all ages.
An osteopath reviews the body as a whole, locates the cause of the patient’s symptoms and designs a suitable treatment. Often the cause for a pain or a symptom is found not from where the pain itself is located, but somewhere else. If you have headaches, for example, the cause might actually be a dysfunction of the hips. Usually, the symptoms are caused by several physical, psychological and environmental factors that influence each other, so the body has to be treated as a whole.
In Finland osteopathy is taught at the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences and at private institutions. The training program takes 4 years during which the musculoskeletal system is studied thoroughly, together with other areas of medicine. An osteopath is thus able to recommend other healthcare professionals when necessary.
Osteopaths are licensed by Valvira, the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health in Finland.