What is Osteopathy?

‘Osteopathy is an established system of assessment and manual treatment in which a caring approach to the patient and attention to the individual needs are of the primary importance. In particular, it is concerned with the inter-relationship between the structure of the body and the way in which it function and is therefore and appropriate form of therapy for many problems’

Simply put, Osteopathy considers the whole person when determining the best treatment plan. This means that although your complaint may be neck pain, the treatment may need to start in another aspect of your body to free up the area of concern. We use very specific palpation to assess and treat various structures throughout the body to ensure that the treatment is effective and appropriate for the patient.

What are the educational requirements?

It is important to ask your Osteopathic Manual Therapist where they received their education and how many years of in person study they completed.  As Osteopathy is an unregulated profession in Canada there are many Osteopathy programs with varying number of years of in person study.

Kate attended the CCO (Canadian College of Osteopathy) which is 5 years of in person part time study and examination. Following this a yearlong thesis is written and then presented to an international jury prior to receiving your DOMP designation.

Why should I choose Osteopathy?

Osteopathic Manual Therapists are trained to assess and work with all the systems in the body, including the musculo-skeletal, cardiovascular, nervous, digestive, and endocrine systems. This unique approach to treatment allows OMTs to have a very different approach to treatment which can be very powerful.

From newborns to the elderly, osteopathy can help with many aspects of health. Osteopathy can help newborns with things such as torticollis, colic, reflux, plagiocephaly, and feeding problems. Throughout the next years of life Osteopathy can impact many chronic and acute concerns, posture problems, digestion issues, and headaches to name a few. By treating every patient as a whole person rather than a symptom of pain or discomfort Osteopathy can help with a vast range of concerns.  

The emphasis in osteopathic treatment is to assist the body's inherent ability to autoregulate and maintain a healthy dynamic balance. In this manner, osteopathy may be helpful for many kinds of problems, dysfunctions and diseases.

Is Osteopathy covered by extended healthcare benefits?

Most insurance plans provide coverage for Osteopathy Manual Therapy however we do recommend that you call and confirm with your specific provider. At this time neither the professions of Athletic Therapy nor Osteopathy have the ability to utilize direct billing.