Osteopathy is a holistic treatment form based on manual therapy established by the American doctor Andrew Taylor Still. Since its beginning in 1892 it has continuously been developed further.
The main principle of osteopathy is that life is movement. A.T. Still realized that the body is a synergy of different tissues that are mutually depending on each other. Therefore his basic idea was that body operates as a whole. In order to assure full function of the body, the unhindered movement of all tissues is required.
Naturally, the human body tries to eliminate any kind of disturbing factor by itself. The loss of the capability of the natural movement, however, can compromise the physiological blood circulation and consecutively the normal function of the nervous system. As a consequence, the ability of self-regulation is impaired and discomfort or even pain appears.
Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) is a further development of the Traditional Manual Therapy and a modern form of treatment with its roots in osteopathy. By applying specific manual techniques, the osteopath can influence all structures in the body such as muscles and fascia, but also inner organs and hormone centers.