Osteopathy is an established system of diagnosis and manual treatment that is recognised by the British Medical Association as a discrete clinical discipline.

It lays its main emphasis on the structural integrity of the body and is distinctive in the fact that it recognises that much of the pain and disability we suffer stems from abnormalities in the function of the body structure as well as damage caused to it by disease.

Osteopathy uses many of the diagnostic procedures used in conventional medical assessment and diagnosis. Its main strength, however, lies in the unique way the patient is assessed from a mechanical, functional and postural standpoint and the manual methods of treatment applied to suit the needs of the individual patient.

Osteopathy received statutory recognition under the Osteopaths Act in 1993 and the General Osteopathic Council regulates all Registered Osteopaths. All osteopaths are obliged to have medical malpractice insurance and follow a strict code of conduct. Patients visiting an osteopath have the same safeguards as when currently they consult a doctor or dentist.