Listening to the body, understanding its tensions
The art of listening to the body, of understanding its tensions and its silences, to guide it gently toward more freedom, balance and harmony.
Osteopathy according to the WHO
The World Health Organization describes osteopathy in its reference document on training, published in 2010. Here are the main points, summarized.
- Manual contactOsteopathy relies on manual contact for assessment and treatment. Osteopaths use a variety of manual techniques to restore the body's physiological function.
- A whole-person viewIt considers the relationship between body, mind and spirit in health and in illness. The person is seen as a dynamic unit.
- Self-healingIt emphasizes the structural and functional integrity of the body and its natural tendency to heal itself.
- Complementary adviceManual treatment can be combined with advice on diet, physical activity or posture.
- A distinct professionThe WHO distinguishes it from physiotherapy and chiropractic, even though some techniques are similar.
Where does osteopathy come from?
- 1874
Andrew Taylor Still sets out the principles
An American physician born in Virginia in 1828, Still put forward the idea that the body forms a whole and has a great capacity to regulate itself. He named this approach "osteopathy".
- 1892
The first school, in Kirksville
He founded the American School of Osteopathy in Kirksville, Missouri, to pass on this approach. He then published his book Philosophy of Osteopathy in 1899.
- Early 1900s
The first osteopaths in Canada
Osteopaths trained in the United States began practising in Canada, notably in Ontario and British Columbia. For decades, however, there was no school of osteopathy in Canada.
- 1917
Osteopathy reaches Europe
John Martin Littlejohn, a Scot and a student of Still, founded the British School of Osteopathy in the United Kingdom. Osteopathy then spread to several European countries, including France.
- 1981
The first schools in Quebec
The Collège d'études ostéopathiques de Montréal opened in 1981, founded by the French osteopath Philippe Druelle. In 1985, a group of physicians and physiotherapists founded the school that would become the Centre ostéopathique du Québec. Other schools followed, mostly in Montréal.
- 2014 – 2022
Toward a professional order
In November 2014, the Office des professions du Québec recognized the need to regulate the practice. In June 2022, it recommended creating a professional order.
- Today
A practice that is evolving
To date, osteopathy is not yet regulated by a professional order in Quebec. That is why I encourage you to check your practitioner's training.