The Holistic Nature of Osteopathy: Looking Beyond the Site of Pain

Written by Osteopath Felix Adamson-Walter

When most people think of Osteopathy, they think of hands-on treatment for muscle or joint pain. But the true nature of Osteopathy goes far beyond the physical.

At its core, Osteopathy is a holistic practice. It recognises that the body functions as one interconnected unit where physical, mental, and emotional health are all intertwined. When something isn’t right in one area, it often creates a ripple effect throughout the whole system.

The body doesn’t work in isolation, so neither should your treatment.

Understanding the Body as a Whole

A helpful way to imagine this is through the metaphor of a stream.

Picture a clean, flowing stream that nourishes everything around it. If debris starts to build up and the water becomes murky, you wouldn’t just clean the section in front of you. You would go upstream to find out where the problem started.

The same applies to your body. When you experience pain or dysfunction, whether it’s in your shoulder, lower back, or knee, that’s often just the part of the stream you can see. The true cause might be upstream in the way you move, how you manage stress, how well you sleep, what you eat, or even how you process emotions.

Pain Is Multifactorial

Modern pain science supports what Osteopaths have always observed: pain is rarely caused by one single structure or event. It is the result of a complex interaction between the body, the brain, and the environment you live in.

Physical strain, past injury, sleep quality, emotional load, and even beliefs about pain can all influence how you feel and how you heal.

This is why Osteopaths do not just look at the sore area. We look at you as a whole person: your resting state, your habits, your stress levels, your movement patterns, and how your nervous system is regulating itself.

"It is not about chasing symptoms, but about understanding the story behind them."

A Collaborative and Whole-Person Approach

In practice, this means your treatment might include manual therapy to restore movement, movement coaching to build resilience, and discussions about recovery, breathing, or lifestyle factors that influence your healing.

"Each session is an opportunity to get curious about what your body is trying to tell you". The aim is not just to reduce pain, but to restore balance and function.

When we approach health holistically, we create space for lasting change. 

Real healing happens when we treat the whole person, not just the painful part.

Taking the Next Step

If you are curious about a more holistic way to understand your body and health, consider exploring osteopathy as part of your journey. It begins with awareness, listening to your body, understanding its signals, and creating space for change that supports your whole system.

References

Bohlen, L., Shaw, R., Cerritelli, F., & Esteves, J. E. (2021). Osteopathy and mental health: An embodied, predictive, and interoceptive framework. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 767005. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.767005

Vaughan, B., Mulcahy, J., Allen, T., et al. (2020). Life satisfaction and musculoskeletal complaints in a population seeking osteopathy care: Consecutive sample of 611 patients. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, 28, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-020-00303-y

Morin, C., & Gaboury, I. (2021). Osteopathic empirical research: A bibliometric analysis from 1966 to 2018. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 21, 196. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-021-03366-3

Turner, P. W. D. (2018). Facilitators and barriers to holistic practice, an osteopathic perspective. International Journal of Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 11(1), 93–95. https://doi.org/10.15406/ijcam.2018.11.00355

Thomson, O. P., McLeod, G. A., Fleischmann, M., et al. (2024). Therapeutic approaches and conceptions of practice of osteopaths in Australia: A national cross-sectional study and exploratory factor analysis of the Osteo-TAQ. BMC Health Services Research, 24, 1332. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11826-y