Osteopathy's Involuntary Motion Analysis

Motion is a constant characteristic of life no matter what perspective you look at it. “Where there is life, there is motion” (The Osteopathic Cranial Academy, 2015). When the motion of an individual’s body has achieved balance or ease - from the microscopic cellular level, to the segmental level, to the body as a complete system - this signifies a state of health and homeostasis. When a disruption is made to the motion of an individual’s body, by either an internal or external imbalance or force, disease or dis-ease occurs. Osteopathy recognises the importance of the most slight movement within the internal environment of tissues and cells then relates this knowledge in its exceptional form in medical care and treats accordingly using a range

This is ‘Involuntary Motion’ or the ‘Cranial Rhythm’. This rhythm was first defined in the early 1900’s by Dr. William G. Sutherland (Kuchera & Marcus, 2005). When tension is present in the body the cranial rhythm becomes disordered, this disorder is what cranial osteopaths work on to restore motion balance. The theory of motion is life can also be seen in other health systems worldwide. The Breath of Life as a basic belief is found in many cultures – Prana, Qi, Kundalini, Nephesch or fluid (mesmerism). Also the belief of dynamic stillness – Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Greek and Chinese ideologies talk about the creative characteristic of the stillness. It corresponds with the healing and generating effect of the dynamic stillness in osteopathy (Feiel-Schmidt, 2004). Existence is energy, the movement of energy in so many ways and so many forms.

The Osteopathic Philosophy is constructed on four main principles, those of which can be linked to the notion of motion is life. The principles are as follows:-

1. The human being is a dynamic unit of

(A.T. Still, 1897) P43 He understood that within the tissues, there is an inherent desire to function at the optimal state. The body has its own repair; self-regulating and self-healing process witch when impeded may result in ill health. Osteopaths try to analyze where the homeostatic mechanisms where impeaded. This includes exploring the state of soft tissues, from the muscles, ligaments and articular capsules to the state of connective tissues and fascial sheaths and the state of the tissues of the internal organs of the body and how all these tissues