What is Manual Osteopathy?
Manual Osteopathy is a form of drug-free non-invasive manual medicine that focuses on total body health by treating and strengthening the musculoskeletal framework, which includes the joints, muscles and spine. Its aim is to positively affect the body's nervous, circulatory and lymphatic systems.
These basic principles are:
• Our body is a unique biological unit
• The body has the inherent ability to defend, heal, correct & regulate itself
• Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated. Any structural changes affect function and vice versa
Another important concept of manual osteopathy is somatic dysfunction:
Somatic dysfunction is altered or impaired function of related components of the somatic system: skeletal with arthrovertebral, myofascial structures, and related vascular and neural elements.
It includes:
• Tissue texture changes
• Asymmetry of structure
• Restriction of motion
• Tenderness to palpation
The goal of an osteopathic manual treatment is to restore the normal functioning of the affected areas of the body with somatic dysfunctions by stimulating a more appropriate healing process and interrelations between different systems of the human body (musculoskeletal, nervous, circulatory, pulmonary, digestive system etc). The patient is assessed and treated as a whole unique unit.
Benefits Of Manual Osteopathic Treatment
Manual osteopathy treats the entire body through manipulation of the body's musculoskeletal structure, including bones, spine, joints and musculature. It attempts to go beyond conventional medical treatment and to bring about a balanced, healthy state in all of the bodily systems. Many beneficial effects of manual osteopathic treatment have been observed, although medical doctors still debate the usefulness of manual osteopathy when coping with disease and serious medical conditions.
Manual Osteopathy is best known for the treatment of musculo-skeletal problems such as:
• Back & neck pain
• Sciatica
• Headaches
• Joint pain
• Muscle/ligament injuries
• Work & repetitive strain injuries
• Sports injuries
• Trapped nerves
Supervisors: Igor Norets, Jessica Ruygrok, Sharmila Gupta and Daniel Smikle-Peters
Our student clinic has four manual osteopathic practitioners, who supervise the practical setting of the student clinic. All of our manual osteopathic practitioners are lecturers at the Southern Ontario College of Osteopathy and are registered with the Ontario Federation of Osteopathic Professionals.
Igor Norets, D.O.M.P., Ph.D., R.Ac. is an osteopathic manual practitioner and has studied a variety of manual medicines world wide. Igor specializes in Manual Osteopathy, Craniosacral and Visceral Therapy, and treatment of a majority of health conditions utilizing a holistic approach. Igor is also a registered Acupuncturist and can combine acupuncture in the osteopathy session. For additional information please contact the practitioner at igor@clarksonmedicalarts.com.
Jessica Ruygrok, D.O.M.P., R.M.T. is an osteopathic manual practitioner who specializes in orthopedic injuries, fertility, pregnancy and pediatrics. Jessica has extensive experience in sports therapy and rehabilitation as well as working with amateur athletes. Jessica’s additional training and professional experience over the past ten years have unified her passions for working with pregnancy, children and injuries. During her treatments Jessica uses a combination of soft tissue manipulation along with gentle cranial and visceral techniques. Her holistic approach also includes nutritional, fitness, and lifestyle coaching. For additional information please contact the practitioner at jessica@clarksonmedicalarts.com.
Sharmila Gupta, D.O.M.P., R.M.T., B.A., has a passion for helping others. After graduating with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, Shar counselled underprivileged children in a hospital setting. Continuing her education, Shar became a Registered Massage Therapist and has been treating local patients for several years. To expand her knowledge and treatment modalities, she completed her manual osteopathic program at the Southern Ontario College of Osteopathy and has been working as an Osteopathic Manual Practitioner for five years. Shar is also a Concussion Management Therapist and has her level 2 certification from the Shift Concussion Management Program. She offers baseline testing, concussion assessments, and post-concussion treatments. For additional information please contact the practitioner at shar@clarksonmedicalarts.com.
Daniel Smikle-Peters, D.O.M.P., R.Kin., B.A. is a manual osteopathic practitioner, registered kinesiologist, certified exercise physiologist, with a degree from York University and diploma from SOCO with additional human performance training from Sheridan College. His eagerness for helping people maintain a healthy lifestyle has extended past his personal fitness practice and lead him to open his private practice as a practitioner. Daniel has over ten years in fitness training experience focusing on orthopedics and has additional certification is fascial stretch therapy. For additional information please contact the practitioner at daniel@clarksonmedicalarts.com.
All Osteopathic students who are providing treatment session in the student clinic are in their final year of studies at the Southern Ontario College of Osteopathy. Students are always supervised by one of our registered manual osteopathic practitioners. Write us a review if you'd like, we welcome your feedback!
