The Secrets of Nature Design are Alignment and Lubrication!

Andrew T. Still, DO the founder of Osteopathy, created a form of medicine that is over 150 years old and that focuses on the healing of Nature’s structure, form and function of the body. Doctors of Osteopathy go through the same rigorous training as medical doctors and have their main emphasis on the STRUCTURAL and FUNCTIONAL integrity of the body.

Dutch physical therapist, Patricia M. Kortekaas, PT, ANT-c, developed unique ANIMAL NORMALIZATION THERAPYã (ANT) for veterinarians and animal rehabilitators using the common Principles of Osteopathy. One of the most distinct Principles of Osteopathy is the importance that the body protect/survive itself with the impact of an injury/trauma.

The body will PROTECT around a HIERARCHY of IMPORTANCE:

  1. Blood supply, lymph system, and the unifying fascia
  2. The central, peripheral and autonomic system
  3. The organs
  4. Endocrine system
  5. Musculoskeletal system

ANTã practitioners use the categories listed above in their exam, and treatment methods to restore the body back to full health and function. We use the musculoskeletal examination to determine WHERE we will start with our treatment for the patient. Once we have figured out where the Area of Greatest Restriction is, we determine WHAT kind of somatic (body) dysfunction it is, and HOW we are going to resolve it.

What do we do with our specific mechanical exam? Our hands are our “instruments”, and we feel for joint restrictions in the spine and extremities. This is basically the feeling of a loss of glide and/or slide in the joint capsule. A “healthy” joint is a “springy” joint end feel, and a dysfunctional joint has a “hard” end feel. A trauma to the body is defined as a sudden pull, compression and/or shear to the tissues, or chronic slow impact, and these traumas can cause restrictions in joints and tissues.

WHERE is the Problem?     WHAT is the Problem?     HOW to resolve the Problem?