Hi, I'm Anna and I am a Manual Osteopath at Energize Health in Calgary.

I'm here to explain what manual osteopathy is, what I do as a Manual Osteopath and how you may benefit from the techniques I use in my practice at our clinic. Much like Massage Therapy, Chiropractic and Acupuncture, Manual Osteopathy is a holistic form of healthcare, which means that a Manual Osteopath considers and treats the body as a complete system. Since the body is quite complex, it is important to consider your pain from both a specific and systemic perspective (how the pain relates to the entire body system) . For example, your knee pain may be due to damage of a ligament in your knee, but it could also be caused by weakness in your hips causing an unnatural walking pattern and ultimately knee pain.

As a Manual Osteopath, my treatment techniques include gentle and specific corrections, which use your muscles’ ability to contract or shorten to move your bones into a better, more natural position. I treat the specific sites of your pain, imbalances throughout your body or injury-related pain through these various techniques to provide lasting relief. The human body is much more than just muscles and bones. We are comprised of membranes, nerves, veins, fatty tissue, and many other different types of tissues. Think of trying to separate a “boneless skinless chicken breast” from a whole chicken. You’d find that the muscle (the chicken breast) is not free floating and independent of other tissue types.

As a Manual Osteopath, I will often treat all the different tissues to create change. This approach allows me to achieve positive results when other focused forms of treatment may have failed. Some of the more common structural issues I treat are pain found in the foot, ankle, knee, hip, pelvis, back, shoulder, neck and jaw. Issues often include ankle sprains, plantar fasciitis, ligament tears, sciatica, rotator cuff injuries, whiplash/MVA injuries, and TMJ. I am also able to treat the internal and neurological systems of your body. Using visceral (internal organ) techniques, and craniosacral techniques (treatment to the bones of the head, spine and sacrum), I can balance the natural rhythm of the skeletal system and allow your internal structures (organs etc.) to work more efficiently.

By using your body’s muscles in a strategic way, I do not need excessive force or high velocity movements to create positive change. I can use gentle, gradual adjustments to alleviate your pain and restore function. If you have any questions regarding Manual Osteopathy or how I might be able to help you, please contact the clinic or feel free to reach out to me directly via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Yours in health, Anna Anna Rathgeber, DMO