Osteopaths are physicians with all of the surgical and pharmacological privileges of medical doctors, who, in addition, practice manipulative therapy. There are technical differences between the manipulative therapy of osteopaths and those of chiropractors. For this basic introduction, I will simply state that they are similar, using several types of therapy. In general, they can be broken down into several categories:

1. General mobilization - moving the joint slowly through its range of motion, gradually increasing the motion to free the joint from restriction.
2. Articulation - when motion is severely limited, a quick thrust, similar to a chiropractic thrust, may be used.
3. Function and positional release methods - a patient is placed into a specific position to allow the body to relax and release muscular spasm that may have been caused by strain or injury.
4. Muscle energy techniques - the gentle tensing and releasing of specific muscles to produce relaxation.
5. Cranial manipulation - another technique used to relax and release restrictions in soft tissue. This is the subtle manipulation of cranial bones to treat conditions such as headaches, strokes, spinal cord injury, temporomandibular joint syndrome, etc.