June 28, 2022

We asked osteopath Youssef Youssef about his treatment approach. “I follow the five principles of osteopathic treatment when treating patients. There is no particular order for using the five 5 principles of Osteopathy however, they always apply to all patients: (pain in pregnancy, sports injuries, low back pain, headaches, TMJ pain and clicking jaw, neck pain and posture)”.

What are the 5 principals of osteopathy?

An osteopath sees the body as a whole unit. Any dysfunction in one part of the body can contribute to compensations in other parts of the body. An osteopath will create a treatment plan to address the original dysfunction as well as all compensations.

Osteopathy is a principle-based practice when it comes to finding and treating a dysfunction (pain, discomfort, weakness etc) in the body.

The body can heal itself.

Movement is important to healing.

Structure and Function are interrelated.

The body is one unit.

The artery is supreme

The body is able to heal itself.

The most relatable examples are:

When your body heals a cut on your skin

When your body become immune after a virus infection

When bone grows back after a fracture

Osteopathy helps assist your body’s natural healing process by bring movement back to all parts in the body such as muscle, fascia, joints and this creates ease in circulation of all fluids in the body.

Movement is important to healing.

Our entire life is based on movement, without it we have dysfunction. Many spend 7-8 hours a day sitting and have complaints of headache, neck and low back pain and many other dysfunctions; this is due to the lack of movement in their day-to-day life.  Movement stimulates circulation of all fluids in the body that need to provide nutrition to your muscles and joints.

Structure and Function are interrelated.

This is a principle that helps all Osteopaths understand what is happening in your body just through its structure (Posture, muscle tone, which parts of the body are not moving, skin texture etc). Your structure is an expression of how you as an individual function in movement and in general health.

The body is one unit.

The body works as one unit, everything is connected to everything else, and you cannot have one area of the body in dysfunction without another being affected.
Your bones are connected through joints, and those joints move via muscles.  So, if one area of the body is in dysfunction it will influence the normal movement and function of the entire body.

The artery is supreme

Arteries supply everything in the body with oxygen and nutrients in order for them to function and survive. If there is a disturbance in this the body does not function optimally and its ability to heal is reduced.

Osteopathic treatment starts with assessing the structure of the body and its movement, we look for areas that have dysfunction in that movement and correlate it with the rest of the body and restore it with manual osteopathic treatment. Restoring the movement of the structures in dysfunction allow for optimal circulation of fluids and healing of the body.  I have been treating patients in Dubai for seven years, using all these principles with success.


With a world class team of osteopaths and years and years of collective experience and knowledge, Osteopathic Health Centre has been a household name in Dubai and the Middle East when it comes to osteopathy. Call us at 04 348 7366 or email info@osteopathydubai.com to book an appointment. We can help!