Osteopathy in Spain

In the International Institute of Advanced Osteopathy advocate classical osteopathy as I believe it to be Andrew Taylor Stilladapted and evolved to the present time. They say NO to physiotherapy and medicalisation of osteopathyThe training programme is adapted to the parameters set in other European countries with academically regulated osteopathy. Its training programme is adapted to the parameters set in other European countries with academically regulated osteopathy. As of today, there is no law in Spain that recognises osteopathy as a regulated study.. Therefore, those who claim such things in advertising their courses are lying and commit the offence of misleading advertising. 

There is no country in the world where in order to study osteopathy you have to be a physiotherapist or a doctor.. The International Institute of Advanced Osteopathybelieves that academic regulation, as has already occurred in many European countries, would put an end to the absurd controversy (invented by some), wanting to monopolise osteopathy towards a certain health branch. And thus, it would be demonstrated once again, as in the rest of the countries in the world where osteopathy is a regulated study, that osteopathy does not belong exclusively to any existing health branch. Osteopathy is, according to the WHO and the European Parliament, a health profession of first intention and independent from other health professions (e.g. medicine or physiotherapy).

Almost 20 countries in the world have regulated osteopathy, but in Spain we are still waiting for our illustrious politicians to decide to put us on an equal footing with other countries in the European Community to which we belong. We suffer an unfair discrimination. 

In Europe, osteopathy is NOT a speciality of another profession. It has developed as an independent profession in such a way that it responds to the needs of a population attracted by its simplicity, its lack of danger and its effectiveness.

On 29 May 1997 the European Parliament voted a resolution (law) on non-conventional medicines by Paul Lannoye MEP, A4-0075/1997. The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers Osteopathy as a health profession of first intention and independent from other health professions (e.g. medicine or physiotherapy).and defines the training access to it in its document "Parameters for Osteopathic Training", published in 2010. Many great osteopaths have been doctors or physiotherapists, but none have supported an osteopathy that has been phagocytosed by another health branch or exclusive to them.

It is important to point out that there is no such thing as a masseur-osteopath, physiotherapist-osteopath, doctor-osteopath (except in the USA). Some people use it to hide their incapacity as an osteopath behind a massage, an electrotherapy device or a cortisone infiltration. 

Osteopathy does not need any health collective to parasite it, adulterate it and even less to phagocytose it. Osteopathy has its own philosophy and its own idiosyncrasy.

Some universities in Spain have started to offer osteopathic courses, and their training programmes include subjects such as mathematics or English... which gives an idea of the concept they have of osteopathy. One of them, the first year offers 770 teaching hours of which only 150 correspond to osteopathic sciences; the second year, with 760 teaching hours and only 125 hours of osteopathic sciences... little more can be said. Moreover, some of these universities sell their programmes as official, which is a swindle to this day, since the Ministry of Education makes it clear on its website that these studies do not lead to an official degree. Osteopathy is much more than a profession, it is a way of life. And this, very few people understand.

Finally, a few words from our great master, A.T. STILL, the father of osteopathy, who already in his time expressed his opinion on this subject: "We believe that our therapeutic house only fits the size of osteopathy and that when other methods try to enter it, a part of osteopathy must necessarily leave that house".

Source International Institute of Advanced Osteopathy