Osteopathy is an holistic and patient-centered approach to health care based on the principle that a person’s sense of wellbeing, and their body’s function can be improved by manual treatment of their musculoskeletal structure.

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Through treatment, osteopaths aim to address not only the site of pain, but consider the mechanics of the whole body, and a person's history, emotional wellbeing and health beliefs to determine underlying causes and maintaining factors of discomfort. In this way, each person is considered as an individual with a unique history. A wide variety of manual techniques applied to muscles, joints and connective tissues are used to achieve balance in posture and improvement of function, leading to ease and freedom of movement.

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In the UK, osteopaths are Allied Health Professionals (AHP) and are regulated by the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC).