A well-known quote by A.T. Still, the founder of osteopathy, is ‘Find it, Fix it and leave it alone’.
Osteopathy operates on the principle of the body’s self-healing capacity: we identify the structure with the greatest loss of mobility, restore it — and then let the body do the rest.
Last week, I was reminded once again of how much this process depends on the circumstances in which the body is allowed to recover. This time, I saw a 66-year-old woman who had been struggling with persistent abdominal wall pain for five years. These complaints arose following surgery for kidney cancer. Despite various medical treatments, including those for ACNES, the abdominal pain persisted.
During my examination, the high tension in the right crus of the diaphragm was particularly striking. The patient mentioned that shortly after the operation, she experienced severe vomiting accompanied by intense pain, after which she even fainted. This may have been a defining moment for the onset — or persistence — of her symptoms.
I began the treatment using a subtle Balanced Membranous Tension (BMT) technique. The first week resulted in the classic after-effects, with an increase in the recognizable symptoms, but after that, improvement set in: a clear reduction in abdominal pain. We scheduled one more treatment for a month later.
To my surprise, the patient reported that no improvement had occurred this time. This raises questions: why did the progression deviate?
In such moments, one begins to doubt their own actions. However, during the examination, I found the same tension in the right crus. I asked her to reflect quietly: had anything unusual happened? Not just ordinary daily stress, but something that truly affects the system?
Only then did she recall experiencing severe pain in the right breast shortly after the previous treatment. This led to a consultation with her GP and further investigation. Although nothing abnormal was found, it caused her significant anxiety — understandably so, given her medical history. And anxiety inhibits recovery.
That insight suddenly made the deviating progression logical. With that clarity, we repeated the treatment. I am fully confident that the body will be able to resume its recovery effectively this time.
In short, listen to the body, trust your approach, and let the body do its work.
