Balanced Ligamentous Tension in Osteopathic Practice

Book excerpt: This user-friendly book will guide the reader to understand how balanced ligamentous tension (BLT) can be used as a therapeutic principle in the practice of osteopathy. The application of BLT is powerful, precise and specific but is also safe and comfortable for the patient and has been embraced with interest by osteopaths worldwide. BLT is seen by many as an indispensable bridge between the better known 'structural' and 'cranial' approaches and is an essential but almost forgotten part of the osteopathic heritage. In using 'the gentle exaggeration of the lesion', this approach is rooted in the original teaching of AT Still, osteopathy's founder, and that of his student W G Sutherland, who realised how potently the point of balanced tension can activate the innate self-correcting forces in the articular system. This teaching was passed on directly to the author by William Sutherland's close friend and student, Anne Wales D.O. As well as giving technical guidance and acting as a reference, citing relevant contemporary physiological research, this book is steeped in osteopathic philosophy. It seeks to enhance understanding of the reciprocal relationship between structural integrity and healthy function. By illustrating how the contact we make on the outside of the body influences the spatial environment of the physiology within, this highly effective approach can enable the practitioner to engage with the patient's potential for improved wellbeing and health.