Osteopathy is defined as a primary healthcare discipline that is patient-centred and emphasises the interrelationship between the body's structure and function. It facilitates the body's innate ability to heal itself by accepting and recognising its limits, and advocates a holistic approach to all aspects of health and healthy development, primarily through the practice of manual treatment.

The diversity of manual techniques used in osteopathy –more than 25 different types– as well as the increase in research and specialisation carried out in recent decades, enables osteopathy to be applied to people of different ages and clinical conditions. It serves preventive, curative, palliative or adjuvant purposes, meaning it is complementary to conventional medicine and other healthcare disciplines.

Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification. Provision of health care in osteopathy. UNE-EN 16686. AENOR. Madrid. 2016;37. Educational Council on Osteopathic Principles (ECOP). Glossary of Osteopathic Terminology. 3 ed. American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. Giusti, R (ed). Bethesda,MD; 2017. Available for registered users at: www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/Pages/glossary.aspx Osteopathic International Alliance. A global review of osteopathic medicine and osteopathy 2020. Osteopathic Healthcare. 2020. Available at: https://oialliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/OIA_Report_2020_FINAL.pdf