For Scott Sternthal, owner of the Montreal’s Scott Sternthal Osteopathy clinic, success is defined by his ability to help people of all ages achieve a better quality of life. Success is that gratifying feeling he gets when a patient with debilitating back pain walks out of his Westmount clinic pain-free.
“It’s an exciting time to be an osteopath,” says Scott. “I think osteopathy is at a very interesting point right now. It’s becoming part of the health care conversation amongst doctors and medical professionals.”
So what exactly is osteopathy? It’s a form of manual therapy that focuses on localizing and treating the primary cause of an injury or condition rather than treating the symptom first. “We always approach any given symptom by looking at what is happening in the entire body before considering what is happening locally,” says Scott. Through gentle manipulations, he uses his hands and knowledge of body mechanics to treat problems ranging from joint pain to chronic sinusitis to digestion issues.
