Osteopathy is a health profession (officially identified in Law 3/2018) based on an integrated and complementary approach to traditional medicine.

Through careful assessment, osteopathy, identifies "somatic dysfunction," which is an expression of the patient's altered state of health that may be , in turn, caused by stressful events external or internal to the body, such as trauma and/or pathology.

Usually, symptoms occur mainly on the musculoskeletal system with pain or reduced mobility. The osteopath, through specific techniques, stimulates the restoration of physiological mobility at the level of the different systems (circulatory, respiratory, fascial, nervous, musculoskeletal) that through synergistic and coordinated activity, regulate the normal functioning of the body.

"Somatic dysfunction," which is exclusively an osteopathic concern, has been codified in the tenth edition (ICD 10) of the International Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death of the World Health Organization (WHO), under Sector XIII (Diseases of the Osteo-muscular System and Connective Tissue) Code M99 (Biomechanical Injuries not elsewhere classified).

This represents a clear step toward integrating osteopathy within the global health care system.

There are many scientific papers in the literature attesting to the efficacy of osteopathy as an autonomous discipline, as it is characterized by its own clinical reasoning, with proven efficacy, which allows osteopathic diagnosis and planning of the best treatment plan to be identified according to five osteopathic treatment referral models.

After defining the diagnosis, treatment plan and treatment model, the osteopath also considers the patient's internal (social and affective) and external (work, stress, etc.) factors, in line with the ICFs, International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.