Osteopathy was founded by Andrew Taylor Still, M.D. in 1874. His new philosophy of medicine held that the body had within itself all those things necessary for the maintenance of health and recovery from disease. The role of the physician was to enhance this capacity. He also strongly felt that the structure and function of the body are interrelated and that the musculoskeletal system was an integral part of this. The use of manipulative therapy could restore maximal functional capacity and thus enhance wellness and assist in recovery from injury and disease.

Modern Osteopathic Manual Therapy embraces Still's philosophy but uses more refined diagnostic and manual treatment techniques. A structural diagnosis of altered function of the musculoskeletal system is made. This is usually an area of restricted movement of a joint and/or its' surrounding soft tissues. The direction in which movement is restricted is assessed and manual techniques such as muscle energy, counterstrain or fascial release are done to remove the restriction and restore movement. This restores normal function.

Manual medicine should not be viewed in isolation or separate from "regular medicine", and clearly is not the panacea for all ills of mankind. Most musculoskeletal pain (both acute and chronic) has some component of restricted movement that can be improved using these techniques.