The World Health Organization describes Osteopathic treatment in the following way:
"Osteopathy was developed by Andrew Taylor Still, a physician and surgeon in
the United States of America in the mid-1800s, who established the first
independent school of osteopathy in 1892 (1,2).
Osteopathy (also called osteopathic medicine) relies on manual contact for
diagnosis and treatment (3). It respects the relationship of body, mind and spirit
in health and disease; it lays emphasis on the structural and functional integrity
of the body and the body's intrinsic tendency for self-healing. Osteopathic
practitioners use a wide variety of therapeutic manual techniques to improve
physiological function and/or support homeostasis that has been altered by
somatic (body framework) dysfunction, i.e. impaired or altered function of
related components of the somatic system; skeletal, arthrodial and myofascial
structures; and related vascular, lymphatic, and neural elements (4).
Osteopathic practitioners use their understanding of the relationship between
structure and function to optimize the body’s self-regulating, self-healing
capabilities. This holistic approach to patient care and healing is based on the
concept that a human being is a dynamic functional unit, in which all parts are
interrelated and which possesses its own self-regulatory and self-healing
mechanisms. One essential component of osteopathic health care is osteopathic
manual therapy, typically called osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT),
which refers to an array of manipulative techniques that may be combined with
other treatments or advice, for example on diet, physical activity and posture, or
counselling. The practice of osteopathy is distinct from other health-care
professions that utilize manual techniques, such as physiotherapy or chiropractic,
despite some overlap in the techniques and interventions employed. As a hands-on approach to patient care, osteopathy has contributed to the body of
knowledge of manual therapies and complementary and alternative medicine."

WHO Team, (2010), Benchmarks for training in traditional / complementary and alternative medicine: benchmarks for training in osteopathy, https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241599665