Forwards by Rachel Brooks and Renzo Molinari
This user-friendly book describing WG Sutherland's lesser known approach to the body as a whole, guides the reader to understand how the therapeutic principle of Balanced Ligamentous Tension (BLT) can be effectively applied . Engaging the innate self-healing potency within the patient's body, the application of BLT is powerful, precise, safe and also comfortable for the patient and has been welcomed with interest by osteopaths worldwide.
"Many books have been written about Sutherland's cranial concept, but not a lot about his approach to the rest of the body. Balanced Ligamentous
Tension, Susan Turner's book, brilliantly fills this gap, sharing her lifetime of osteopathic experience with future generations."
- Raimund Engel, MSc., D.O. Principal of the Vienna School of Osteopathy
Balanced Ligamentous Tension has been welcomed with interest by osteopaths worldwide who seek to work precisely but with patient comfort and safety. As well as giving technical guidance and acting as a reference, this book seeks to nurture understanding of the reciprocal relationship between structural integrity and healthy function in the body.
Sue Turner has been practicing Osteopathy in London since 1979 and teaches internationally. She is a fellow and founder member of the Sutherland Cranial College of Osteopathy, taught at the European School of Osteopathy for 26 years and is a faculty member of the Molinari Institute of Health and Associazione OCC Italy. While also teaching Cranial and Pediatric Osteopathy, she has become especially known for her understanding of the application of Balanced Ligamentous Tension. Her unique experience and practice are infused with the awareness that osteopathy involves the healing for the whole person.
Since graduating from the European School of Osteopathy in 1979, Sue Turner has been in osteopathic practice in West London. She taught osteopathy in the cranial field at the European School of Osteopathy (ESO) UK from 1980-2000 where she also co-founded and directed the undergraduate children’s clinic from 1989-2000. She was a member of the original team of Osteopathic Centre for Children in London in 1991, where she worked for four years.
Sue was taught by W. G. Sutherland’s student Anne Wales and is carrying on her work. Since 1986 she has taught on postgraduate pediatric and cranial osteopathy courses in the UK and internationally. She has played an active role in the development of the Sutherland Cranial College of Osteopathy (SCCO) UK since its inception. Sue Turner has also worked in an osteopathic clinic for Tibetan refugees in India and contributed to a textbook on paediatric osteopathy. She is passionate about osteopathy and in gratitude to the generosity of her teachers she has a heartfelt commitment to passing it on.
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This user-friendly book will guide the reader to understand how balanced ligamentous tension (BLT) can be used as a therapeutic principle in the practice of osteopathy. The application of BLT is powerful, precise and specific but is also safe and comfortable for the patient and has been embraced with interest by osteopaths worldwide.
BLT is seen by many as an indispensable bridge between the better known 'structural' and 'cranial' approaches and is an essential but almost forgotten part of the osteopathic heritage. In using 'the gentle exaggeration of the lesion', this approach is rooted in the original teaching of AT Still, osteopathy's founder, and that of his student W G Sutherland, who realised how potently the point of balanced tension can activate the innate self-correcting forces in the articular system. This teaching was passed on directly to the author by William Sutherland's close friend and student, Anne Wales D.O.
As well as giving technical guidance and acting as a reference, citing relevant contemporary physiological research, this book is steeped in osteopathic philosophy. It seeks to enhance understanding of the reciprocal relationship between structural integrity and healthy function. By illustrating how the contact we make on the outside of the body influences the spatial environment of the physiology within, this highly effective approach can enable the practitioner to engage with the patient's potential for improved well-being and health.
Probably the most important osteopathic book of recent years, written by long-time experts in the field. It is very practical and hands-on, and at the same time shows a deep understanding of physiology in osteopathic interaction. This book will be a source of inspiration not only for students, but also for osteopaths with many years of experience--Eva Möckel D.O., F.S.C.C.O., faculty member of the Sutherland Cranial College of Osteopathy
This is an exceptional treatise on Balanced Ligamentous Tension. Sue dives deep into the philosophy, principles, and anatomy at the heart of the work, offering the reader not only a clear and practical guide to the procedures, but the depth of understanding needed to ultimately master them.--Hugh Ettlinger DO, FAAO, FCA, Founder and former clinical director of the OMT department of St Barnabas Hospital New York, Vice President of the SCTF
Many books have been written about Sutherland's cranial concept, but not a lot about his approach to the rest of the body, Balanced Ligamentous Tension. Susan Turner's book brilliantly fills this gap, sharing her lifetime of osteopathic experience with future generations. Firmly rooted in the osteopathic tradition and written in a precise and clear language honed in decades of teaching, this is nevertheless a very modern book that also references relevant scientific sources and includes links to technique videos wherever this is useful. One cannot learn techniques purely from a book. But for those who learned in practical courses to listen to the tissues and find a Point Of Balance, this book is an invaluable resource for specific approaches to the various areas of the body.--Raimund Engel, MSc., D.O. Principal of the Vienna School of Osteopathy
