All Osteopaths must complete additional studies each year in order to maintain their legal registration in the UK. This is great, because it means that all registered osteopaths are responsible for keeping their knowledge up to date.

As part of this learning, I recently went on a study day at the dissecting rooms at King’s College London, affiliated with Guy’s Hospital, and organised through my old university, the University College of Osteopathy.

The course was run by Dr David Parry, who’s intracranial anatomy day I had previously attended and enjoyed. The great thing about continued post graduate learning is that you can choose your own curriculum.

The day is split into 3 parts; a review of anatomy and disease in a morning lecture, then after lunch it’s a short walk to the dissection room to look at some real-life embalmed samples of anatomy and get hands-on.

The final part of the day is spent in the Gordon’s Anatomy Museum looking at potted preserved samples of diseased anatomy, and reading the corresponding case notes of that patient’s presentation.

Getting a feel for the anatomy in three dimensions is the best way of improving your knowledge on the subject. Textbooks and online resources are excellent to a point, but it’s difficult to understand a structure without ever having seen one with your own eyes.

Some of the stand out points of the day were in observing the tiny hair-like nerves running along the base of the brain, finding the apex of the lung (much higher up than you think!) and seeing all 20 feet of small intestine compacted into such a tiny bundle.

The body is just so clever at fitting everything we need to be healthy and thrive inside – there really are no gaps left spare! The study day has certainly left me with a lot to think about, and uncovered ever more areas to expand my knowledge.

I look forward to the next one!