Notes About Health

Osteopathic medicine is a kind of medicinal practice in which the entire body is taken into consideration instead of looking at symptoms separately. This type of medicine is very “in” right now, especially for those who suffer from pain in their muscles and joints. A lot of people believe that an osteopath is your best option when you suffer from neck pain. Obviously, if this is your first visit to an osteopath, you are probably nervous, but you can relax. Here is what you can expect to experience when you treat neck pain with an osteopath:

The first part of your visit will be an exam that feels more like a visit to a “traditional” doctor. You’ll most likely give your complete medical history and also receive a physical examination. In many cases, your osteopath might order extra tests to help narrow down exactly why your neck is in pain. You might have an X-Ray taken to see if there is any physical damage to the vertebrae in your neck, but don’t be surprised if your osteopath pays attention to other parts of your body as well!

It is important to know that your appointment will involve a lot of physical contact between you and your osteopath. Osteopathic treatment is very “hands on.”

Your Osteopath might use any of the following methods to treat your neck pain:

Counterstrain technique: this technique involves moving you into a position that will help your body restore motion to any of your muscles that might have been strained or restrained.

Muscle Energy technique: your osteopath will give you specific exercises in which you will use your muscles from a specific position and move them in specific directions.

Soft Tissue technique: this technique involves your osteopath putting pressure on the muscles that are near and around your spine. Sometimes the pressure is deep, other times it involves traction or rhythmic stretching.

Thrust technique: Your osteopath will use a high velocity force to reintroduce movement to your joints and muscles. Thrust is used to correct any asymmetry in your muscles. This method should also take care of any restricted movements, tissue changes or muscle tenderness you might have been experiencing.

In some cases, osteopaths will also use low level lasers or acupuncture to treat their patients.

This might sound very scary but don’t worry-most people don’t experience any pain when they visit their osteopath for neck pain treatment. In fact, most people who visit osteopaths find their treatments to be relaxing and pleasant!

There are some people who might confuse osteopathic medicine with chiropractic medicine. The two night sound alike, but they are actually very different. Chiropractic medicine focuses on your spine and joints. Osteopathic medicine focus on your whole body!