Osteopathic Medicine plus Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT)

Source:Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons
http://www.maops.org/

Osteopathic Medicine plus Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) resembles the old country song, "I was country when country wasn't cool."

Osteopathic medicine's philosophy was based on holistic medicine by its founder A. T. Still in 1892, long before managed care and hospital systems began to market the holistic approach to health care. And, the osteopathic philosophy has withstood the test of time and scientific scrutiny; it is more widely accepted now than any time in its over 108 years of existence.

In a time when medical advances, state-of-the-art surgeries, miracle drugs and alternative medicine steal the pages of most every publication, osteopathic manipulation is an effective part of medical care provided by osteopathic physicians. Not alternative medicine - but traditional medical care with an added dimension of health care, provided to osteopathic physicians' patients.

OMT: Hands-On Care

Osteopathic physicians (D.O.'s) provide you with all the best that medicine has to offer. Their knowledge and use of the latest medical technology, complemented by a hands-on diagnosis and treatment tool known as Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, or OMT.

D.O.'s use OMT to diagnose, treat, and even prevent illness or injury.

Osteopathic Medicine: A Unique Philosophy of Care

The Big Picture

Osteopathic physicians (D.O.'s) take a whole person approach to care. They look for underlying causes for a disease; they consider your physical condition, plus mental and emotional factors.

The Musculoskeletal System

D.O.'s believe that all of the body's systems, including the musculoskeletal system, work together, and that disturbances in one system may impact function elsewhere in the body.

D.O.'s place particular emphasis on the musculoskeletal system, which comprises two-thirds of the body's mass; they use OMT to manually assess and treat illness or injury.

OMT and How It Can Work for You

OMT is predicated upon your osteopathic physician's (D.O.'s) knowledge of medicine. While manipulative medicine is commonly associated with physical ailments such as low back pain, this far-reaching treatment modality can also be used to relieve the discomfort or musculoskeletal abnormality associated with a number of disorders.

The osteopathic approach to treating many diseases includes medication and/or surgical intervention, plus manipulation. OMT can relieve muscle pain and can hasten your recovery from illness/injury by promoting blood flow through tissues.

Your Structural Exam

Diagnosis

Through extensive osteopathic training in manipulative medicine, osteopathic physicians (D.O.'s) can detect changes in tissue, however small, that signal injury or impairment.

Treatment

Using a variety of OMT techniques, your D.O. will apply manual forces to your body's affected areas to treat structural abnormalities, and will then apply specific corrective forces to relieve joint restrictions and misalignments.

Who Can Benefit From OMT

Through OMT, people of all ages and backgrounds have found relief from pain and dysfunction.

Osteopathic Medical Education

Osteopathic physicians (D.O.'s) complete four years of medical training at one of the accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine. The osteopathic curriculum is intensive and broad-based. It includes comprehensive training in the musculoskeletal system and use of OMT.

Upon graduation from osteopathic medical school, D.O.'s complete a one-year internship, rotating through all areas of primary care. Then, they complete a residency in one of the more than 120 specialty and subspecialty areas of medicine.

D.O.'s and M.D.'s are the only recognized, educated and trained physicians to provide comprehensive medical care and have unlimited practice rights in all fifty states.

For further information on the differences, refer to our web site brochure, "What is a D.O., What is an M.D."