About Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT)

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About Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT):

 OMT is a set of hands-on techniques used by osteopathic physicians (DOs) to diagnose, treat, and prevent illness or injury. Using OMT, a DO moves a patient's muscles and joints using techniques that include stretching, gentle pressure and resistance.

DO’s receive special training in the musculoskeletal system, the body’s intricate system of muscles, nerves and bones. This advanced training provides DO’s with a keen understanding of how the body’s systems are interconnected and how each one affects the others.

When appropriate, OMT can complement, and even replace, drugs or surgery. In this way, DO’s bring an important dimension to standard medical care.

Benefits of OMT

OMT can can be used to ease pain, promote healing and increase overall mobility. Although often used to treat muscle pain, the treatment can also help patients with a number of other health problems such as:

OMT uses specific amounts of mechanical pressure that is applied to different regions in the body. These techniques can help:

  • Low Back Pain

  • Sports Injuries

  • Neck Pain

  • Headaches

  • Muscle Spasms

  • Ear Pain

  • Constipation

  • Treat structural and tissue abnormalities

  • Relieve joint restriction and misalignment

  • Restore muscle and tissue balance

  • Promote the overall movement of blood flow throughout the body

This system of hands-on techniques helps alleviate pain, restores motion, supports the body’s natural functions and influences the body’s structure to help it function more efficiently.

One key osteopathic concept is that structure influences function. Thus, if there is a problem in one part of the body’s structure, function in that area, and possibly in other areas, may be affected.

Osteopathic medicine believes that the body has the innate ability to heal itself. Many of osteopathic medicine’s techniques are aimed at restoring proper structure and function so the self-healing mechanism can assume its role in restoring health.