Osteopathic Treatments and Techniques
When discussing osteopathic treatment, there are a number of terms that may be invoked to mean “osteopathic treatment”. These terms may include:
- Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy or Treatment
- Osteopathic Manual Treatment or Medicine
- Osteopathic Adjustment
All these terms generally means the use of manipulative hands-on (palpate) movements targeted at specific body tissue and levels to identify and treat tension and illness in the body, and to restore the body to balance and state of natural self-healing. The osteopathic approach is based on the premise that the body naturally strives for homeostasis, a state of balanced health.
Hands-on movement patterns
The manipulative movement patterns used in treatment may be:
- Indirect – manipulation to exaggerate the ailment (pathological position), and then to restore
- Direct – manipulation to reduce the ailment to normal, and then to restore
- Disengagement – manipulation separate the physiological elements causing the ailment and then to adjust tension for restoration
- Opposite Physiological Motion – combining the direct and indirect manipulation patterns
- Molding – manipulation to remold and reshape bone
- Other more complex manipulation techniques aimed specific recovery
Targeted forces and body tissues
In using patterns of movement for manipulation, these can be done at different speeds and impacts, some of which include:
- Observation/Articulation
- Balanced Tension
- Muscle energy
- High velocity
- Low velocity
Any of these “manipulation patterns” and “forces” in osteopathic treatment, can be targeted at specific body tissue, such as connective tissue, membranes, fluid, muscles, ligaments, bones, and organs. Similarly, the manipulation patterns and forces can be targeted at restoring functions, such as energy, potency, and mobility.
Osteopathic treatment techniques
In osteopathic treatment, various techniques can therefore be applied. Among some, there are more common ones such as:
- Direct and indirect high velocity low amplitude (such as thrusting aimed at a specific body tissue)
- Fascial and Myofascial Release (treating tension or restriction in fascia using direct or indirect manipulation)
- Direct or indirect muscle energy (such as using patient’s voluntary muscle contractions)
- Balanced Tension (in tissue, fluid, or potency, to stimulating body’s self-healing)
- Lateral Fluctuation (creating waves or tides in body fluid for restoration)
- CV4/EV4 (drawing the fluid to the body’s midline so that it then recedes)
- Observation (to see structure and function, and accurately understand how the body needs to restore itself)
- Percussion (using a Foredom percussor over targeted tissue at an optimal speed)
- Biodynamics (stimulating the body in life breathing or primary respiration)
- Embryologic Matrix (uses embryologic development of the body for self-healing)
- Other osteopathic treatment techniques
Types of osteopathic treatments
Osteopathic treatments may therefore be categorized by body tissue, by the type of manipulation or treatment technique, and also by the type of ailment. Some types of treatments include:
- Osteopathy Manipulative Treatment (OMT)
- Manual Therapy
- Cranial Osteopathy
- Visceral Osteopathy
- Osteopathic Acupuncture
Further information on these techniques and treatments will be provided in separate sections.