How Osteopaths Treat Neck Pain
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008Instead of looking at each symptom of an illness separately, osteopathic medicine is a kind of medicine that looks at your entire body to figure out the best method of treatment. Osteopathic medicine has become quite popular, especially for people who have problems with muscle and joint pain. A lot of people insist that when you suffer from neck pain, an osteopath is one of your best resources. It is understandable, however, that if you haven’t ever visited an osteopath, that doing so might feel scary. Don’t worry-you have nothing to be scared of. Here is what you can expect to experience when you visit an osteopath for neck pain treatment:
In the beginning, your osteopathic exam will probably feel a lot like a visit to a traditional doctor’s office. You’ll be asked for your complete medical history and be given a routine physical exam. Your osteopath might then need to do some extra tests in order to help figure out the exact reason for your neck pain. An X-Ray might be taken to help determine if your neck has any damaged vertebrae, but be prepared: your osteopath will probably examine the rest of your body too!
It is important to know that when you visit an osteopath for help with your neck pain, you should leave your “personal space” at home. Osteopathic treatment is hands on!
The osteopath you visit can use any or all 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 high velocity force to reintroduce movement to your joints or to get rid of any signs of muscle asymmetry, restricted movement, muscle tenderness or tissue changes.
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!