Osteopathic Manipulation Treatment in Raleigh & Chapel Hill NC
What is Osteopathic Manipulation Treatment?
The primary treatment we use for muscle and joint problems is hands-on body manipulation, known as osteopathic manipulation treatment (or OMT for short). Many conditions respond well to OMT as it addresses the body as a unit, rather than just individual parts that might break down.
Osteopathic manipulative treatment involves the use of different manual techniques to diagnose, treat, or prevent injury and joint pain. Using OMT, your osteopathic physician will move your muscles and joints through stretching, positional release (aka counterstrain), gentle pressure, or resistance. Some of these techniques resemble chiropractic treatment and involve audible “pops,” while others are so subtle they are barely felt. Which techniques Dr. Hennenhoefer uses depends on the nature of the complaint and area addressed (joints, muscles, fascia, etc.). In addition to the standard medical training all physicians receive, osteopathic musculoskeletal physicians undergo years of specialized training to evaluate, diagnose, and determine which treatment techniques will provide the maximum benefit to each individual patient.
What are the Benefits of OMT?
The gentle nature of osteopathic manipulation treatment makes it a beneficial treatment for almost anyone, and it comes without some of the negative side effects that you might experience with medication or surgery.
Osteopathic Manipulation Treatment can help:
- Restore balance in tissue and muscles
- Eliminate joint restriction and improve alignment
- Encourage movement of body fluids to increase joint lubrication
- Address tissue (like fascia) and structural abnormalities in a non-invasive way
In addition, Osteopathic Manipulation Treatments can reduce your need for medication or surgery.
What to Expect From OMT
Initial Consult
- Detailed musculoskeletal history and structural exam
- Hands-on osteopathic diagnostic techniques
- Assessment of overall health
- Identification of structural imbalances
- Recommended treatment plan
- Please wear comfortable and flexible clothing to your visit
Follow-Up
- Re-evaluation of health status
- Progressive osteopathic manipulative treatment
- Continuing working on a home exercise program
Length of Visits
- Plan for 1 hour for the initial consult and treatment
- 30 minutes for follow-up treatments
- Complete re-evaluation will occur at every follow-up visit.
After your first osteopathic manipulation treatment, you may experience soreness for 1-2 days. Some symptoms may even worsen. This is similar to getting your finger jammed in a door and then opening the door. You must open the door to fix the problem but restoring blood flow and function temporarily increases the pain. Typically, this post-treatment soreness resolves after a couple of days, and patients begin noticing overall improvement within a couple weeks.
OMT is meant to be a treatment, not a therapy, and patients typically only require 3-4 treatments two to four weeks apart before noticing significant improvement. If there is no improvement after several treatments, we may have to move on to other treatment modalities.
For more information about Osteopathic Manipulation Treatment and how it can help your body, contact us today!