Osteopathic Bodywork for Non-Surgical Pain Management

Osteopathic manipulation is a non-operative technique for pain relief. It utilizes the body's muscle, bone, and connective tissue to restore the body to symmetry and optimal function. We know that the organs can cause musculoskeletal dysfunction and vise versa. Through osteopathic hands-on therapy, your body can be restored to symmetry and you can feel better on multiple levels.

When you are looking for a nonsurgical approach, think OMT.

Osteopathy uses both direct and indirect techniques. I work with the individual to determine a customized treatment plan that works best and is focused in the area of pain.

A person can seek out OMT to treat many different issues:

Musculoskeletal pain is the most common. Most commonly these are low back pain and neck pain, but osteopathy can also treat things like carpal tunnel syndrome and can help speed recovery by soothing sore muscles and relieve acute muscle spasm.

Chronic pain can be a bit more difficult to treat, and typically requires multiple visits. But by using hands-on treatment to loosen chronically tight musculature and the connective tissue surrounding the musculature, most chronic pain can be at least partially relieved, and OMT has been shown to decrease the amount of pain medication used in both acute pain and chronic pain.

Pregnancy pain, postpartum pain, and menstrual pain can be lessened or relieved in two ways. The initial approach would be musculoskeletal, assuring realignment of the tissues surrounding especially the sacrum, pelvis, and neck. The other important approach is correction of the parasympathetic system and calming any overactivity of the vagus nerve and its delivery of impulses to the abdominal organs, which include the gut and uterus.

Headaches and migraines are another typical target of osteopaths. By treating craniosacral dysfunction and returning the muscles and fascia of the neck and head to a more relaxed state, these conditions can be lessened and/or relieved.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been found to have a friend in osteopathy also. While autoimmune diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease cannot be healed with OMT, the inherent motion of the gut can be corrected with gentle abdominal techniques as well as the parasympathetic reset techniques utilized for abdominal or pelvic cramping.

Remember, OMT is another form of complementary medicine that can be utilized in conjunction with any treatment. There are minimal to no side effects when delivered by a trained osteopath!

Frequency of treatment varies and is mostly based on whether you have pain, discomfort, or mobility issues. Not everyone will improve with the first treatment, but the improvement rate is somewhere around 50% will need one treatment, 30% will need two treatments, and 20% will need three. As always, our services are non-pharmacologic and insurance-based.

What can OMT do for you? Book your insurance based treatment with Dr. Betler today online at ctsportsrecovery.com or call/text 203-651-5090 for more information.