What is osteopathic healing touch?

 

You may have seen the terms, but what is osteopathy? Osteopathic doctors, DOs, are medical doctors who are also trained in neuromusculoskeletal medicine. That means that we treat patients with pain and other medical problems with our hands. Some people call this “osteopathic manipulation,” but it’s not manipulation in the bad sense but in the good sense—using hands to heal. Osteopathic manual medicine (OMM) helps with many problems by restoring balance to body, mind, and spirit. Here are just a few techniques and indications:
 

• craniosacral therapy (cranial) for headache, traumatic brain injury, fascial problems in many areas of the body, and—everybody’s favorite—relaxation

• lymphatic drainage therapy for swelling from trauma, some types of pain, lymphedema, wrinkles, inflammation, and again, everybody’s favorite

• muscle energy for tight shoulders and backs, for certain types of pain in the arms and legs, and

• other light-touch modalities for everyone and always for babies, the injured, the elderly, and people who have just had surgery

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