DO docs: OMT and Neurology

[docdoc121]

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I was more or less destroyed when I asked this question in some other forums. It seems as though there is little to no room for OMT in certain specialties like EM, Anesthesia, etc. However, some of them did say that neurology can incorporate OMT to some degree. So my question is, do you DOs ever use OMT in neurology? if you do, how often and in which type of cases? if you don't, can you please tell me (politely) if that's due to time restrictions, lack of skill, and/or in-patient settings? i'm attending DO school in the Fall.

(i'm also asking this question in the pain medicine and gulp, general surgery forums)

 

[95439]

I was more or less destroyed when I asked this question in some other forums. It seems as though there is little to no room for OMT in certain specialties like EM, Anesthesia, etc. However, some of them did say that neurology can incorporate OMT to some degree. So my question is, do you DOs ever use OMT in neurology? if you do, how often and in which type of cases? if you don't, can you please tell me (politely) if that's due to time restrictions, lack of skill, and/or in-patient settings? i'm attending DO school in the Fall.

(i'm also asking this question in the pain medicine and gulp, general surgery forums)

I'm a DO student, and I'm having a hard time being polite lol...sorry, but when you get OMT shoved down your throat with ridiculous claims about it's benefits, you start to despise it..
Anyway, I do think OMT has value in the treatment of headaches. I just 'treated' someone about an hour ago with what she claimed to be 'tension headaches'. In my opinion, they're due to stress -> muscle tension -> decreased perfusion -> pain...So I did some muscle energy, focusing on the shoulders and neck, and she said she felt "SO much better". We'll see if that's temporary or not..

Expect rude responses from MD's because some look down on osteopaths, and rude responses from some DO's because we take tests where the 'right answer' on a test was to 'perform an osteopathic manipulative exam' before doing lab work, imaging, and other verifiable aspects of real medicine.

 

[bustbones26]

I'm a DO student, and I'm having a hard time being polite lol...sorry, but when you get OMT shoved down your throat with ridiculous claims about it's benefits, you start to despise it..
Anyway, I do think OMT has value in the treatment of headaches. I just 'treated' someone about an hour ago with what she claimed to be 'tension headaches'. In my opinion, they're due to stress -> muscle tension -> decreased perfusion -> pain...So I did some muscle energy, focusing on the shoulders and neck, and she said she felt "SO much better". We'll see if that's temporary or not..

Expect rude responses from MD's because some look down on osteopaths, and rude responses from some DO's because we take tests where the 'right answer' on a test was to 'perform an osteopathic manipulative exam' before doing lab work, imaging, and other verifiable aspects of real medicine.

Yeah, we all get it shoved down our throat in medical school. Bluntly, if you pick up an OMT textbook and start reading it, you can see how it might work from an anatomical and physiological perspective, but you are right, sitting in class hearing about palpating the quarks and bosons and nuclear energy emitted by atoms of the inner core does get a little, well, weird and seems to deviate from what is in the textbooks.

But keep in mind, the weirdos are not all out there. Myself, as a neurologist, I find it to be something to try for painful conditions, such as headache, neck pain, back pain, etc. Let's face it, in neurology there are some patients that nothing you do for them will work and I do see a large population of patients with reason for secondary gain, so its hard to select the right patient. But for the right patient, most appreciate it and find it as a helpful adjunct to what you are doing for them otherwise.

 

[95439]

But keep in mind, the weirdos are not all out there. Myself, as a neurologist, I find it to be something to try for painful conditions, such as headache, neck pain, back pain, etc. Let's face it, in neurology there are some patients that nothing you do for them will work and I do see a large population of patients with reason for secondary gain, so its hard to select the right patient. But for the right patient, most appreciate it and find it as a helpful adjunct to what you are doing for them otherwise.

I couldn't agree more. My 3rd year I basically refused to do OMT, until I started seeing some of my colleagues using it on patients who absolutely loved it. I do think there is something very therapeutic about a doctor actually touching the patient, and patients expect doctors to know how to make them feel better. So whether it's psychological or physiological, something about OMT does help some patients feel better. I'll probably use it for headaches, and patients with 'diseases' such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Stress and depression definitely play a part in those processes, and the calming touch of a skilled physician seems to help.