How do you explain OMM/OMT?

[DoctorS_]

What is your explanation about OMM/OMT to patients/laypeople/anyone who's unfamiliar? Similarly, how do you explain "what is a DO"?

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[Goro]

Do your homework. That's not our job.

 

[Rekt]

What is your explanation about OMM/OMT to patients/laypeople/anyone who's unfamiliar? Similarly, how do you explain "what is a DO"?

I just finished third year and had at only 1 patient ask me. It doesn't matter. Just tell your family you're a normal physician that can do some chiropractor type things.

 

[Roxas]

I try to work the phrases "bone wizard" or "osteopathic magician" into the explanation

 

[Cuongoff]

I don't use it/explain it. The times i do attempt to use it, it's ineffective 90% of the time. Unless you use it often and are trained in it, probably won't be explaining it to people. They also never ask about my degree.

 

[SW0LDIER]

Definitely not an OMM pro by any stretch of the imagination, but I call it how I see it: glorified physical therapy. Any patient who has asked, I tell them. I've also used it on family members with decent results. I usually treat people with back pain, headache, extremity muscle strain, etc but I tell them how some of my colleagues/superiors drink the koolaid of cranial/viscerosomatics/chapman's if they every ask for the differences between PT and OMM (which is pretty rare).

 

[BorntobeDO?]

People who ask me about it are looking for trouble IMO. Seems like I am a magnet for anti-medicine people who somehow know more about medicine than any MD despite not completing medical school (or usually college even). I find its easier to just smile and nod while backing away. Yep, us DO's are more holistic, those MD's are out for $$$ but not the supplement hawks, chiros, ND's, or nurses.

But it is fun to say I 'use the bodies inherent forces to unwind and release restrictions after taking a joint/muscle to a still point then waiting for the barrier to melt.' That impresses everyone real fast. Could probably get you dates if your single.

 

[getfat]

I try to work the phrases "bone wizard" or "osteopathic magician" into the explanation

Lightning Bone Setter works too!

 

[Redpancreas]

Do your homework. That's not our job.

Um...What? This question’s literally in line with the purpose of this forum.

 

[Ho0v-man]

“I’m an osteopathic physician. What that means is in addition to being able to prescribe medications for your pain, I may be able to provide some relief with manipulation as well with the hope that I can get you feeling better immediately and maybe you won’t need as much medication. If you’d like, I can assess you to see if there’s anything I can do to help alleviate your pain right here and now.”

I thought this would be good but by the time I get my cloak and wizard hat on they always feel better and check themselves out.

 

[SLC]

I don’t. I’m Dr. SLC, that’s all. I don’t discuss DO or OMT until it’s necessary.

When I see an indication for OMT and I decide to go for it, I just tell the patient: “let’s see if we can fix that sore neck or back or whatever”. We do the treatment, and then when they ask about it I tell them it’s something I learned in med school and put in a plug for DO’s. They almost always ask if there are other DO’s nearby (I’ve always been their temporary doctor as a resident) and I point out that our clinic always has them, and also telling them they can look for a non-resident DO in the future if they wanted a permanent doctor who can offer that type of treatment.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Speaking of this has everyone seen the presentation by the AOA about how every DO and DO student should automatically explain to patients what a DO is and how we are different than MDs when we introduce ourselves to a patient?

I cringed so hard

The AOA really has their head so far in the sand it isn’t even funny.

 

[ZezKaiEll]

Like this:

{{Warning: Language}}

 

[osteodoc7]

People often ask me about the difference between DO and MD I often answer there aren't any with the exception of additional training in anatomy/manipulation. They will then often ask why there are different medical schools if they are essentially the same, to which I answer because of historical and political reasons.
Also, there are a very small percentage of haters that will will try and knock the DO profession as though they are not real physicians. Be proud of your title. The DO is actual proof that you obtained your education from the US medical school system. Of all the places in the world that award the MD, I can guarantee that your DO education here in the United states far exceeds a great many of MD schools.
Such haters will often ask about the pseudoscience of OMM and often ask questions with the hopes that I will say "yes getting into osteopathic medical school is easier than allopathic". To which I just **** on them and tell them my MCAT, GPA and good looks would have gotten me into every Caribbean and a vast amount of MD schools overseas to be able to obtain a lesser quality education.

 

[ninjaman22]

I just try to avoid any conversation or anything related to OMM.

 

[getfat]

People often ask me about the difference between DO and MD I often answer there aren't any with the exception of additional training in anatomy/manipulation. They will then often ask why there are different medical schools if they are essentially the same, to which I answer because of historical and political reasons.
Also, there are a very small percentage of haters that will will try and knock the DO profession as though they are not real physicians. Be proud of your title. The DO is actual proof that you obtained your education from the US medical school system. Of all the places in the world that award the MD, I can guarantee that your DO education here in the United states far exceeds a great many of MD schools.
Such haters will often ask about the pseudoscience of OMM and often ask questions with the hopes that I will say "yes getting into osteopathic medical school is easier than allopathic". To which I just **** on them and tell them my MCAT, GPA and good looks would have gotten me into every Caribbean and a vast amount of MD schools overseas to be able to obtain a lesser quality education.

People like that would hate on you regardless of where you got your education.

Caribbean school = "Why not DO?"
DO school = "Why not MD?
Lower Tier MD = "Why not MD school in the area"
It never ends.

 

[zero0]

I explain DO by using the DDS/DMD analogy... same scope of practice, historical footnote, i.e. don't worry about it.

I don't do OMM. If anyone asks me if I know it, I honestly reply "no."

 

[Dagrimsta1]

OMM is simply musculoskeletal treatment/manipulation. I don’t get why people bug out over this. Example: patient has a headache, instead of saying go get some OTC ibuprofen, maybe try loosening their neck muscles using OMM and relieving the tension.

In terms of DO vs MD, they’re the same ****. DOs are just taught to use OMM as a form of treatment when applicable. I cannot stress the when applicable enough.

I’ve used OMM on my friends and family a bunch of times and they love it. There are however certain techniques that are straight bull crap.

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

People like that would hate on you regardless of where you got your education.

Caribbean school = "Why not DO?"
DO school = "Why not MD?
Lower Tier MD = "Why not MD school in the area"
It never ends.

Tell me about it!

 

[brotherbanjo]

If I’m trying to explain it quickly, I tell people we are regular physicians who also learn treatments we can do with our hands.

Sometimes I also explain how DOs/MDs are two different professional organizations that looked very different from each other 100 years ago when they didn’t know much about medicine (blood letting vs manipulating bones), never merged, but now are very similar.


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[SLC]

If I’m trying to explain it quickly, I tell people we are regular physicians who also learn treatments we can do with our hands.

Sometimes I also explain how DOs/MDs are two different professional organizations that looked very different from each other 100 years ago when they didn’t know much about medicine (blood letting vs manipulating bones), never merged, but now are very similar.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Meh, If I’m not doing OMM and someone asks (which has happened like 4 or 5 times over the past 3 years in residency), I just tell them there are two ways to become a physician in the USA. DO or MD, and that I went to one of the schools that award the DO.

That’s about when their eyes start to glaze over and we get back to addressing their medical care.

 

[NecrotizingFasciitis]

I explain DO by using the DDS/DMD analogy... same scope of practice, historical footnote, i.e. don't worry about it.

I don't do OMM. If anyone asks me if I know it, I honestly reply "no."

I use this as well! Works great.

Whomever: Yo, what's the difference between DO & MD
Me: Kinda the same as the difference between the two types of dentists.
Whomever: wtf are you talking about I didn't know there were different kinds.
Me: Exactly.

Alternative Answer for Someone Actually Interested: MD's use their "extra time" to do more research. DO's use their "extra time" to study the musculoskeletal system.

I feel like anything beyond that really isn't warranted unless someone is really poking/prodding you about it (genuinely interested & not just trying to antagonize you.)

 

[ortnakas]

“We learn the same things as MDs, but also we get some training on manipulation therapy which is kind of similar to what physical therapy or a chiropractor would do”

 

[ButterButter]

"West of the Rockies, Hellman's mayonnaise is called 'Best Foods'. It's the same mayonnaise with a different label. It's the same with DOs and MDs. Different label, same training and care."

 

[W19]

Tell them you are both a medical doctor and a chiropractor

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Tell them you are both a medical doctor and a chiropractor

Bruh please. That’s insulting. The official term is “Bone Wizard.” Get. It. Right.

 

[W19]

Bruh please. That’s insulting. The official term is “Bone Wizard.” Get. It. Right.

I remember when I was in undergrad I asked a MD what a DO is: His answer was: 'They specialize in bones .'

I knew what a DO was since I was considering DO, but I wanted to find out what MD docs know about the DO degree...

 

[W19]

Meh, If I’m not doing OMM and someone asks (which has happened like 4 or 5 times over the past 3 years in residency), I just tell them there are two ways to become a physician in the USA. DO or MD, and that I went to one of the schools that award the DO.

That’s about when their eyes start to glaze over and we get back to addressing their medical care.

I think that's best way to address this question...

 

[NontradCA]

On Wednesdays I go door to door holding the green book asking people if they’ve heard the good word of AT Still.

 

[UTsksk]

Fancier term for massage, but doesn't feel as good.

 

[sunshinefl]

I explain DO by using the DDS/DMD analogy... same scope of practice, historical footnote, i.e. don't worry about it.

I don't do OMM. If anyone asks me if I know it, I honestly reply "no."

I use this as well! Works great.

Whomever: Yo, what's the difference between DO & MD
Me: Kinda the same as the difference between the two types of dentists.
Whomever: wtf are you talking about I didn't know there were different kinds.
Me: Exactly.

Alternative Answer for Someone Actually Interested: MD's use their "extra time" to do more research. DO's use their "extra time" to study the musculoskeletal system.

I feel like anything beyond that really isn't warranted unless someone is really poking/prodding you about it (genuinely interested & not just trying to antagonize you.)

I use the DMD/DDS thing too! I always say just like DMD and DDS for dentists, there are 2 degrees that make you a Physician in the US, DO and MD. And they always go what?! I didn’t know there were 2 degrees for dentists!! And I say yes! There are 2 different degrees for each path.

 

[katiemaude]

There are already some good basic explanations here that will satisfy most patients who are asking simply out of curiosity when noticing your badge, along the lines of "there are two pathways to become a physician in the United States and the training is essentially the same." Or you can go into more detail and add "we have additional training in some techniques that can help relieve things like muscle pain.

If you incorporate OMM as I do, you obviously want to say more. I often get "what is the difference between you and a chiropractor?" There are some short explanations such as, "chiropractors believe that health follows spinal alignment, whereas we focus on trying to restore freedom of motion." Also: "We work on muscles and fascia, and lymphatics as well as bone." To say it's like chiropractic or PT isn't accurate, although there are elements that overlap. We also teach strengthening exercises and stretching but it's an element and not the focus of the treatment. For the people who have already experienced chiropractic who want to know what the difference is with our "cracking" *UGH* vs theirs, you can be even more detailed... we practice high velocity low amplitude techniques where we approach a barrier before moving through it and we diagnose individual vertebra and ribs, for example, to try to achieve what we believe is a more precise correction.

Fwiw I have a lot of patients who seek out PT as well as OMM and they complement each other nicely. There are some people who are not motivated enough to follow through with home exercises for PT (or for us for that matter) or who have too many physical issues for outpatient PT to address at once so they focus on the acute problem 2-3 x a week in PT and everything else with us every 4-6 weeks in OMM clinic.

 

[zero0]

Fancier term for massage, but doesn't feel as good.

I often wonder how many of those lynchpin OMM studies we constantly get quoted at us would be invalidated by a placebo massage...

 

[John1513]

Great question! This is an answer that you will refine as you mature as a D.O.

Some words to *not* use in the same sentence with DO/OMT/OMM/NMM : “massage” and “chiropractic.”

Dig on!