OMM vs. Physical Therapy

[Crohnie]

Hey All,

I wanted to know what the actual difference between OMM and Phyiscal Therapy is. So I see that with OMM a DO is using that to relieve pain and then let the body heal itself by getting back motion that would otherwise hinder it. Whereas Physical Therapy seems to just look at the injured part and re-establish movement potential and alleviate pain. Any other ideas on this?

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[DrMidlife]

I wanted to know what the actual difference between OMM and Phyiscal Therapy is. So I see that with OMM a DO is using that to relieve pain and then let the body heal itself by getting back motion that would otherwise hinder it. Whereas Physical Therapy seems to just look at the injured part and re-establish movement potential and alleviate pain. Any other ideas on this?

As a newbie DO applicant, I started out very concerned that OMM was just going to be chiropractic plus physical therapy.

On one of my DO interviews last week, I had the privilege to see a demonstration, which took care of my concerns. Here's my personal, non-professional understanding of how the three are differentiated. Hopefully I'm just correct enough to be helpful and just incorrect enough to stimulate a good conversation in this thread.

Chiropractic involves a fairly well-educated practitioner performing ongoing skeletal adjustments (and dosing of non-FDA-approved supplements, but I won't go into that). These adjustments (and supplements) are the entire biz of chiropractic. There are bad chiropractors who give good chiropractors headaches.

Physical therapy involves a fairly well-educated practitioner evaluating and improving strength, flexibility and motion in the aftermath of pathology or injury or aging, with an emphasis on guided, ongoing exercise, stretching, device stimulation, and non-pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories like ice. There are bad PTs who give good PTs headaches.

OMM involves three basic "modalities" of specific therapeutics which can supplement or amplify normal medicinal/surgical/psych therapy. These three are spinal adjustment, muscle energy and (I think it's called) lymphatic flushing. Spinal adjustment and muscle energy can in some cases cure an ailment more permanently, quickly and effectively than other kinds of treatment. Examples would be sacro-ischeal (sp?) adjustment in 5 minutes vs. surgery, and release of a neck spasm in 5 minutes vs. 48 hours on anti-inflammatories. Lymphatic flushing was a VERY big deal before antibiotics, and was one of only a few treatments that actually worked during the 1917 flu pandemic. These days, it's regaining relevance for immunocompromised patients, and as a supplement to antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals etc. I'm not excited about OMM as a philosophy, I'm excited about having a couple more handy therapeutic tools than my MD colleagues will have. And there are good DOs and bad DOs and good MDs and bad MDs yada yada yada.

(Ducks.)

 

[TexasTriathlete]

They are nothing alike at all, although some PTs will do some manual therapy.

What's the difference between a fireman and a policeman?

 

[Crohnie]

Thanks DrMidlife for your reply, I get what you are saying. I just wanted to get a feel for it since I figure they'll ask it as a possible interview question, so its better to know.

TexasTriathlete - If they are nothing alike at all, then can you please explain how so?

Thanks

 

[Buckeye4life]

Both OMM and PT have the underlying philosophy that structure influences function. Both tend to look at the body as a unit, and structural dysfunction in one area of the body can have negative influences on another area. An example would be a structural defect in the ankle or knee causing low back pain.

There is definitely a lot of overlap in outpatient PT and OMM with the evaluation aspects of the two. However, OMM is a much more passive modality with the exception of muscle energy, and PT requires much more active patient participation. PT's are trying to give the patient the skills or knowledge needed to prevent future injuries from occuring or reeducating the muscular or neurological aspects needed to perform their daily activities. DOs definitely educate their patients on prevention and can manage the rehab side of disesase or injury, but due to the time constraints of a physician, the education would fall well short of what's needed for appropriate care. Hence the referral to a therapist who does have the time. Albeit too much time, imo, but that's another story.

 

[Crohnie]

Buckeye4life - Thanks for the response, I got the differences now.

Thanks

 

[Bacchus]

Examples would be sacro-ischeal (sp?) adjustment in 5 minutes vs. surgery...

I would like to say I was sceptic of the whole "adjustment" mentality I guess you could say. Seeing a demonstration didn't sell me because I had already been sold. I saw a lot of adjustments done on the baby-boomers when I was shadowing my FP. You could see in the faces of some patients instant relief. I then had my sacral-ischeal (sp? too) region adjust and it helped me a lot. This stuff is real folks, no way to deny it.

Midlife, good post, well written!👍

 

[PT2MD]

Both OMM and PT have the underlying philosophy that structure influences function. Both tend to look at the body as a unit, and structural dysfunction in one area of the body can have negative influences on another area. An example would be a structural defect in the ankle or knee causing low back pain.

There is definitely a lot of overlap in outpatient PT and OMM with the evaluation aspects of the two. However, OMM is a much more passive modality with the exception of muscle energy, and PT requires much more active patient participation. PT's are trying to give the patient the skills or knowledge needed to prevent future injuries from occuring or reeducating the muscular or neurological aspects needed to perform their daily activities. DOs definitely educate their patients on prevention and can manage the rehab side of disesase or injury, but due to the time constraints of a physician, the education would fall well short of what's needed for appropriate care. Hence the referral to a therapist who does have the time. Albeit too much time, imo, but that's another story.

Ditto this from another PT.