OMT also known as Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy is a technique that is used to help treat pain, stiffness and to help prevent illness and injury. Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy is a technique used by Osteopathic Physicians (D.O.) that consists of a hands-on technique that utilizes gentle pressure, resistance and stretching.

The reason why Osteopathic Physicians are so skilled at this technique is because in their understudies, they are required to have specialized training in manipulative treatment for the musculoskeletal system that consists of not just muscles but the intricate systems of muscles, nerves and bones. This type of specialized training provides Osteopathic Physicians a thorough understanding of how the body works and how everything is interconnected and how they all can affect one another. It is believed that problems with the spinal column can affect the nerves that can radiate to other areas within the body and cause disease.

Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy in Los Angeles and Santa Monica

What is Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy (OMT) used for?
Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy is used to treat multiple conditions, but it is primarily used for pain, to elicit tissue healing and restore normal bodily functions but it has also been found to be beneficial to treat Sinus disorders, Migraines, Headaches, Carpal Tunnel and elicit more blood flow throughout the body.

What types of Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy (OMT) are there?
Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy consists of multiple techniques that can all be used in conjunction with one another. As part of the therapy, Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy consists of soft tissue techniques, Muscle energy techniques, High-velocity Low-amplitude techniques and strain-counter-strain techniques in which all serve their own treatment purposes respectively. In addition to these techniques, the physician may use other modalities to make the treatments more effective such as Trigger point injections as well as infrared heat to penetrate deep with in the muscle to increase relaxation and increase blood flow to areas that have limited range of motion.

• Soft Tissue Technique: This technique consists of stretching, applied deep pressure and traction to stiff and painful muscular areas around the spine.
• Muscle Energy Technique: Muscle energy is when the Osteopathic Physician directs the patient to actively use their own muscle to hold a specific position and direction against the physician’s counterforce.
• High-Velocity Low-Amplitude Technique: With this technique, a skilled Osteopathic Physician performs a short (low-amplitude) quick (high-velocity) pressure force over possible restricted joints to help restore normal range of motion and alignment.
• Strain- Counter-stain Technique: A special technique similar to the muscle energy technique but with this specific approach, the patient is moved in the opposite direction where range of motion is limited.

How do I know if Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy will work for me?
The best way to truly see if Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy will work for you and help you with your concerns is to get a full body evaluation by a Osteopathic Physician that specializes in diagnosis and treatment for the musculoskeletal system. With that evaluation, the Physician can determine if OMT will work for you and if there are any other underlying issues that need to be addressed.