Osteopathy was developed in 1874 by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still. Dr. Still was dissatisfied with the medical treatment of his day, and wanted to promote health and wellness while treating the root cause of disease. His philosophy focuses on the body as one whole unit. He found that the musculoskeletal system was key to maintaining health.
Today, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine practice in every field of medicine. They focus on the whole person and preventative measures a patient can take to maintain health. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) is a hands on approach to see how a patient’s nerves, muscles, bones, and fascia are interconnected. OMT helps patients achieve health.
OMT can be used to treat a whole host of conditions including, but not limited to, back pain, neck pain, sciatica, joint pains or restrictions, headaches, muscle tightness, concussions, vertigo, lymphedema, pregnancy related pain. Different techniques are used depending on problem/patient factors, including myofascial release, muscle energy, Stills, facilitated position release, balanced ligamentous tension, counterstrain, high velocity low amplitude.
We are not using OMT to treat cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid disorders, chronic fatigue. Although OMT can be extremely beneficial to patients with musculoskeletal disorders, it does not eliminate the need for surgery in some conditions.
What can I expect during an OMT session?
- First session is 1 hour. We get to know you! We listen to your story, complete a physical exam, and then provide osteopathic manipulative treatment tailored to your body and issue at hand! We also review diet, posture, work station set up, home exercise routines. Based on your exam, we prescribe corrective exercises to be done at home. This is done in a relaxed, quiet environment.
- Subsequent sessions run 30 minutes. We discuss how the previous session went, any new concerns, and perform OMT.
What are the risks of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine?
The techniques we utilize are very gentle, and the risk of serious harm is very low. However, sometimes your body can respond negatively to a specific technique and result in soreness or unintended spasm. If you have soreness that lasts more than a couple of days, please let us know.
What should I expect after the session?
- Some people feel calm, euphoric, even sleepy after a session.
- It is recommended to take it easy for 72 hours after the session to allow the tissue to continue to relax and not be stressed. We recommend no heavy lifting or new exercise during this time. We recommend to drink lots of water to flush out toxins.
- It is not uncommon to feel mild soreness after a treatment session. This is self limiting and will resolve in 1-2 days. We recommend ice. If pain is really uncomfortable, OTC medications such as acetaminophen/ibuprofen, can be used if no underlying medical conditions prevent their use.
- Responses to treatment vary from patient to patient. Some patients notice some improvement immediately. Some patients notice improvement after 2 days, but improvement can be noticed even 7 days after session.
- How long the improvement lasts also varies from patient to patient. For an acute issue, pain relief may happen sooner. For a more chronic issue, it may take 3-5 sessions to start to notice improvement. Unfortunately, some chronic conditions may not result in complete pain resolution. Instead, the goal is improvement in movement and range of motion, less severe pain, and less frequent pain.
How often are the sessions?
- We generally treat patients every 2-3 weeks initially. As the underlying issue improves, we can spread out the visits as tolerated.
- Sometimes an acute issue may warrant follow up after one week. Please reach out to us if you need to be seen urgently, and we will try our hardest to get you in!
How many sessions will I need?
It depends! For an acute issue, you may only need 1 or 2. For a more chronic issue, you may need 3-5 sessions before you start to notice improvement. Some patients with pathology such as stenosis or arthritis find a maintenance visit ranging from every month to every quarter helps keep their pain under control.
What should I wear?
Comfortable clothes! As part of the treatment, we frequently need to bend/twist different body parts so you will want to wear clothes that will allow for this movement.
Are any other services offered besides OMT?
Yes! Dr. Gronski also performs dry needling, cupping, and trigger point injections. These procedures are combined with OMT for best results! We also offer metabolic medicine consultations.
