Dr. Curtis McElroy

Category: Osteopathic Medicine

  • Osteopathic Physician vs. Chiropractic Physicians

    The Difference Between Osteopathic Physicians And Chiropractors

    To an outside observer, the practice of osteopaths and chiropractic medicine may appear to be almost identical.  However, there are significant differences which can impact the medical care which an individual can experience.

    The short answer is that there are many differences between chiropractors and osteopath’s but a more complete answer must take into consideration the fundamental concepts which underlie each particular practice.

    A doctor of osteopathy is a fully licensed medical professional that is taught the skills of osteopathic manipulation as part of their training.

    This is skill of manipulative treatment is covered in multiple extra hours of training that involves applying a precise amount of force to muscles and joints that theoretically promote normal movement of body fluids and engage the body’s natural healing abilities.

    Doctors of osteopathy have the ability to write prescriptions, order tests and if they choose to, some specialize in surgery or engage in women’s health issues.  For the most part approximately 65% of graduating doctors of osteopathy choose to practice in primary care.

    In a 1999 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine researchers found that people who suffered from chronic lower back pain and were treated by a doctor of osteopathy needed less medication and experienced the same amount of pain reduction and improvement in range of motion as those individuals who received pain medication and physical therapy.

    Treatments with osteopathic manipulative treatment modalities are used for almost anything including chronic conditions like pain, migraines and infection since the treatments can boost the immune system and improve bodily fluid drainage. (1)

    In addition to the manipulative treatments used by osteopaths, they can also include stretching, pressure and cranial osteopathy which focuses on motion in the cranial bones.  All of these modalities involve subtle adjustments to improve the fluid mechanics and overall health of the individual.

    While doctors of osteopathy have the ability to use a wide range of modalities for treatment doctors of chiropractic medicine focus more closely on the motion of the spine.

    When they attend school chiropractors have the ability to go through one of two branches, or schools of thought, and chiropractic medicine.  These branches are differentiated between limited therapeutic approach for aches and pains which is commonly termed a mixed chiropractic or a non-therapeutic approach which is often termed straight chiropractic because there is no mixing of chiropractic medicine with anything else.

    The mixed chiropractic approach is a slightly older one while the non-therapeutic straight chiropractic medicine is the more modern of the two.

    Non-therapeutic chiropractic medicine deals most commonly with the key roles of subluxation.  Because the spine is made up of many different bones segments and the smaller spinal nerve branches come off of the spinal cord and exit between these bones there are times when the spinal segments are out of place and affect nerve messages which exit the spinal cord.

    These misalignments are often called subluxations and results in an interference with messages and, ultimately, the ability of the person to function at their very best.  The objective of a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor is to check the spine or subluxations and safely correct those so that the individual can operate at their optimal potential and the body an attempt to heal itself.

    Which ever medical practitioner you choose for your medical care you should identify and be clear about your particular goal when approaching this practitioner.

    By understanding your needs and your desire for future medical care you can adequately choose between a doctor of osteopathy who may be able to help you with all of your medical concerns versus a chiropractor who may be excellent in helping  a dislocated back.

    (1) New England Journal of Medicine: A Comparison of Osteopathic Spinal Manipulation with Standard Care for Patients with Low Back Pain
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10547405

    RESOURCES

    BioMedCentral MusculoSkeletal Disorders: Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment for Low Back Pain
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1208896/

    Cleveland Clinic:  Low Back Pain

    http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/neurology/low-back-pain/

    Cleveland Clinic: Osteopathic Manipulation for Low Back Pain
    http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/neurology/low-back-pain/

  • Achieve Wellness

    Achieve Wellness with “The Quest For Wellness”

    by Mark Sherwood, N.D. and Michelle Neil-Sherwood, D.O.

  • What To Expect During Your First Visit To An Osteopathic Physician

    What To Expect During Your First Visit To An Osteopathic Physician

    Considering care under the recommendation of an osteopathic physician has become more and more popular as people are beginning to understand the intricate connection between prevention and control of diseases.

    Doctors who practice osteopathy are often more interested in the prevention of disease and work to control or heal the body by giving an individual all of the support they need in order for the body to help heal itself.

    Doctors of osteopathy are fully trained as medical doctors and can prescribe medication, do surgery and order tests. However, their focus is more holistic than is the more traditional Western medicine doctors.

    When entering the office for the first time you should expect to give some of the same details that you would to a traditional medicine physician such as your name, address, height/weight, occupation, date of birth, children/pregnancies, medications or supplements, any painkillers or anti-inflammatories and any past histories of surgeries.

    During this first visit the doctor will also take a considerable amount of time taking a detailed medical history that will include information about your lifestyle and your diet as well as past injuries, illnesses and your birth history.

    Following your medical history the doctor of osteopathy will also do a full physical examination and ask you to perform a series of movements to test the mobility of your body.

    You may have come in with complaints of pain in one area might find after a thorough physical examination that this pain is a result of “referred” pain.

    In other words the origination of the pain occurs in one area of the body but the individual feels the pain in another area.  This might be likened to an individual having a heart attack where the heart muscle is dying but the individual feels pain down their left arm or in their abdomen.

    The doctor of osteopathy will also perform a variety of passive movements to your joints to arrive at a diagnosis and recommended treatment plan.

    The physician will often explain in detail what has gone wrong and show you models, pictures and diagrams in order to aid in your understanding of your body.

    The philosophy of a doctor of osteopathy is that the individual patient must be fully on board with the information and diagnosis in order to comply more completely with a treatment recommendation.  Only through education and time will individuals come to understand the reasoning behind the diagnosis.

    If the doctor of osteopathy is concerned with the presence of a more serious underlying condition you may be referred to a more appropriate specialist for treatment.

    During your consultation with the physician you will be given advice and help you find ways to self manage the injury.  Since prevention is the key to further injury the doctor may also give you an idea of potentially aggravating factors in your everyday life as well as advise on posture, ergonomics, diet and exercise.

    If you and your doctor of osteopathy choose to use manipulative techniques to help decrease your pain and discomfort you may find that several days after the visits, you have a different type of pain or soreness.  This soreness is related to the motion of the muscles having moved back into correct alignment.

    You should discuss this potential with your doctor of osteopathy prior to leaving the office so that you are not surprised in the next couple of days.

    What you might expect in your first visit with an osteopath is really not too much different than what you would expect with a doctor of medicine who spends time and energy educating his patients about the causative action of disease and how to prevent it further in the future.

     

Copyright @ 2017 DrCurtisMcElroy