Osteopathic Medicine

Osteopathic medicine provides all of the benefits of modern medicine (prescription medications, surgery, and the latest diagnostic technologies) with the added benefit of hands-on diagnosis and treatment through a therapeutic system known as osteopathic manipulative medicine. Osteopathic doctors (D.O.s) are licensed to practice the full scope of medicine in all 50 states. They practice in all types of environments and in all specialties from family medicine to obstetrics, surgery, and aerospace medicine.

Osteopathic medicine was founded in the late 1800s by Andrew Taylor Still, M.D., who recognized that the medical practices of the day often caused more harm than good. After losing family members to meningitis, Still focused on developing a system of medical care that would promote the body’s innate ability to heal itself. He called his system of medicine osteopathy, now known as osteopathic medicine.
In addition to mastering the traditional medical school curriculum, D.O.s spend an additional 200 hours of training in the art of osteopathic manipulative medicine. This system of hands-on techniques helps alleviate pain, restores motion, supports the body’s natural functions and influence the body’s structure to help it function more efficiently.

D.O.s understand that structure influences function; if there is a problem in one part of the body’s structure, then function in that area, and possibly in other areas, may be affected. For example, restriction of motion in the lower ribs, lumbar spine, and abdomen can cause stomach pain with symptoms that mimic irritable bowel syndrome. By using osteopathic manipulative medicine techniques, D.O.s can help restore motion to these areas of the body thus improving gastrointestinal function, oftentimes restoring it to normal.