Diagnosis
Prior to any osteopathic therapy, a comprehensive survey of the patient’s medical history (anamnesis) is conducted. This is followed by a series of manual diagnostics, if necessary with differential diagnosis. Included are movement tests, palpation of tension and painful structures, which enable the osteopath to create a posture profile of the patient and thus identify the areas responsible for the pain.
This is the starting principle and the foundation for osteopathic treatment. His profound knowledge of the structures and functional processes of the musculoskeletal system and its interactions with internal organs enables the osteopath to sense and solve the cause of disorders with targeted techniques or to loosen tensions. He must understand the connections in order to treat the cause of the complaints rather than the current symptoms.
This is exactly why a careful and by no means hectic and superficial examination is very important for the osteopath. It is important to find the blockages in the body, because usually the location of the symptoms is not identical with the cause of the symptoms. For example, dizziness and ringing in the ears can come from a blocked cervical spine, or heart pain can crystallize as a problem of the thoracic spine.
Where appropriate, the osteopath works closely with the physician in this discipline as well. After a detailed profile of the patient has been created, the best treatment technique has to be found. The MET (Muscle Energy Technique) represents a gentle treatment option for the musculoskeletal system.Blocked or malaligned joints are mobilized rhythmically with muscle power of the patient (muscle energy) and returned to the normal (physiological) position.
Furthermore, shortened muscles are stretched, weakened muscles are strengthened and edemas (water retention in joints) are mobilized. In MET, surrounding tissue is also treated, i.e. the tissue is better “soaked” (blood and lymph circulation is stimulated). This is altogether more effective and lasting than a pure impulse technique, such as the stupid settling.
In addition, the patient must actively participate and be involved in the exercises. This makes the treatment more comprehensible for the patient and gives him the opportunity to develop a better body awareness and to deal with his body and the disease more consciously. The main focus of the muscle energy technique is pain and complaints of the musculoskeletal system, e.g. classical back pain, shoulder-arm syndrome, knee, elbow or foot complaints, but also tension headaches, migraines, bronchial asthma and heart complaints.
Overall, the mobilization techniques have a direct or indirect effect on malpositions of one or more joints. The mobilizing force comes from the therapist and goes directly into the joint or acts on the tense or shortened muscles. A relatively new form of therapy is the myofascial release technique (relaxation technique).
Robert Ward described it as an integrating technique that combines numerous manual therapeutic mechanisms. It is a combination of ,soft tissue techniques, muscle energy technique, functional indirect technique and cranio sacral technique. The starting point for this technique is the human fascial system.
Fasciae are tough skins consisting of connective tissue that envelop and connect all parts of the body such as bones, muscles and organs. All fascia together form a three-dimensional network that holds the body together. It is therefore easy to imagine that (tension) in individual muscles can cause consequences throughout the body.
The aim of the technique is therefore to integrate the disturbed segment or tissue into the intact movement pattern of the organism. There are still a number of different techniques and treatment options, such as trigger point therapy, positioning techniques, “General Osteopathic Treatment” (GOT), Jones technique and much more. In highly acute cases, pain treatment is always the main focus.
The aim is to relieve pain. This can also be achieved by a simple one-time setting-in. In contrast to this are the gentle mobilization techniques.
In the recovery phase, when the pain subsides, the gentle promotion of circulation and mobility is the primary goal. In order to stabilize and promote the achieved improvement, it is important that the patient performs specific exercises at home during this phase. In the last phase, when the pain is only slight or has disappeared, the basic osteopathic treatment begins.
Here the osteopath has the possibility to change posture and body structures that caused the pain. If this phase is omitted, the pain will actually always reappear at the next loading, since no changes have been made to the structures that could have prevented this from an osteopathic point of view.
