Treatment by a doctor of osteopathy
After a thorough examination and diagnosis, treatment
may include osteopathic manipulative treatment
(OMT), medications, various types of injections
and/or back surgery.
The number of OMT treatments required varies
with each patient and condition. While there
exist no “hard and fast” rules
as to the duration and exact number of treatments
required, objective improvement in pain and/or
functional abilities should become apparent
in as few as five to six consecutive treatments,
unless there are prominent complicating factors.
(Source: American Osteopathic Association
Protocols for OMT, 1998 Division of Socioeconomic
Affairs.)
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Initially, treatment may be twice a
week for two to four weeks (in rare cases,
treatment may be three times a week).
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Follow-up treatments typically are no
more frequent than once or twice a week
for a certain period of time (not open-ended).
The D.O. will reexamine the patient during
each of the visits to see if there is appropriate
progress and to set realistic time-based
goals for treatment. Objective parameters
are used to determine if there is adequate
progress:
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Improvement in the patient’s function
(ability to work, activities of daily
living, ability to move about and perform
certain activities, etc.)
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The reduction in need for pain medication
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The patient’s report of his or
her pain perception
The goal of treatment is to enhance the
patient’s ability to function independently
with minimal or no pain, while maintaining
this independence through appropriate home
exercises, nutrition and life-style. Accordingly,
in a chronic pain situation and as long as
function is maintained, treatment is generally
reduced to a minimum yet reasonable number
of visits, but may require a limited set
of additional treatments during an episode
of exacerbation. |
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