Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM) is a gentle yet very effective hands-on treatment for many medical conditions, including, but not limited to, injuries and musculoskeletal complaints. It is often an answer to problems that have not responded to conventional medical, surgical or other therapeutic treatments. Osteopathic manual medicine can improve the function of all body systems through addressing motion in structural components of the body. In the US, it is only practiced by osteopathic physicians (DO’s), who are physicians equal in training and licensure to MD’s, and by MD’s who are qualified. Osteopathic medical training, perspective and practice differ greatly from other hands-on treatment professions, such as physical therapy, massage therapy, chiropractic, etc.
The goal of treatment is to restore healthy function, whether that be in the nervous system, the GI, respiratory, circulatory or musculoskeletal system, or any other system or area of the body. Your body has an amazing ability to change and function more easily. There are vital mechanisms of external and inherent motion in all of us that are capable of being accessed and utilized during osteopathic treatment by a skilled DO to help restore health. DO’s develop a very fine sense of touch, and, combined with their medical knowledge, are able to understand and treat many medical complaints in a unique way. We work in restoring the body’s natural abilities to strive toward health and homeostasis. W. G. Sutherland, DO, founder of Osteopathy in the Cranial Field, describes Dr. Spector’s fundamental osteopathic approach well, saying: "Allow physiologic function within to manifest its own unerring potency rather than apply a blind force from without."
Profound changes in physiology (the way the body functions or works inside) commonly occur from OMM because of the very specific nature and focus of osteopathic medical training and care. Yet patients experience these treatments as very comfortable and relaxing. They are often pleasantly surprised at how much better they feel with such gentle treatment. OMM is safe, appropriate and effective for all ages, from newborns into the older years.
Training in Osteopathic principles and practice is part of every osteopathic medical school curriculum. After learning this unique understanding of how the body tissues and cells move and function, DO medical students are trained in a variety of methods of using their hands to diagnose and treat patients. There are many osteopathic methods which apply and utilize the same principles, using our hands to interface with body tissues and change physiology and function.
Osteopathic methods vary from very direct ways of positioning and actively moving the patient’s body during a treatment, to more subtle, gentle ways of holding areas and accessing deeper mechanisms within the body. Dr. Spector utilizes all methods of Osteopathic Manual Medicine, listening to each patient’s body to determine what is needed. However, her main method of practice and expertise is Osteopathic Cranial Manipulative Medicine (OCMM), also known as Cranial Osteopathy (see next section for details), including Robert Fulford DO’s Percussion Osteopathy, Eliott Blackman DO’s embryological approach to Cranial Osteopathy and James Jealous DO’sS Traditional/Biodynamics of Osteopathy in the Cranial Field. Osteopathic approaches of Fascial release, Muscle energy, Counterstrain, Lymphatic mobility, Gentle thrust approaches and other osteopathic procedures are also used as indicated. Dr. Spector considers Cranial Osteopathy to be the most refined method of Osteopathic Manual Medicine, requiring greater knowledge, palpatory skills and expertise, and working with a very specific, refined and powerful mechanism in the body, yielding effective systemic results.