MD wanting advice...

[womansurg]

Looking for some good ol' internet advice here, which I will certainly take with a grain of salt (so hold on the speeches, please).

I have 2 herniated cervical discs, C4-5 and C6-7, after a snowboarding accident 5 years ago. Initially lots of pain and neuropraxia, mostly of the left arm, which has resolved with the exception of an occasional exacerbation. I've been seen by neurosurg, neurology, and PM&R, with bottom line that probably I will need spinal cord decompression at some point, but being that I'm young and my symptoms are pretty managable, better to defer as long as possible. Reason being that the life of the surgery is about 20 years, meaning I'd have to be redone at some point, which is a much riskier surgery.

I'm aware of the literature with regards to chiropractic care resulting in better outcomes than allopathic neurosurgical intervention for lumbar disc disease - and yes I know that OMM isn't the same as chiropractic. No one here seems to know anything about OMM, or else they dismiss it as voodoo medicine. I've had some of my DO students volunteer to 'adjust' my neck when I've been having symptoms, but I've always deferred - for obvious reasons, I think.

So, any idea about the safety and efficacy of OMM in this type of presentation? Anything with regards to OMM I should be cautious about or avoid?

Thanks!

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[braids]

I'm just a first year D.O. student, so I can't say I have the experience in what your issue is. However, I would recommend finding a well-respected D.O. who uses a lot of OMM in his/her practice...find one who is board-certified in OMM itself. I would at least get his/her opinion and see if the treatment works before trying surgery. It'll be cheaper and less painful! And it's worth a try, right?

 

[gator2886]

I would not let a student adujust my neck. Go to see a D.O. who is out of school who specializes in family med with OMM. Be sure to ask before you go if they do OMT because alot of DO's do not do it, or they do not do it enough to stay in practice. Good luck with your neck.

 

[DrSmiles]

I see a lot of folks have looked at your post without offering a response. Like the previous poster, I am only a 1st year and therefore I am just getting my feet wet so to speak. Like the previous poster said, I would find a well-respected DO in the community who does A LOT of OMM in his/her practice. So far, it is my understanding that OMM offers a lot of benefits to most dysfunctions, but, some treatments are contraindicated- depending on the injury. You would need to be assessed before having treatment to avoid further injury. In most cases, there is usually some aspect of OMM that can be used, offering positive results.

 

[DrMom]

Originally posted by braids
I would recommend finding a well-respected D.O. who uses a lot of OMM in his/her practice...find one who is board-certified in OMM itself. I would at least get his/her opinion and see if the treatment works before trying surgery. It'll be cheaper and less painful! And it's worth a try, right?

This is exactly what I was going to recommend. Since you do have a DO school nearby, why don't you check with them & see if you can be seen by one of the OMT professors or see if they can recommend a local board-cert OMT physician.

At my school there are 3 professors who do OMT full time and a number of other ones who do OMT regularly and help out in lab classes. There are also a couple of other DOs in the community who have full-time OMT practices. These are the people I trust most with my neck!

The plus of trying out OMT rather than going to a chiropractor is that DOs have a variety of methods of OMT to use as opposed to chiropractors having only one method.

I agree with being wary of having a student work on your neck when you know that you have had an injury.

 

[BrooklynDO]

another first year response:
I wouldnt do anythinig on anyone who has a herniation... so if your students offer, make sure they know that you have a herniation. and when you follow everyone's advice about going to see the local OMT physician, bring your mri results with you... or something to that effect.

However, I dont see a problem if someone does soft techniques on you, working other vertebral levels and soft tissues. But I'd see the local FAAO
by they way, how is that student working out that you posted about?

 

[Eric714]

Given your presentation, I would follow the advice of others on this post and not allow "adjustment" if they're talking about any high velocity, low amplitude techniques. Usually, a herniated disc would be a contraindication for any direct techniques. If you're interested in OMT, I would try to find a DO that specializes in OMT. There are many DO's that strictly do OMT for their practice. They would probably advocate for indirect techniques to avoid any further exacerbation of your injury.

Eric, MSIII

 

[womansurg]

Originally posted by BrooklynDO
by they way, how is that student working out that you posted about?

Thanks for all the good advice, all.

That particular student's rotation has ended. The subsequent student (same school, same class) is bright, functions autonomously at a high level, and is very self motivated with regards to his own education. He does not display any of the deficits in background or training which his colleague continually referred to.

 

[DOSouthpaw]

I would definately try to find an Osteopath that was proficient in what are called "indirect techniques". These are the safest form of therapy around.
As far as if OMT will help, it just depends. The only indication for OMT is a specific diagnosis of somatic dysfunction. I certainly would not let anyone do any nonspecific or shotgun techniques on me because it's basically useless. Find a DO who also does Sequencing. Some just palpate till they find a SD and treat. By using Sequencing the DO will be able to isolate the "key lesion" and treat it. This will cause a dramatic change in the body and will bring it one step closer to its potential. Even if your affected area does not contain a SD, it still would be beneficial to go for a screaning. If surgery is going to be required, then correcting dysfunctions elsewhere around the affected area will help the body be able to compensate for the injury in a much better fashion. If you have any more quesitons, please ask.