Orthotics (Osteopathic)
Orthotics (Osteopathic) medicine is a form of manual health care that aims to reduce pain and return patients to full function by addressing problems with the central nervous system and muscular system. It is concerned with the study of the relationship between the nervous musculoskeletal system (which includes bones, muscles, and nerves) with other tissues that support and control your body’s movements. With skilled assessment and diagnosis, an orthopedist can determine the types of dysfunction in your body.
An orthopedist uses manual therapy, which includes hands-on therapy that may support tissue repair, movement, and recovery. Orthodontic treatment is holistic in nature and uses techniques including muscle stretching and massage as well as mobilizing and manipulating specific joints.
Orthotic therapy helps reduce symptoms, relieve pain, and speed up the healing process of your muscle and joint problem.
Correlation of Osteopathic medicine with other therapies
Orthodontic treatment is associated with two important types of treatments:
1- Physiotherapy
Physical therapy focuses on reducing pain by restoring movement and function, mostly through exercise rehabilitation. Much time is spent describing and explaining exercise as a way to enable the patient to participate and achieve recovery. There is usually little soft tissue massage or manual therapy applied by physiotherapists, while private physiotherapists often treat in a similar fashion to an Osteopathic using special techniques of spine massage and other joint massage.
2- Chiropractic (Osteopathic)
Chiropractic care is concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on public health. There is an emphasis on manual techniques including joint adjustment with a typical focus on subluxations (spinal misalignments).
Reasons you need to visit an orthopedist:
1 – neck pain
An Osteopathic specialist doesn’t just specialize in back pain. They have the medical training to help your entire body including the neck. Neck pain is usually a sign of another problem in your body, but the pain is in your neck.
Neck pain may be the result of problems with shoulder movement without your knowledge. An Osteopathic doctor can discern this and know the best treatment he can give.
2 – back pain
Oftentimes people visit Osteopathic specialists because of back pain and low back pain.
Most spinal pain arises from our sedentary lifestyles such as sitting all day at the office and not exercising enough.
After careful examination, the Osteopathic doctor will find the root cause of your spine problem and will provide you with the best treatment.
3- Sports injuries
Sports injuries are very common, especially among athletes who don’t give their injuries enough time to recover before returning to the game. Each injury is unique so it requires different healing times and treatments.
Each person is treated individually, depending on the form of the injury. In some cases, your Osteopathic doctor may advise you to stay away from all sports completely for a while, while in other injuries you may continue to play. Ultimately how well and how quickly you heal depends on how you take the advice of an orthopedist. They include:
Muscle strain.
Sprained ankle.
Foot pain.
Knee injuries.
Hip injuries.
Shoulder pain.
elbow pain;
wrist pain
4- General aches and pains
Your body may experience aches and pains for a variety of reasons. You can experience different levels of aches and pains depending on your age, medical history, lifestyle, etc.
An orthopedist has the training and medical experience to examine your entire body and find out the root cause of your pain.
5- Women’s health
A woman’s entire body chemistry changes when she is pregnant. She will be exposed to more pressure on her back and joints during this period. This is a sure sign that she needs to see an orthopedist soon.
Osteopathic Doctors Skills:
Manual therapy: includes a range of practical techniques that may relieve musculoskeletal pain and discomfort and may help tissues in the body.
Clinical exercise programmes: activities and movement strategies for use at home, work, or other settings. Exercise may help you return to the activities you enjoy after an injury or surgery.
Musculoskeletal and nervous system assessments.
Movement advice, postures, positioning and comfort assessments.
Therapeutic acupuncture techniques.
Tips about your lifestyle, stress management, diet or other factors that may affect your pain, injury or movement.
The importance of Osteopathic treatment for pregnant women:
Back pain and pelvic pain are common complaints during pregnancy such as lower back pain in women, neck pain and pubic symphysis pain. Osteopathic treatment is commonly used by women to reduce musculoskeletal complaints that may arise during pregnancy, especially to reduce lower back pain during the third trimester of pregnancy.
He also advises you on posture after pregnancy along with appropriate pelvic floor exercises that will help you recover.
The importance of Osteopathic treatment for children (Osteopathic):
Orthopedists are trained to examine children as they grow for things like consulting about complaints that can affect their development. Besides, in the first two years they are prone to bumps and falls as they learn new skills. Since their bones are much softer than adults, they can retain stress and pressure through their skulls and small bodies which can contribute to certain conditions.
Osteopathic techniques:
An orthopedist aims to restore and stabilize the normal function of the joints to help the body heal. It is divided into 4 types:
1 – Soft Tissue Technique
It is used to assess the condition of tissues and help body fluids (such as blood and lymph) to flow smoothly in the following ways:
Soft massage
Cupping.
Frictions.
Acupressure.
Elbow pressure.
2 – articular bone technique (muscle power)
This technique is used to reduce muscle spasms near the joint, relieve nerve irritation around the joint, make the joints more mobile, to reduce pain and discomfort.
3 – craniosacral therapy
Manual orthopedists use this gentle technique to assess and treat the movement of the skull and its contents. They can also use it to evaluate and treat the spine, impotence, and other parts of the body. The goal of this technique is to modify the body’s physiology by rebalancing the blood circulation and other body fluids. It can be used to treat the following conditions:
Chronic pain.
fibromyalgia;
Multiple Sclerosis.
neuralgia.
Neurological diseases.
brain attack.
speech disorder;
epilepsy;
4- Visceral massage
Manual orthopedists use visceral techniques to treat the organs and viscera of the body, including the liver, spleen, kidneys, stomach, pancreas, intestines, bladder, uterus, lungs and heart. The manual orthopedist gently moves the structures themselves and the connective tissue that surrounds them to restore full movement.
Visceral massage helps the body deal with problems and limitations that may cause pain, stress, or dysfunction. These include:
Gastrointestinal disorders (nausea, constipation, flatulence).
Acute disorders (abdominal or chest injuries, concussion, brain injuries).
Headache and migraine.
Arthritis.
neck pain
anxiety.
Depression.
Post-traumatic stress disorder.
Osteopathic medicine is based on manual therapy by:
Massage to relax and relax the muscles.
Stretching stiff joints.
Articulation where your joints are moved through their natural range of motion.
Short, sharp movements of the spine, which usually produce a clicking noise similar to cracking in your knuckles.
These techniques aim to reduce pain, improve movement, and encourage blood flow.
Common fallacies about Osteopathic medicine:
1 – Connected to the bones only
There is a strong reason why many people think that Osteopathic treatment is only about treating bones because of the word osteo, which is derived from the Greek word for bones.
Besides the roots of Osteopathic medicine that are based on helping people with Osteopathic complaints, today’s Osteopathic doctors treat all body systems including joints and muscles.
2- It treats back problems only
Many people mistakenly assume that Osteopathy focuses only on treating people with back problems, but their scope of work is much broader than this. An osteopathic can treat pain in any part of the body and can help with problems such as headaches, ankle injuries, tennis elbow, pregnancy pain, sports injuries, and rheumatism.
3 – Osteopathic medicine has recently spread (Osteopathic)
Contrary to what some people think, Osteopathic isn’t an alternative treatment in the new age. It has actually been around for many years and dates back to 1874 when physician Andrew Taylor Steele first coined it. It is considered the first existing manual therapy.
4 – Painful Osteopathic treatment (Osteopathic)
People’s thinking about Osteopathic treatment is associated with ideas about restoring bones or cracking joints, but this isn’t the case at all.
If you use the services of an Osteopathic and a sports massage therapist, you won’t find this experience painful. However, you may notice slight discomfort in the muscles and joints that are rarely stretched, but you should notice an improvement in your painful symptoms in the long term.
5- Osteopaths are chiropractors and physical therapists
Although there is overlap in some of the work done by osteopaths, chiropractors, and physical therapists, it isn’t correct to assume that they are all the same.
Each specialty has a slightly different approach to treatment philosophies. In general, an Osteopathic will take a holistic approach to treating the whole body, while a physical therapist will focus on helping to rehabilitate a specific area of the body. On the other hand, a chiropractor focuses more on the problems of the spine and surrounding nerves.
Sports injuries:
The knee is one of the most common parts of the body to be injured. Knee injuries generally occur due to a twisting or bending force applied to the knee, or a direct blow, such as from sports, falls or accidents.
The knee joint connects 3 bones: the femur, the patella, and the shin bone. It works in concert with the different types of cartilage, ligaments, and tendons that are necessary to cause movement properly.
Knee pain symptoms:
Knee pain may be due to an injury (such as a ligament tear or cartilage tear) or other medical conditions such as arthritis and gout to cause knee pain.
The place and severity of knee pain varies with the cause. Signs and symptoms that sometimes accompany knee pain include:
Swelling and stiffness.
Swelling, redness and warmth of the knee.
Weakness and instability of the knee.
Pop sounds.
Inability to fully straighten the knee.
Difficulty bending the knee.
bruising;
Recovery period from knee injuries:
Recovery time for a knee injury depends on the type and severity of the injury. If the injury is large enough to require surgery and/or physical therapy, the recovery time will be longer.
Minor strains or sprains last for one to two weeks. Injuries that require laparoscopic surgery take one to three months to heal. Major surgical injuries to the knee may take up to a year to recover.
Chronic knee injuries that do not require surgery may appear from time to time. Physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and cortisone injections are used to provide temporary relief.
Physical therapy can also speed up recovery time. Therefore, it’s important to follow your therapist’s directions to make sure you’re doing the exercises correctly for best results by following your doctor’s instructions for resting, immobilizing, off your feet, and avoiding exercises that aggravate injuries.
Causes of knee pain:
A knee injury may affect any of the ligaments, tendons, or fluid surrounding the knee joint as well as the bones, cartilage and ligaments that make up the joint itself. The most common causes of knee pain include:
1 – stress
When the tendons or muscles surrounding the knee are stretched, usually due to excessive flexion or hyperextension of the knee, the knee twists, causing pain outside the knee joint and an imbalance in the normal range of motion of the knee.
2 – torsion
A knee sprain is an injury to the ligaments that hold the knee together. They are firm bundles of fibrous tissue that connect the bones of the upper and lower leg at the knee joint. The anterior cruciate ligament and the posterior cruciate ligament stabilize the knee in front-to-back motion and cross in the middle of the knee joint, and the medial collateral ligament and lateral collateral ligament stabilize the knee so that the bones do not slide from side to side.
Degrees of torsion:
Ligament sprains are categorized by how much the ligament fibers are stretched or torn and how much instability they cause:
1 – first degree sprain: the ligament is stretched causing pain, but the fibers are not torn and the knee is stable. The fibers are a little stretched, causing a torsion of the ligament.
2 – Grade II sprain: The ligament fibers are partially torn with mild instability of the knee resulting in more pain and joint restriction with additional bruising and swelling.
Grade 3 sprain: The ligament fibers are completely torn and the knee is unstable, causing severe pain with severe bruising and swelling in and around the knee.
Types of knee ligaments:
The anterior cruciate ligament is the most commonly injured ligament in the knee. The thigh bone connects to the shin bone, and injury to it is one of the causes of knee pain from the back.
Posterior cruciate ligament: connects the femur and shin bone in the knee, and its injury causes knee pain from the back.
Lateral collateral ligament: It connects the femur to the fibula, which is the smallest bone in the lower leg on the outside of the knee. His injury is one of the causes of side knee injuries.
Medial collateral ligament: It connects the thigh bone to the shin bone on the inside of the knee, and its injury is one of the causes of knee pain from the inner side.
joint dislocation
Knee dislocation occurs when the femur is misaligned with the shin bone at the knee joint in the event of leg trauma in falls, sports injuries, and motor vehicle accidents.
The risk of knee dislocation is rare but serious. A dislocation can damage many important ligaments, blood vessels, and nerves, threatening the stability of the entire leg.
knee fractures
Knee bones can fracture, during a direct fall or car accident. People whose bones have been weakened by osteoporosis can also sometimes fracture a knee simply by mistakenly stepping.
torn cartilage
The cartilage in the knee can be severely injured or can gradually rupture due to chronic inflammation or arthritis. Pain and swelling occur gradually over several hours, and chronic pain develops over time with the following symptoms:
intermittent swelling;
Pain with walking.
The knee gives way, which leads to an imminent fall.
Squatting is painful.
knee tendon rupture
It is especially prevalent in middle-aged people who run or participate in jumping sports and other activities. Falling from a jump incorrectly is a common method of tendon injury. Falls can also cause the tendon to stretch due to the direct force of the front of the knee.
Factors causing knee injuries:
Several factors can increase your risk of developing knee problems, including:
1 – Excess weight: Being overweight or obese increases pressure on the knee joints, even during normal activities such as walking or going up and down stairs. In addition to the increased risk of osteoporosis by accelerating the breakdown of joint cartilage.
2- Lack of muscle flexibility or strength: A lack of strength and flexibility increases the risk of knee injuries. Strong muscles help stabilize and protect joints and flexible muscles achieve a full range of motion.
3- Doing sports or certain occupations: Some sports put more pressure on your knees than others. Jobs that require repetitive stress on the knees, such as construction or planting, also increase the risk of knee injuries.
4 – Previous injury: Exposure to a previous injury to the knee increases the possibility of injury to the knee again.
Knee pain treatment:
natural therapy
Physical therapy will include a program of several weeks of specific exercises to restore function of the knee joint and the exercises will strengthen the muscles around the joint. Knee injuries that involve certain tendons and ligaments can be treated with physical therapy and the use of a brace to help keep the knee stable during recovery.
surgery
In some cases, a patient may need surgery to treat a knee injury to restore full function when physical therapy and other methods have not worked. Some injuries cannot heal on their own, such as a complete ligament tear and will need to be operated on.
Besides this, the following suggestions may help avoid injuries and joint deterioration:
Lose excess weight: Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best things you can do for your knees. Excess weight increases the risk of injuries and arthritis.
Go to the gym: Weak muscles are the main cause of knee injuries. You’ll benefit from building the quadriceps and hamstrings, the muscles in the front and back of your thighs that help support your knees. Balance and stability training helps the muscles around your knees work together more effectively.
Choosing the right type of exercise: If you have osteoarthritis, chronic knee pain or recurring injuries, you may need to change how you exercise by switching to swimming, water aerobics or other low-impact activities. Sometimes simply limiting high-impact activities provides relief. (