Osteopathic manipulative treatment, or OMT, is a form of gentle hands-on therapy. It involves using the hands to diagnose, treat, and prevent illness or injury. Using OMT, your osteopathic practitioner will move your muscles and joints using techniques including stretching, gentle pressure and resistance. The whole treatment should not be painful at all.
When practicing osteopathic manipulation, some techniques you may come across are:
- Soft tissue: You’ll feel stretching and pressure on your muscles.
- Muscle energy: In this technique, you move your muscles in a specific direction while the practitioner counters that movement. Think push-pull.
- Myofascial release: Your osteopathic practitioner uses firm but gentle pressure to release tension in the fascia, which is the layer of connective tissue that surrounds your bones, muscles, and organs.
- Osteopathic cranial manipulative medicine: The practitioner applies soft pressure to your skull to stimulate healing.
