William Faber, D.O., of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, head of the Milwaukee Pain Clinic states, that osteopathy can help or resolve many problems that previously have failed to respond to medicine and surgery.

   Osteopathy helps patients with spinal and joint conditions, arthritis, allergies, cardiac diseases, breathing dysfunctions, chronic fatigue syndrome, hiatal hernias, high blood pressure, headaches, sciatica, and various other neuritis (inflammation of nerves) disorders.

  Research into the effects of osteopathy on children has produced marked benefits in terms of quicker recovery rates and fewer negative effects from measles and respiratory infections. For these conditions manipulation is used to improve blood circulation, to heighten immune function, and to keep up nerve supply to affected organs and tissues at optimum levels. According to Dr. Chaitow, without a good supply of blood, nutrients cannot be used normally and the defenses of the body are delayed.

The factors which influence the effectiveness of osteopathic treatment: 

• The level of organic disease
• The level of musculoskeletal involvement
• The patient's nutritional status
• The effectiveness of the body's healing mechanisms

 

  Dr. Faber recalls his plumber suffered from locking in his left knee due to a cartilage tear. An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan confirmed the tear and Dr. Faber referred the man to an orthopedic specialist who treated the condition with physical therapy and a cortisone injection. Two months of treatment failed to correct the problem and the plumber returned to Dr. Faber for help. Dr. Faber did a myofascial release (a manipulative treatment) of the muscles and connective tissue around the knee. The results were immediate, with the locking and pain relieved. After a second treatment, the problem was completely resolved.

  Just before the 1980 Moscow Olympics, a world record holder for the 1,500 meters, Sebastian Coe, consulted Terry Moule, D.O., a British osteopath, for a recurrent low back and hip problem that posed a threat to his career. He had been through the entire medical process without success, including conventional orthopedic treatment. Within weeks of beginning osteopathic care from Dr. Moule, Coe was pain free and running faster than ever. A few weeks later he won two gold medals in Moscow. The treatment primarily used the 'neuromuscular technique', an osteopathic soft tissue treatment now widely taught in the United States.

  Often patients with internal organ disease refer to musculoskeletal pain as their primary complaint. For example, an osteopathic physician who treats a patient for pain in the right shoulder would, because of the relationship between the internal organs and the musculoskeletal system, look for reflex pain patterns in the upper thoracic (pertaining to the chest or thorax), lower cervical, and rib regions. In doing so, the physician may find a pain pattern relative to gallbladder disease that would lead to palpating the abdomen and discovering a tender and swollen gallbladder. The osteopathic physician would then treat both the musculoskeletal component of the pain and the gallbladder disease.