Osteopathic medicine is a kind of medicinal practice in which the entire body is taken into consideration instead of looking at symptoms separately. This type of medicine is very "in" right now, especially for those who suffer from pain in their muscles and joints. A lot of people believe that an osteopath is your best option when you suffer from neck pain. Obviously, if this is your first visit to an osteopath, you are probably nervous, but you can relax. Here is what you can expect to experience when you treat neck pain with an osteopath:

The first part of your visit will be an exam that feels more like a visit to a "traditional" doctor. You'll most likely give your complete medical history and also receive a physical examination. In many cases, your osteopath might order extra tests to help narrow down exactly why your neck is in pain. You might have an X-Ray taken to see if there is any physical damage to the vertebrae in your neck, but don't be surprised if your osteopath pays attention to other parts of your body as well!

You should know that your visit to an osteopath will involve quite a bit of touching. Osteopathic medicine is "hands on" medicine.

Your Osteopath might use any of the following methods to treat your neck pain:

Counterstrain technique: Your osteopath puts you into a position that is designed to restore movement to muscles that might be currently restrained or strained.

Muscle Energy technique: Your osteopath gives you exercises that will start with your muscles in precise positions and follow with you moving those muscles in precise movements.

Soft Tissue technique: this technique involves your osteopath putting pressure on the muscles that are near and around your spine. Sometimes the pressure is deep, other times it involves traction or rhythmic stretching.

Thrust technique: In the thrust technique your osteopath will reintroduce movement to your joints with high velocity force. This should help rid you of any asymmetry in your muscles, any movement that has been restricted and any tissue changes or muscle tenderness.

In some cases, osteopaths will also use low level lasers or acupuncture to treat their patients.

An osteopathic visit might sound scary, but there is no reason to be frightened. Most people who visit an osteopath don't experience any pain. Most of the time osteopathic visits have been reported to be pleasant and relaxing!

A number of people often confuse osteopaths with chiropractors, but it is important to understand that the two professionals, while seemingly similar, are actually quite