Osteopathic Manipulation Treatment

Koru Health is now offering Osteopathic Manipulation Treatment for non- members. A preference will be given for infants, children, and pregnant mothers. Dr. Nikki Myhre uses her osteopathic training to improve the health and well-being of infants and toddlers.

What is Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment?

From the American Osteopathic Association website:

“Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, or OMT, is a set of hands-on techniques used by osteopathic physicians (DOs) to diagnose, treat, and prevent illness or injury. Using OMT, a DO moves a patient’s muscles and joints using techniques that include stretching, gentle pressure and resistance.

As part of their education, DOs receive special training in the musculoskeletal system, the body’s intricate system of muscles, nerves and bones. This advanced training provides DOs with a keen understanding of how the body’s systems are interconnected and how each one affects the others.”

Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine specialize in treating the body systems as one unit and use different techniques to aid the body in healing and functioning optimally. OMT is especially effective for pediatric patients.

OMT for Infants and Toddlers

Osteopathic Manipulation Treatment can treat a wide range of pediatric conditions. Treatments focus on balancing and supporting your child’s nervous and musculoskeletal systems. The neuromuscular system plays a key role in keeping the rest of your baby’s body systems in balance. Abnormalities, changes, or dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system can have a profound influence on other organs and systems of your child’s body. Gentle, precise Cranial Osteopathy can release strain related to the small space in the uterus during the third trimester, as well as strain from the birth process.

Infant conditions that can benefit from OMT and Cranial Osteopathy

Tongue Tie
Head Shape Concerns
Colic
Reflux
Constipation
Breastfeeding problems

Pediatric conditions that can benefit from Osteopathic Manipulation Treatment

Injuries
Sinus problems
Balance issues
Sleep problems
Abdominal Pain
Headaches
Allergies
Ear Infections
Constipation
Scoliosis
TMJ

What to expect from treatment

At your first visit, Dr. Myhre will listen to the infant/child’s history and perform a physical exam. Then she will begin treatment. Techniques are gentle.

Following the treatment session, you may receive instructions, such as giving your child plenty of fluids, or Dr. Myhre may prescribe stretches or exercises to perform at home. Your infant could be more fussy, or your child may report some soreness for the first 24-48 hours. This depends on the child.

Helping your child to thrive

Even if your child or infant isn’t experiencing illness or a health problem at the present time, they can still benefit from OMT. Supportive therapy with osteopathic manipulative treatments can help with your child’s growth and development as well. OMT can support your toddler’s muscles and coordination as your child learns to walk. It can also ease teething pain or the growing pains that can occur during growth spurts.

Benefits of OMT for Adults

OMT can help people of all ages and backgrounds. The treatment can be used to ease pain, promote healing and increase overall mobility. Although often used to treat muscle pain, the treatment can also help patients with a number of other health problems such as:

Chronic and Acute back pain
Arthritis due to being “out of alignment”
Asthma
Sinus disorders
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Migraines
Menstrual pain
Adhesion related abdominal pain
Abdominal pain from referred back pain.

Through OMT, physicians manually apply a specific amount of pressure to different regions in the body. These techniques can help:

Treat structural and tissue abnormalities
Relieve joint restriction and misalignment
Restore muscle and tissue balance
Promote the overall movement of blood flow throughout the body

When appropriate, OMT can complement, and even replace, drugs or surgery. In this way, DOs bring an important dimension to standard medical care.

*The effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment vary by patient and condition. Koru Health/Dr. Myhre does not guarantee certain results.

Fee Schedule

Initial Infants/Kids/ Pregnant moms and 6 month postpartum (other adults only accepted if scheduling allows).

Initial: $275 (this includes reviewing history, imaging, etc) * discounts available for Medicaid patients*

Follow up: $135

Please download and sign a Patient Agreement and bring to your first appointment.

*If a primary care doctor suggests the services of an osteopath to treat a medical condition, the fees charged by this professional are eligible for reimbursement with consumer-directed healthcare accounts like FSAs, HSAs and HRAs. Just ask for an invoice from Dr. Myhre.

*A super-bill can be provided to submit to your insurance for all insurances except Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, and TriWest. If you have Medicare with a supplement, the superbill will go to your supplement after being denied by Medicare. Ask for a super-bill at the time of your appointment. The practice does not guarantee reimbursement by your insurance.

*Payment is due at the time of your appointment.

When every part of the machine is correctly adjusted and in perfect harmony, health will hold dominion over the human organism by laws as natural and immutable as the laws of gravity.

— A. T. Still MD, DO,

*Adults can call to inquire about availability.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What age can you start treatment?

Treatment can be done at any age. One of the best and most important times for treatment is for the newborn.

How often should I come for treatment?

In general I recommend that everyone have one treatment yearly or every six months. Life causes a lot of physical strain in our bodies and I believe treatment can release some of these significant strains and assist in the prevention of disease. For patients coming with a specific complaint the best interval for the initial several treatments is usually weekly or biweekly. After that it really depends on the individual. Recommendations vary from continued weekly/biweekly treatments in acute or difficult cases to monthly or bimonthly treatment until adequate improvement has occurred.

How many treatments will I need?

The number of treatments varies from 2 or 3 to 6 or more. It depends upon the severity of the problem, its duration, and the body’s own response to treatment. Difficult, chronic problems may require long term treatment. Most infants and young children can be treated in 2-3 appointments. More chronic problems can potentially take longer. Osteopathic Manipulation Treatment helps the body heal itself. So the goal is for you to improve. Dr. Myhre can also teach you ways to manage your condition on your own once your alignment has improved.

What should I wear?

It is important to wear a smooth top and loose or stretchy pants. Avoid jeans or thick tight fitting pants. No skirts or dresses. Babies can wear their normal clothes.

Does treatment hurt?

Treatment itself is quite gentle. Dr. Myhre does not typically do any high velocity techniques, which are the “popping and cracking,” you often get at the chiropractor’s office. Some people do report soreness/tenderness during the treatment. Patients sometimes have discomfort in the first 24-48 hours after a visit as they process the treatment.

How long will it take to feel improvement?

This response varies from patient to patient. In general more recent, simple problems respond more quickly than chronic, complicated problems. Cranial Osteopathy and Osteopathic Manipulation Treatment is usually not a quick fix for difficult issues. Some conditions like chronic back problems or fibromyalgia require maintenance treatments. I generally recommend people with chronic conditions to try 3 treatments before they decide if the treatments are making a large impact. Our body’s can be like “onions” and we need to un-peel/unwind the layers of trauma that can happen over the years. This is why it is good to get treatment starting in childhood and as soon as an injury occurs.

Do you do Craniosacral therapy?

Osteopaths can take special courses in Cranial Osteopathy. Oftentimes the term Craniosacral therapy is informally used when referring to Cranial Osteopathy, because it is a handy, descriptive term.

What is the difference between Craniosacral Therapy and Cranial Osteopathy?

Cranial Osteopathy is grounded in structural treatment of the whole person. Cranial Osteopathy involves treatment of the cranium, the sacrum and everything in between on both a structural level and a fluid level. It is grounded in the study of Osteopathic Medicine. To become an osteopath, a person must obtain an undergraduate degree and fulfillment of premedical school requirements, plus four years of medical school, and usually at least three additional years of full-time residency training. During this training and while in practice, specialization can be obtained in Cranial Osteopathy.

Cranial Osteopathy is a very subtle and gentle approach to the treatment of the whole body (not just the head as the name implies). Cranial Osteopathy examines the complex structure of the head in detail and its considerable influence on the health of the whole body via its connection to the spine. This is an expansion of the general principles of osteopathy, that includes a special understanding of the central nervous system and the surrounding cerebrospinal fluid, the connective tissue covering (dura mater), and a mechanism called “primary respiration”. Those who wish to practice Cranial Osteopathy train intensively through post-graduate studies and with other experienced osteopaths.

By restoring balance to the body through cranial osteopathy, your body will function optimally and bring health to the whole person, including your nervous, endocrine and immune systems.

Craniosacral therapy addresses movement of fluid and energy at the cranium and sacrum and sometimes through the body. It came out of Cranial Osteopathy and is a simplified approach to a complicated system. Craniosacral therapy is done by a large variety of practitioners with varying amounts of education and experience. Since Craniosacral is taught to practitioners without full medical training, and without comprehensive structural training it tends to be less helpful in addressing the underlying cause of medical conditions. While Craniosacral therapists are able to help many patients, it is important to understand the limitations of this discipline. Particular care should be taken when selecting a practitioner for infants or children whose systems are less fully developed.

Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D., a pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, describes Cranial Osteopathy on his website.

Is your treatment similar to Chiropractic?

Chiropractic work traditionally uses quick thrusts to address poor alignment of the vertebrae. Osteopathic treatment does treat the vertebrae specifically. Instead of a quick thrust I usually balance the vertebra along with its surrounding muscles, fascia and ligaments. This releases the entire pattern rather than just the joint. Another important difference is that Osteopathic Medicine is more holistic. Chiropractic generally focuses on releasing nerves that are impinged at the level of the spine. Nerve impingement is very important with Osteopathic Medicine but we also release restrictions throughout the body including large patterns of restriction in the fascia, local muscular restrictions, restrictions in the blood flow and cerebrospinal fluid, and restrictions within the membranes and bones of the cranium.

Is Osteopathy similar to acupressure?

No, acupressure is based on the Chinese model of meridians and pressure is applied to points along these meridians. Osteopathy is based on the Western understanding of anatomy and physiology: specific bones, ligaments, muscles, nerves and blood vessels.