“The Doctor of the future will give no medication but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”
- Thomas A. Edison (1847-1931)
An osteopractor is a physical therapist who has completed an evidence-based, post-graduate training program in the use of spinal and high-velocity low-amplitude thrust manipulation, dry needling, instrument-assisted manual therapies, and differential diagnostics for the management of neuromusculoskeletal conditions.
Osteopractic physical therapy is an approach to care, a sub-specialty within physical therapy, and more accurately describes the kind of physical therapy services.
Osteopractic sub-specialty can alleviate neck pain, low back pain, headaches, tennis elbow, heel pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, knee osteoarthritis, plantar fasciitis, shoulder impingement, or joint pain etc. This is an advanced post-graduate qualification to treat neuromusculoskeletal conditions.
The term osteopractor has nothing to do with the chiropractic or osteopathic professions. Osteopractic technique is firmly focused on the management of neuromusculoskeletal disorders in an evidence-based fashion, not the treatment of other organ systems.
Spinal manipulation and dry needling are shared procedures between many healthcare professions (i.e. no one profession owns these procedures, e.g. 2012 Supreme Court Ruling: Alabama State Board of Chiropractic vs. James Dunning); however, the philosophy, the clinical reasoning, and the conditions treated with these procedures dramatically differs between professions.
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Dry Needling
Dry needling is a treatment performed that utilizes a thin monofilament needle penetrating the skin and to treat underlying neural, musculoskeletal, movement impairments.
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Spinal Manipulative Therapy
Spinal manipulative therapy is a high-velocity low amplitude thrust technique designed to relieve pressure on joints, reduce inflammation, and improve nerve function. It is often used to treat back, neck, shoulder, and headache pain.
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Graston Technique Specialist
The Graston Technique is a form of manual therapy known as soft-tissue instrument-assisted mobilization. Proper certification and testing is required to be considered a Graston Technique Specialist.
