Integrated Osteopathic-Neurologic Examinations With Musculoskeletal Treatment

Abstract

The global burden of neurologic disorders are a leading cause of disability and death worldwide and has increased the demand for treatments and rehabilitation. Our proposed integrated Osteopathic-Neurological Examination (ONE) provides the physician with expanded diagnostic and point of care treatment modalities while allowing the physician to make a more tangible impact in patient care. By incorporating the osteopathic structural somatic examination with the complete neurological evaluation, somatic dysfunction, occurring as a consequence or independent of neurologic injury, can be identified and treated using osteopathic manipulative techniques at time of visit. Utilizing the proposed integrated examination, the physician can determine the interplay between structural and neurological findings to identify patterns of change that coincide with more specific diagnoses and the chronicity of a condition. Tangible benefits from the ONE approach translate to more accurate clinical assessment and enhanced patient and physician satisfaction.