treating nonlocal sources of pain

We've been saying for the longest time, treat what you see -- not what you expect to see. That's where all your diagnostic skills come in. That's where years of clinical experience and your exquisite palpation skills come into the fray to save the day.
May we also add, treat the source, not the effects. Treat the cause and any manifestations secondary to that cause will resolve on the spot or in their due time.

Strix


"Indeed, Jody is correct. Yes, Robert treatment of the location of pain is commonplace (in ALL healthcare professions) in what eventually turn out to be areas of projected pain of neuropathic origin.

A commonly neglected example is upper thoracic/scapula region pain projected from lower cervical nerve roots. In many cases, the pain is assumed to have a thoracic tissue origin, and are treated as such.

Another example is tennis or golfers elbow (lateral or medial epicondylalgia) , which often has a neuropathic origin, but is commonly treated as a local tissue 'injury'.

I could go on with examples...

If an answer is FIRST given for the question, 'what is the dominant pain mechanism?', then the treatment is matched to mechanism and the reasoning process to aetiology is facilitated.

David E"

from our yahoo group osteopathyforall