During an osteopathic assessment, it is not just the “painful spot” that is examined. The doctor assesses the body in a standing position, identifies asymmetry in the shoulders, pelvis and spine, determines where and how the curvature arose, and detects the points where the body is compensating. The patient is then asked to lie down, and the cause that was found is worked on.
1Real-life example: knee pain originating from the pelvis
Our patient thought they simply had a knee problem. But during the examination we saw that the problem was coming from the pelvis. Sitting for hours “locks” the pelvis, makes the spine passive and weakens the muscles. As a result, the pain shows up somewhere else: in the knee, the ankle, the elbow, the neck.
2Real-life example: shoulder pain originating from the neck
Our patient came to us with a complaint of shoulder pain. Although at first glance the problem appeared to be in the shoulder, during the osteopathic examination we found that the real cause lay in the cervical vertebrae. The pain arose because tension in the cervical vertebrae was being referred to the shoulder.