4 Osteopathic Assessment Tricks

8 Feb 2023

During osteopathic treatments, the Osteopathic Manual Practitioner will always do an osteopathic assessment to help determine what your unique body is needing that day. Sometimes patients wonder what it is their body is needing when they are experiencing pain or discomfort. There are a few body assessment skills that you can do at home to help point you in the right direction. Some of these can be done by yourself and others can be done with another persons help. With a mirror or cell phone, you can use all of these skills on yourself but is it easier with the help of another. These tricks will help to see if your body needs some adjustments whether muscular, skeletal or other. This might need a professional or sometimes, you might just need to stretch. Here are 4 self help assessment tricks to try!

Before I start, if you have any serious concerns about your body, please consult your doctor and other members of your health team.

4 safe ‘tricks of the trade’ that you can notice with your partner, family member or friends

Trick 1

• With your partner or by yourself, stand in front of a mirror. Look to see if your head or body is tilted from your midline. An alternative easy way to notice any tilting is to get a string/thread with a small weight of any kind at the bottom. It could be a coin at the bottom of a sewing thread. Use your imagination. Tape the top(ish) part of that thread to the mirror so you can see that top part anywhere above your head when you look into the mirror. The longer the better. If your floor is level, then you can stand a few feet back and look to see if the bottom of the thread looks like it is equally between your legs in your reflection.
  
  
• Once set up, face the mirror, close your eyes, take a deep breath in and out, relax your body and open your eyes.
  
  
• Does the thread equally split your mirror image in half? Is your nose too far over on one side of the thread? No one is perfect but if you do this a couple times a month, or after an activity that left you uncomfortable, you can compare how you normally are with how you are after such activity.
  
  

Trick 2

• Stand in front of or behind your partner. Look at the shoulders.
  
  
• Put a finger from each hand on the top part of each shoulder and compare heights. Is one remarkably higher/lower than the other? Is one shoulder more forward or backward compared to the other?
  
  

Trick 3

• Stand behind your partner and put your fingers lightly on the ribs. The ends of fingers can rest on the ribs just inside your partner’s arms.
  
  
• Have them take a deep breath in and out and let your fingers move with their bones.
  
  
• With practice, you can notice if both sides move up equally or if one side seems stuck up or stuck down.
  
  
• There are many factors that can cause this. Your partner can stretch gently and see if this improves that rib motion. Check again and see if that helped.
  
  

Trick 4

• Stand behind your partner and put your fingers on both hip bones. This is your iliac crest.
  
  
• You can always check the internet to help you visualize what you are feeling and seeing.
  
  
• Look at where your fingers are and if one is higher than the other, you can notice what parts of your body feel tight and do some gentle stretching.
  
  
• Re-check after your stretch and see if they are better.
  
  

What’s next?

With all these quick osteopathic assessment tips, you do not have to understand the dynamics of all the how and whys. If your body is uncomfortable, these are a few tips to confirm that your body may need some attention.  These assessment tips can be a source of information to tell you when to take care of yourself. No one is perfectly symmetrical but if you know how you normally are, and you notice a change in your body, you may be able to help yourself. 

Passive stretching, hot showers with light shoulder shrugs or hot baths with epsom salts can help relieve tension. Recheck your body or your partner’s body when you are done to see if the body both feels better and is standing better/straighter/more symmetrical. Play with these tips and remember, as you are learning more about your body, you don’t need to specialize training.

Conclusion

If you are stuck on what to do or how to proceed, please seek attention from a trained professional, like an Osteopath.

I am currently taking new patients at Natural Choice Medical Clinic in Guelph. You can book an appointment with me by clicking here.

Stewart Hope, DOMP, Manual Osteopath