Module 13

EEPPEECC

American Osteopathic AssociationAOA: Treating Our Family and Yours

Osteopathic EPECOsteopathic EPEC Education for Osteopathic Physicians on End-of-Life Care

Based on The EPEC Project, created by the American Medical Association and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Adapted by the

American Osteopathic Association for educational use.


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Module 13:

Osteopathic ManipulativeTechnique

in End-of-Life Care

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OMT Applications at End of Life

• Generalized pain and disability • cancer, metastasis• heart disease,stroke, COPD, neuropathy • neurodegenerative conditions/failure to

thrive: e.g., Alzheimer or Vascular Dementia and

Parkinson Disease– impair mobility– cause musculoskeletal dysfunction

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Goal of OMT: Normalization

• The body is:– Being assaulted by disease– Suffering medication side effects– Going through a closing down process

• The mind• The spirit

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Psychosocial and Spiritual Issues Near the End of Life

– Depression• Anything that can

be addressed?– Family Issues

• Relationship resolution

– Personal Issues• Context and

meaning of one’s life

• Personal faith– Hope

• The patient• The family

Talking with a non-family member may assist in eliminating past emotional baggage and barriers

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Compassionate Touch = OMT

Addresses emotionsbiomechanicallyalters physiology

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Compassionate Touch = OMT

• Compassionate touch has its own healing quality

• People’s emotional barriers often soften when compassionate touch is involved

• OMT is designed to biomechanically alter physiology

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MIND / BODY/ SPIRIT

• Set goals: curative versus palliative• Body

– assaulted by disease– suffering from medical side effects– going through closing down process

i.e., end-of-life phase ?

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Body/mind/spirit approach Principles• Select your goal

– Extension of life– Quality of life (Palliation)

• Diagnosis:– Cause as little pain as possible

• Treatment:– First, do no harm– Treat one problem– Allow the body to adjust

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OMT

Treat one body partAllow body to adjust

Re-assessRe-treat

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Treatment Type Decisions

• Global disease– Area of greatest

restriction (AGR)– Best method when

problem is complex, e.g., chronic LBP– Best demonstrates OMM– Best for hardest cases

• Local disease– Treat the local

somatic dysfunction– Commonly works!

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Two Approaches• Global diagnosis

– Sequencing area of treatment by area of greatest restriction (AGR)

– Best method when the problem is complex• E.g., chronic low back pain

– Best demonstrates osteopathic theory and philosophy– Best for hardest cases

• Local diagnosis– Easier method when you know the problem is local

• E.g., sprained ankle– Most commonly used– Does not completely demonstrate osteopathic theory

and philosophy– Often works

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Two Approaches•Which to choose? Dependent on:

•Time•What the real problem is•Your level of mastery•Where the patient is in the end of life process

•Why you need both of these skills•Global probably has the highest success rate•Local approach can be done in less time to address specific problems

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Global Approach• Examine the body for the area of

greatest restriction (AGR)• Treat the AGR• Reexamine other areas of restriction to

see if they have changed (or start the whole process over)• Treat successive areas of

greatest restriction (AGRs)

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Q: Why go global?A: Chasing pain often leads to

failure

Consider the case of two people carrying a heavy load; one drops most of his load. Which one complains the most?

THINK: The painful SI joint is frequently on the side opposite the pain.

(Analogy for the classic presentation of sacroiliac joint dysfunction. That is, the side exhibiting most pain is often the side opposite the dysfunction!)

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Global Diagnostic Principle

• The AGR may be and frequently is in a different body region than the site of the chief complaint.

• In those cases, the area of pain is where the body is compensating, not where the problem is originating.

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The body is a unit…

. . . with forces distributed through a

tensegrity system

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Global Treatment Principle

• Sequence is vital…

• You have the right numbers…

• But having the right numbers won’t always open the lock!

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Distant dysfunction mechanisms manifesting as

low back pain• Cranium

– Dural attachments• Neck

– Fascia and muscle attachments, innervation of superficial low back muscles• Thoracic and ribs

– Fascia and muscle attachments, abdominal muscles, diaphragm• Upper extremity

– Scapular and latissimus dorsi attachments• Lumbars

– Local problem• Pelvis and sacrum

– Local problem• Lower extremity

– Fascial and muscle attachments to ilia and sacrum

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Examination for AGR• Based on the third principle of physiologic spinal motion

– When motion is induced in one plane, movement in the other two planes is decreased.

• We will induce motion in one plane– This will restrict motion into the other two planes

• Then we will induce motion into the other two plane

• If you induce motion into a second plane, it also restricts motion in the other two planes– This will achieve what is called a physiologic lock.– A normal joint will still have joint play, a small ability to

move.– A restricted joint will not have the ability to spring.

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Problem-based Local Approach

Based on the knowledge that certain problems have local solutions

• You can always go back to the global approach

• Weakness: forming the habit of relying only on the local approach– The local approach is more reductionist, and

therefore doesn’t always treat the cause of the problem

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Local approach• Focused exam on a problem region and it’s

autonomic connections• Analyze:

– is there a biomechanical problem?– is there a problem with fluid flow? – are there autonomic imbalances that you can treat to

improve the patient’s condition?

• Choose: – a model of diagnosis and treatment to treat, depending

on the condition of the patient– Counterstrain - Still– MFR - Muscle Energy– HVLA

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Model of Dx and Tx

• Depends upon the patient!• Options for frail and/or elderly:

– Counterstrain– Myofascial release technique (MFR)– Craniosacral technique (Still)– Muscle energy technique

• requires patient effort

– High velocity low intensity - HVLA • VERY cautiously, rarely best

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Common problems at the End of Life

• Pain• Dyspnea, secretions• Disorders of the CNS

• Gastrointestinal symptoms

• Fluid retention• Disorders of skin and

mucous membranes

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Dyspnea

• Thoracic-sympathetic connection: improve cardio-vascular and respiratory systems – Upper thoracics normalization: indirect MFR

• Musculoskeletal system– Coughing, loss of muscle mass– Rib dysfunction– Mechanical structures– Diaphragm

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Dyspnea Treatment• Cervical treatment

– OA decompression– C 3/4/5: Phrenic nerve– OA, AA: Vagus

• Rib dysfunction• Diaphragm

– Doming it– Indirect treatment

• Thoracic sympathetic connection

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Dyspnea

• Autonomics• Cervical Treatment: OA decompression

– C 3/4/5 – phrenic nerve– OA, AA – vagus nerve– Ligamentum nuchae – MFR – Suboccipital release: slight

compression/traction; let gravity do the work

– CV- VI: “reset” button for autonomics

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Ligamentum Nuchae Regional Technique

A useful technique for balancing more than two segments, or to address the general connective tissue for the posterior neck.

3. Sit at the head of your supine patient.4. Cradle the patient’s occiput in the palm of one hand.5. Use your other hand to grasp the posterior neck. Your

thenar/hypothenar eminences are on one side, your fingerpads at the contralateral articular pillars.

6. Use motion testing to determine and place the patient in the position of ease, as determined by decreased tissue tension, for the connective tissue: F/E, S, and R

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Ligamentum Nuchae Regional Technique

1. You may use the following activating forces:

Respiratory cooperation

Release enhancing maneuvers

Slight compression, traction, or torque

2. Follow the changing tissue tension in the direction of its relaxation, taking the tissue toward the decreased tension.

3. When the tissue stops relaxing, slowly return the patient to neutral

4. Retest for resolution of TART criteria for somatic dysfunction.

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Ligamentum Nuchae

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Suboccipital Release• Sit at the head of your supine patient• Place your finger pads against the inferior occiput so

that your fingertips are approximately at the atlas. • Your palms are underneath the occiput, but it is

initially suspended above them.• Allow the weight of the patient’s head to create the

release• Enhance the release with use of traction, compression,

or by initiating micro-motion and following the progressive tissue relaxation as it occurs

• The occiput gently settles into your palms as the release occurs.

• Retest the area for TART resolution.

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C3-7 Segmental Technique• Sit at the head of your supine patient.• Diagnose the key dysfunction (e.g., C4 ESRRR).• Contact the articular pillars of the dysfunctional

segment with the pads of your long fingers.• Induce F/E, then S, then R to match the direction in

which the vertebra is already drawn by the tissue (go indirect). Use translation to achieve sidebending.

• To enhance the release, you may use activating forces.

• Continue until the desired tissue response is obtained, then slowly return to neutral

• Retest for TART resolution.

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C3-7 Segmental Technique

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Segmental Release

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Gastrointestinal problems• N/V, diarrhea, ileus cause autonomic

effects; attempt to “damp down” • General Treatment

– upper thoracics– vagus nerve (OA, AA)– T 5-9

• Diarrhea and constipation– Thoracic and lumbar – sympathetics– Sacral – autonomics– Abdominal treatment

• Nausea caused by CMTRZ will require meds

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Gastrointestinal Problems Treatments

• Occipitomastoid decompression• Vagus Nerve OA, AA• Thoracic and Lumbar sympathetic connections• Sacral autonomic connections• Abdominal treatment

– Inhibition– Facilitation

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General Autonomic Reset

• CV IV

• Lumbosacral decompression

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Extremities

• Evaluation of limitation of motion – Flexion– Extension– Adduction– Abduction– Rotation

• Shoulders: bursitis, adhesive capsulitis, or disuse syndromes.

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Edema fluid

• Lymphatic Pump– Can be done easily at the bedside

• Mobilization of the patient– To the extent possible– May actually help reduce overall pain

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Additional Principles• Give patients hope

– But not false promises

• Help them to have a sense of at least some control over their pain

• If you’re using the global osteopathic approach:– Explain to patients why you may not treat the area of

greatest complaint– Do at least something with the area of greatest

complaint

• A number of patients do not wish to take more medicine, but they do want to feel better– Some have difficulty tolerating medication– You may have to talk them into more medication

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The Last Days: The Actively Dying Patient

• Pain is addressed by medication

• Some pain is poorly addressed by medication– Rib pain with inspiration

• General autonomic treatment

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Module 13

Health & Medicine

Transcript of Module 13