Abstract

Discrimination, whether by conscious or unconscious means, can have significant and often long-lasting negative consequences on the afflicted group or individual. The osteopathic culture and field of medical practice has long fought for equal rights and recognition among their allopathic medical peers. Almost 90 years have passed since Congress, in 1929, declared allopathic and osteopathic medical degrees equivalent. Despite this, key resources and positions within the medical and research profession continue to be inequitable for the osteopathic community. There exists a severe paucity of osteopathic involvement at the National Institutes of Health today and throughout its history. Herein, the historic and current unequal representation of the osteopathic culture from the National Institutes of Health and MEDLINE is investigated.

Abstract

Abstract

Neck pain with associated upper limb symptomatology presents commonly in primary care, musculoskeletal specialty, and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) clinics. Thorough evaluation to determine the presence of red flags prior to providing treatment is a prerequisite for OMM providers.

In the present case report, a 48-year-old right-hand-dominant woman with chronic neck pain and weakness in the left arm was found to have cervical myelopathy due to intramedullary ependymoma. Urgent surgical consultation facilitated appropriate spinal decompression followed by in-patient rehabilitation.

To the author’s knowledge, this is the first case reported involving the use of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in the sub-acute rehabilitation phase following spinal cord tumor surgical decompression.