We’ve all had that moment when we wake up to realize we’ve slept in an awkward position and now your neck, shoulder, back or hips are sore. Or perhaps you stood up quickly and felt a pulling sensation in your low back. Maybe you’ve been reading a good book for a while and your neck and upper back are sore after you finished. Back and neck pain are two of the most common concerns patients present to their family physician with. As an osteopathic physician, Dr. Catherine Fusco uses osteopathic manipulative medicine as a first-line treatment to help relieve neuromusculoskeletal pain.
Osteopathic manipulative medicine involves hands-on treatment that addresses the body as a whole, where structure or abnormal structure (injury, for example), are directly related to the body’s functional ability. It uses a combination of techniques to address pain and restricted motion. These techniques involve soft tissue and myofascial release to help relax the tissues around muscles as well as the muscles themselves. High velocity low amplitude techniques re-align bones, and muscle energy techniques help strengthen and stretch the muscles to balance their actions and allow the patient to move freely.
Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is a great first-line treatment for common complaints including headache, neck, and back pain, and pelvic or hip pain. It can also improve symptoms of tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome and plantar fasciitis. OMT is great for patients who want to feel improvement in pain and range of motion, and patients who want to avoid long-term pain medication use, and more invasive treatments. In addition to treatment, it’s important for patients to maintain the improvement they feel at home. Every patient is given a home exercise prescription, in which they are taught how to stretch and strengthen their muscles to maintain the improvement they feel after treatment.
Dr. Fusco sees patients of all ages and is dedicated to providing compassionate care for the whole family. She is board certified in Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (AOBFP) and Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (AOBNMM). She is core faculty at Suburban Family Medicine Residency and teaches OMM at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is also a national faculty member of the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners. She completed her medical education at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2014. Her internship was at Mercy Suburban Hospital in 2015, her residency at Suburban Community Hospital in 2017, and a fellowship at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2018.
Dr. Fusco is currently accepting new patients at Suburban Family Medicine at Norristown on Wednesdays at 2705 Dekalb Pike, Suite 202, East Norriton, PA. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call (610) 275-7240 or visit us online at www.suburbanhosp.org