Clinical & Functional Significance of Osteopathic Medicine

Instructional Objectives -- Thoracic Anatomy & Biomechanics

After completing these materials you will:

• Be alerted to conditions in the thoracic spine that may result in a loss of pulmonary function.
• Understand the clinical implications for the patient when pulmonary function is compromised.
• Understand how osteopathic manipulative treatment can help to restore normal pulmonary function.
• Know how to diagnose and treat restriction of the thoracic inlet.
• Know how to diagnose and treat structural and tissue texture abnormalities in the thoracic spine that may result from viscero-somatic reflex activity.
• Be able to describe characteristic motion mechanics at various levels of the thoracic spine.
• Understand how unique morphology of the facets contributes to characteristic motion mechanics at various levels of the thoracic spine.
• Understand how soft tissues contribute to characteristic motion mechanics at various levels of the thoracic spine.
• Know how to perform a basic thoracic screening examination.
• Know how to perform a detailed thoracic scan.
• Know how to diagnose and treat dysfunction in the thoracic spine.