Orthopedic Medicine Therapeutics is essentially advanced physical diagnostic skills and contemporary bone-setting. Pain reduction through joint and tissue reduction or mobilization towards a point of comfort and normal anatomy.  The history of Orthopedic Medicine Therapeutics may be found through the study of various medical techniques that have been practiced for centuries by ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Chinese. (13-16, 22, 24)    In Europe, in the 18th and 19th centuries, so called “Bone-setters” were families of skilled practitioners that held close their arts of healing, who then only passed their skills on to younger family members.(13)

One bone-setter, George Mathews Bennett, ? -1913, wrote, The Art of the Bonesetter, (1884) Republished (1981). A descriptive  paper on bone-setting techniques of 1800’s.  He was a British bone-setter whose family had been successfully practicing for over 200 years.  Another account was documented in a series of articles in the Lancet in 1871 by Wharton Hood.

In the late 1800’s, the successes and recognition of bone-setting spawned a takeover by medical practitioners and schools who incorporated much their bone-setting concepts into what has progressed into modern day orthopedic medicine and surgery,  and  osteopathic medicine.  A.T Still the founder of Osteopathy in 1874 launched that school of thought forward into modern times.  One of his early students, D.D. Palmer apparently had a falling out with Dr. Still and departed college early.  He set up a practice in the 1890s that eventually became chiropractic care.  Up until recently, the osteopathic schools had taught a wide variety of terms, techniques and dogma that were difficult to remember, and/or to relate to patients or medical colleagues, as they were not generally applied into simple common anatomical terms.  Generally the osteopathic and chiropractic schools seemed to have tried to complicate their principles of care from the simple anatomical concepts and had been slow to teach other medical providers about their skills they could provide.

During World War II American osteopath physicians and chiropractors were drafted not for medical duties but for general duties as they were not recognized by the military medical establishment.  The American MDs served the forces at every front, but those osteopaths that remained behind assisted the families at the home front and many stayed with their new doctors after the war.

Meanwhile in Britain,  Dr. J.H. Cyriax (1904-1985)  had undertaken a practice and teaching of what he termed ‘orthopedic medicine techniques’  and incorporated western medicine with joint manipulative skills and injections to provide greater holistic medical care.  (22-25)  He has been called the  "Father of Orthopaedic Medicine".  He graduated medical school in 1929, developed his skills then became a consultant in Orthopaedic Medicine,  St. Thomas Hospital London, from 1949 to 1969.  He produced several textbooks.   Textbook of Orthopaedic Medicine volume I and II ; 1947/ Eight edition in 1982;  Osteopathy and Manipulation 1949;  The Slipped Disc 1980;  Cervical Spondylosis 1971;  Manipulation Past and Present 1975; Illustrated Manual of Orthopaedic Medicine 1983

During the Vietnam War the shortage of physicians lead the military medical establishment to recognize osteopathic medicine and brought them into the Medical Corps of all services.  Although in the early days osteopathic physicians performing OMM, osteopathic manipulative medicine, on patients was not universally allowed, but rather had to be condoned by the senior commanding physician of each hospital.

Starting in the mid 1980’s both DO and MD physicians were overtly and covertly training each other,  gaining skills, having success with patients providing OMM/OMT in clinics throughout the services.  MDs in civilian and military settings were learning the essentials of OMM/OMT and obtaining credentials often though arduous courses, and were having good success appreciated by their patients.   In military settings, other providers:  Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Independent Duty Corpsmen, and other advanced medics were able to learn some of these skills, then safely and effectively provide care to their military team members.

Several military physicians undertook the task to train all interested military medical team members physical diagnosis, and orthopedic medicine treatment skills, since military members can be anywhere in the world and become injured.  The only person to assist may be a corpsmen or medic.  If they have some knowledge of these skills that can mean the difference between operational mission success or failure,  and to determine medevac or not… which is not always possible.  One of these physicians, Dr Jorgensen has been a strong advocate that all military medical providers, and those in the Veterans Administration,  should have a basic working knowledge of orthopedic medicine therapeutics.  Since knowledge of those skills can,  and will save a mission, improve mobility, reduce the time of pain and provide better diagnostics through directed physical examination skills.  When and where appropriate therapeutics can be applied to allow an injured service member in the field of battle or clinic, to depart under their own power with less pain and greater mobility.

Dr Jorgensen a Naval line officer, then Medical Service Corp officer attended Des Moines University,  College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery,  as a US Navy scholarship student, graduating in 1990.  He started his medical career as a surgical resident with desires to become a ENT or orthopedic surgeon, and had no intention of attending tens of thousands of patients with nonsurgical musculoskeletal pain disorders, but patients in the military medical system,  just kept coming.   He realized that much of what he had been taught in medical school was very difficult to describe to patients and discuss with both MD and DO colleagues alike.  For everyone, it was easier to discuss clinical anatomy and anatomical findings, and how their pain and symptoms may be reduced through physical mechanical actions by the provider and/or patient to a position of comfort.   Further many of the techniques he had learned in school had limited utility, archaic names and rules, and few that assisted patients consistently.    Having discussions with patients and their maladies, often gave further insight into their therapeutic needs and directed their therapeutic care.   After teaching OMT, osteopathic medicine treatments at several conferences, in early 2000-2001, an MD colleague gave him a 1871 copy of this article from the Lancet,  So-Called “Bone-Setting” Its Nature and Results, by Wharton Hood , and found, “This is what we really do every day!, Bone setting and joint reductions ”.   The American Osteopathic Association had discouraged him from teaching courses to non-osteopaths.  But after reading scores of writings on bone setting from the 1800s and reviewing the history of modern orthopedic medicine, and surgery,  and those of osteopathic medicine and chiropractors,  techniques of bone setting predate all of them.   And yes, the basis of the teachings in this website are from the foundations of bone-setting with several updated techniques.  From those beginnings this discourse in Modern Orthopedic Medicine Therapeutics originated, and hopefully will continue to grown into the contemporary standard of medical care.

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