‘WCSH’ highlights osteopathic manipulation training at UNE after major study released

A recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that spinal manipulation can significantly improve lower back pain.

The findings were not surprising to faculty at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNE COM), where medical students learn manipulation as part of their training to become physicians. WCSH visited the Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) lab at UNE COM to get a firsthand look at the OMM training students receive beginning in their first year of medical school.

It’s training that the scientists who conducted the study say can alleviate pain in patients by 10 percent and provide an alternative to potentially harmful and addictive pharmaceuticals such as opioids.

"Ten percent improvement can be really significant in somebody's life," said Jane Carreiro, D.O., dean of the UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine. "The pain level decreases enough where they can now go and participate in things that are going to recondition them and help them to feel better, such as exercise, going back to work, bending over to pick up their child."

Watch the story from WCSH.