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The Clearfield Leg Lever – An Innovative OMT Technique!

By Daniel Clearfield, DO, MS, FAOASM | May 19, 2022 | Teaching, OMM / Osteopathy | Tagged: osteopathic, OMT, omm, osteopathic manipulative treatment, osteopathic manipulation, back pain, low back pain | 0 Comments

Back pain is the 3^rd most common cause why people go to see the doctor, and thoracolumbar somatic dysfunctions are a common cause of low and upper back pain and muscle spasms in adults. It is important for a physician to know the best treatment for a patient with such problems, and OMT (Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment) can be a successful treatment in most cases.

There have been many osteopathic techniques to address some of the issues in the thoracolumbar area, but some of these techniques have their downsides. Some have difficulty getting leverage and/or enough pressure on the affected area, others can cause fatigue to the physician performing the technique. While completing my OMM Fellowship I came up with this leg lever technique to create ease in performing OMT to these areas.

This technique does not require a lot of strenuous activity from the performing doctor, is able to put a good amount of force in the hard to reach affected thoracolumbar areas, and can be employed in different OMT modalities such as soft tissue, muscle energy, myofascial release, HVLA (thrusting), LVMA (springing), balanced ligamentous tension, and ligamentous articular strain.