Ben Greene, D.O., PGY2 MSU OMM Department, thought he wanted to become a physiatrist or physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) doctor even before applying for medical school. He had seen these specialists care for his father who has post-polio atrophy.
While completing his third and fourth year of medical school in Fairbanks, Alaska, he saw the clinical benefits of osteopathic manipulative treatments in patients coming into the clinic with many different musculoskeletal problems. His career path changed, and he matched into the MSU Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) residency program.
Dr. Greene jumped in feet first to gain more knowledge and understanding of how to best use OMM as a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), and in turn help others to better understand OMM. He began seeking out experts and inviting them to talk with him on his podcast – The Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Podcast – to help himself and the world around him learn more about this area of osteopathic medicine.
“I thought since I always enjoyed podcasts, it might be a great opportunity to get to know as many D.O.s as possible who are using OMT (Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment) in their practice on a regular basis to better understand how they practice, what they like and the clinical benefits they see,” Dr. Greene said. “Now that I’m on this path, I want to become the best OMT physician I possibly can. The podcast seemed like a good step in that direction.”
Learning and sharing knowledge is something Dr. Greene has been doing most of his life, so taking this path seemed natural to him. In fact, before starting medical school he had earned a master’s degree in philosophy – he was “trained to be inquisitive,” he said.
Starting with physicians at the MSU OMM clinic, Dr. Greene began his podcast interviews. “As I was speaking with them, I realized what a gem we have at this clinic – the busiest OMT clinic in the world with highly experienced, national and international experts in the field.”
From his initial interviews, he has been introduced to other OMT physicians. He has networked and passed out flyers while at conferences to invites guests to his podcast. And although Dr. Greene said finding guests is the biggest challenge, his guests have been many, including MSUCOM Dean Andrea Amalfitano, D.O., Ph.D.
What he’s found most interesting from his interviews is to see how each individual physician views OMT and how they use it in their practice. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is that our body really has an incredible innate healing capacity, if you treat it well with good quality sleep and good fuel/food,” he said, adding mindful practice and daily exercise also plays into that.
Throughout medical school, Dr. Greene thought of himself as a healer, that he would fix people. However, the more he practices and learns about OMT and working with patients, he has come to understand the body has an incredible intrinsic power to heal itself.
Still in residency, Dr. Greene said he has more to discover. While in the clinic he reads up on the patient’s history, listens to their story and works together with them to better understand the underlying cause of their discomfort.
“Then, it’s like this Sherlock Holmes investigation to determine the underlying cause of why they are in the clinic because once we know what it may be, we can give them tools to correct that,” Dr. Greene said, whether it’s better-quality sleep, cleaner diet, a more upright posture, increasing trunk strength or reestablishing bettering joint mechanics.
He explained, many patients start to see, maybe for the first time, they don’t have to spend the rest of their life in pain. “I think it gives them a sense of empowerment, like they’re taking control over this pain that before was controlling them,” he said, adding OMT is “one of the most conservative approaches to human healthcare and can be so impactful to one’s quality of life.”
OMT is not the right treatment for every patient. But ensuring those who can benefit from OMT and helping others to better understand its benefits, is key to helping many patients, Dr. Greene said. “My end goal with the podcast is to help osteopathic medical students and physicians to see the power and the beauty behind osteopathic philosophy and treatment,” Dr. Greene said.
The weekly Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Podcast is released on Sunday mornings and can be found on several outlets, including Apple podcast and Spotify.