If you’re like most people, you’re not quite sure what a D.O., or Doctor of Osteopathy really is.

You may even think an osteopathic physician is someone to see only when you have a problem with your bones or back.

That’s a common mistake. Actually, D.O.’s are fully trained and licensed to practice all phases of medicine in all 50 states. They are complete doctors who offer their patients something extra.

Osteopathic physicians perform surgery, deliver babies, treat patients and prescribe medicine in hospitals and offices across the country, and in all branches of the armed services. And these D.O. general practitioners, surgeons and other specialists use all the tools of modern medicine to detect and treat disease.

But they also do more. They are specially trained to perform osteopathic manipulation. That’s a technique in which osteopathic physicians use their hands to diagnose illness and treat patients. They pay particular attention to your joints, bones, muscles and nerves. As a result of manipulation, your circulation is often improved. And a normal blood and nerve supply help the body to heal itself.

Osteopathic physicians treat patients in a special way too. They look at the whole person, not just the part that is sick, such as your arm or leg. They are concerned about all of you.

They know what happens in one part of your body affects other parts too. That’s why most D.O.’s are family doctors. They care for the whole person.

So, now you know. D.O.’s are complete doctors who offer their patients something extra and who treat them in a special way.