Our Approaches to Healing
Dr. William Starsiak is an Osteopathic Physician practicing Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM). OMM involves the hands on manipulation of the body to restore structural balance and was developed by pioneer physician A.T. Still in the mid 1800's. Dr. Starsiak's approach to OMM is quite gentle, and never painful. He primarily uses "Osteopathy in the Cranial Field" and Indirect Myofascial Release, but he is trained in all Osteopathic manual techniques (including muscle energy, counterstrain, direct myofascial release, facilitated positional release, high velocity low amplitude technique, articulatory technique, trigger point therapy, soft tissue technique) and uses them when appropriate. For more information on how Dr. Starsiak works, email him here, or call the clinic at 317-410-9978.
Prolotherapy
Prolotherapy harnesses the body's ability to heal itself by attracting and activating the cells that lay down new connective tissue, fibroblasts, to an area of injury / weakness. It has been in use since the early 20th century. This treatment involves injecting either dextrose, whole blood, plasma, or another fibroblast attracting substance into a joint or attachment site of a ligament. There is excellent evidence now for its' usage in TMJ pain / dysfunction, knee arthritis, shoulder arthritis, and ankle instability. A treatment series consists of up to 3 injections (however it may only take 1 to achieve the desired result) with a month between each injection.
Exercise Prescription
Dr. Starsiak creates tailored exercise prescriptions for interested patients. These exercise programs address the individual needs of the patient and sustain the changes accomplished through Osteopathic treatment. Dr. Starsiak personally walks each patient through their exercise prescription to ensure there is no confusion. An exercise prescription session may stand alone, but is more typically added on the end of an Osteopathic Manual Medicine treatment. Once one set of exercises is mastered, new ones are introduced. The end result is that you will have a comprehensive repertoire of exercises that you can use to keep yourself pain free and in optimal balance.
Nutritional Counseling and Herbal Supplementation
Dr. Starsiak regularly employs nutritional interventions to assist his patient's healing. His approach comes from the ancient Indian system of healing, Ayurveda, and current day evidence based research. The pillars of his nutritional approach are to build the digestive capacity, avoid the accumulation of incompletely digested food products, incorporate foods to nourish all body tissue types, build and maintain healthy microflora, eat in accordance with the seasons, and tailor diets to individual patient needs.
Breathwork and Meditation
The jury is in on the benefits of Osteopathy. 3 recent meta-analysis involving 30,000 people demonstrate significant benefits in anxiety, pain, depression, insomnia, emotional intelligence/empathy, and stress. One of the core principles of Osteopathy is that the body, mind, emotions, and spirit are a unified whole. Therefore, improving the balance in one of those aspects will improve balance in the others, making meditation and breathwork squarely within the spirit and practice of Osteopathy. Dr. Starsiak has practiced meditation and breathwork daily since he was 13 years old. Over the years he has collected many different approaches to practicing meditation and working with the breath. That way he can select the approach that will work best for each individual. Furthermore, by practicing both himself he is well situated to help patients navigate the challenges that arise for someone beginning these practices.