Taxonomy In Osteopathy.

The manner in which dysfunction is classified in osteopathy reflects the profession's understanding of the relationship of structure and function. Although standard medical and surgical terminology is fully used, uniquely osteopathic descriptors are also used. Essentially, much of the terminology describes findings in terms of either restrictions or allowances in range of motion. One approach is based on the work of Harrison Fryette, DO. In 1918, Dr. Fryette first described what he called the “physiologic movement” of the spine.

Guidelines for discriminating different types of dysfunction in the axial skeleton are known as Fryette's Laws. There are three types of patterns described, the first two of which exclusively apply to the thoracic and lumbar spines and the third to any part of the spine. Thus, the reader of osteopathic literature may encounter references to Type I or Type II dysfunctions.
The general term for osteopathic musculoskeletal dysfunction is somatic dysfunction. Somatic dysfunction is currently defined as “impaired or altered function of related components of the somatic system: skeletal, arthrodial, and myofascial structures, and related vascular, lymphatic and neural elements”.

The American Osteopathic Association annually publishes a yearbook that is widely available and that contains the complete “Glossary of Osteopathic Terminology,” which is an excellent resource for anyone seeking information relating to osteopathic terminology.

International Classification of Disease (ICD-9) codes for somatic dysfunction exist and are widely used by practitioners and third-party payers specifically to code osteopathic findings. They are qualified by body region to be more specific. All of the specialized approaches to osteopathic evaluation previously mentioned (e.g., cranial, fascial, Jones tenderpoints) have also developed specialized vocabulary depending on their unique orientation.