Two new osteopathic pediatrics books by 91AV's Jane Carreiro, D.O.

Jane Carreiro, D.O. '88, associate professor and chair of the Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Department at 91AV College of Osteopathic Medicine, is the author of two new pediatrics books scheduled for publication in spring 2009: An Osteopathic Approach to Children, 2nd Edition and Pediatric Manual Medicine: An Osteopathic Approach.

An Osteopathic Approach to Children, 2nd Edition (Churchill Livingstone-Elsevier)  presents a comprehensive general overview of pediatric medicine from an osteopathic perspective.

Many different groups of healthcare providers are now considering the merits of applying the principles of manual medicine and manual therapy in the care and treatment of children. The existing textbooks of medical pediatrics and physical therapy available for reference may address selected orthopedic problems in children but they are limited in scope and they rarely include the use of osteopathic principles.

Members of the osteopathic profession have a hundred-year history of treating children using the manual application of osteopathic principles. Most of this information has been handed down through mentoring, apprenticeship and lecture. Very little of this information is actually available to interested clinicians in published form.

Comprehensive Textbook
Carreiro's An Osteopathic Approach to Children, which was first published in 2003, is now thoroughly updated, to provide a comprehensive textbook and reference source which deals specifically with the osteopathic treatment of children.

The book is divided into two main parts: the first part discusses the normal development, physiology and anatomy of the body systems from birth to adulthood; the second part explores the conditions and diseases of childhood and outlines the rationale for osteopathic treatment for each disorder.

This is probably the first pediatric book to discuss clinical problems from the perspective of the interrelatedness of structure and function. This unique approach will make it an invaluable source of reference for all those interested in using an osteopathic approach to the treatment of children in their care. Clinicians will find it an invaluable help in their efforts to provide safe and effective healthcare to children.

Practical Methods
While An Osteopathic Approach to Children covers the theory on pediatric medicine from an osteopathic perspective exploring conditions and diseases of childhood and the rational for osteopathic treatment, Carreiro's second new book, Pediatric Manual Medicine: An Osteopathic Approach (Churchill Livingstone-Elsevier), deals with the practical methods to treating children and infants with osteopathic techniques.

She includes background on neuromuscular therapy (NMT) for children and infants. The text refers to all areas including fascias, ligaments, muscles and bones covering all techniques with regard to osteopathic treatment, including techniques such as balanced ligamentous tension (BLT), a ligamentous technique, counterstrain using muscles, myofascial trigger points,myofascial realease, myofascial unwinding, etc.

Both books are scheduled for March 2009 publication.

Background
Carreiro has been on the faculty at 91AVCOM since 1993 and has chaired the Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine for 10 years.  She is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine.  The first edition of An Osteopatic Approach to Pediatrics has been translated into four languages and is used as the standard text in many osteopathic pediatric courses.

In 2007, Carreiro and Karen Steele, D.O., of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, were awarded a $100,000 grant by the American Academy of Osteopathy to study the effect of osteopathic manipulation in treating children with acute middle ear infections.