So, I had an appointment with my family doctor yesterday. I asked him about my DO's plan to gently rotate C1, C4, C5 back into position as part of my treatment. My doctor was wary of this plan, commenting that this is my spinal cord we're talking about (in other words, a critical and fine-tuned part of the nervous system). He did seem pretty positive about osteopathy in general, however, and recommended another DO that his patients have had good results with.

I admit I was wary myself about the plan to realign those vertebrae (especially by a DO who, while an experienced massage therapist, just graduated from osteopathic college). Should I take a pass on my DO (whom I've only seen once) and try the one recommended by my doctor? Any other thoughts?

I would be very hesitant to let anybody work on my spine who has not been doing the same treatment successfully for at least 5 years. Common expert opinion is that expertise takes years of repetitive work to learn the very fine points. They say that a surgeon does not get good at a surgical procedure until he/she has done it 500 times or more.

I'd give the referred OD a try.

Go with the experienced one and not the beginner.