The first year of the program is dedicated to teaching osteopathic fundamentals, including: biomechanics, palpation, the concepts behind osteopathic techniques, movement, osteopathic exercises, the beginning of a detailed study of the connective tissue, and the nervous system.
During the first year, all the basic concepts of the OAoPO program are introduced. The first-year curriculum revolves around the study of the joints, the musculoskeletal system, the “frame of the abdomen,” the pelvis, and the diaphragm.
Students are taught concepts on how to mobilize the tissues of the patient, as well as how to position themselves and move their own bodies efficiently. The curriculum also includes classical osteopathic courses, such as Muscle Energy Technique (taught by the founders of the technique, the Mitchells), and Travell-Trigger Point with strain/counterstrain (taught by Lino Cedros).
One of our unique first-year courses is our evaluation course, in which students learn how to access the position of the abdominal organs and then we use an ultrasound to verify and show their palpation. This is one of the most important courses of the whole program and is the basis for all of our visceral studies in the later years.