Board-Certified Medical Doctors with Extensive Postgraduate Training in Osteopathy

Looking for an Osteopath in San Francisco?

Many patients find Physicians’ Back Institute while searching for an osteopath or osteopathic treatment in San Francisco.

Robert Minkowsky, MD, and Irène Minkowsky, MD, are board-certified medical doctors with extensive postgraduate training in osteopathy. They incorporate osteopathic principles, hands-on examination, and manual treatment into a comprehensive medical approach to musculoskeletal diagnosis and care.

A Medical and Osteopathic Perspective

Osteopathy emphasizes the relationship between structure and function and recognizes that the body works as an interconnected system.

This perspective is particularly valuable in musculoskeletal medicine because where you hurt is not always where the problem begins.

Hip or knee pain, for example, may be influenced by dysfunction elsewhere in the lower extremity or pelvis. Shoulder symptoms may be related to the neck, ribs, or upper back. Pain in one area may develop because that part of the body has been compensating for a problem somewhere else.

For this reason, our examination does not stop at the painful area.

Hands-On Osteopathic Examination

Our physicians combine conventional medical evaluation with careful hands-on examination.

We assess movement, joint mobility, soft tissues, muscle balance, neurologic function, and the mechanical relationships between different regions of the body.

This examination can provide information about function that may not be visible on an X-ray or MRI.

When appropriate, osteopathic manual treatment may also be incorporated into the treatment plan to address restrictions in movement and improve musculoskeletal function.

Osteopathy as Part of Comprehensive Medical Care

Osteopathy is not a separate system of care at Physicians’ Back Institute. It is one part of how we evaluate and treat our patients.

Depending on the diagnosis, treatment may include osteopathic manual treatment, therapeutic exercise and rehabilitation, postural or ergonomic changes, medication when appropriate, or selected injection procedures.

Every treatment plan is individualized.

Our goal is to identify the cause of the problem and restore function using the least invasive approach appropriate for the patient.