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Back pain

80% of the population will at some stage suffer from back pain. This is one of the sad prices we pay for our upright posture. Back pain can strike anyone at any age although there are many factors that can increase the likelihood of back pain occurring. Back pain remains the most common cause of absenteeism in the workplace.

Osteopaths are primary care practitioners, whose training and skills enable them to assess and diagnose your complaint. An Osteopath can ascertain which structural and mobility changes have occurred, causing loss of mobility and function, which may lead to pain and disability, recurring injuries, muscle spasm and many secondary effects affecting the whole body.

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Posture

Good posture is the position of the body in which we are balanced in an upright posture with a minimum of muscular effort. In humans this means that we are standing upright with the eyes level and pointing forward, the centre of gravity from the top of our heads passes through the body to end up between our feet, shoulders and hips hang in straight level lines and we are able to stand in a relaxed and comfortable way.

Many thing cause variations from this ideal posture, familial adaptations, variations in the lengths of our legs, occupational factors, bad habits from childhood or adolescence and unilateral problems of sight hearing or in the use of a limb.

Osteopaths are trained to identify these variations and to track down their causes and, where appropriate, help to eradicate them or alleviate their effects. In this way osteopaths can assist many of the "postural" pains that afflict people due to scoliosis, kyphosis or poorly developed posture.

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Problems in pregnancy

Many women experience back pains during pregnancy, for the majority these are due to the changes in posture that the developing baby in the womb requires of their bodies conflicting with their own posture. As the pregnancy develops and the size and weight of the womb increase increasing strain is put upon the low back and pelvis to adapt their position to balance the mother’s posture.

This can lead to all kinds of pain from local structures that are strained to their limits and to other areas that are affected by the alteration of the spinal curves. In some cases nerve root pressure may be caused giving rise to sciatica or other examples of "the baby lying on a nerve".

Osteopaths can identify the problems in the posture that are causing these symptoms and with simple and safe techniques relieve the symptoms.

Having osteopathic treatment in pregnancy is no more dangerous than at any other time as a properly trained osteopath will know how to adapt his normal approach to the special needs of a pregnant mother.

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Arthritic pain

Arthritis is one of the most common conditions, there are many different types ranging from a simple joint or ligament strain causing arthritis to the severe general body diseases such as Rheumatoid Disease and Psoriasis. However many so called "Arthritis" cases are not really true arthritis but an exacerbation of an underlying wear and tear condition.

Many hip and especially knee arthritis cases are really such a situation and the osteopath by helping to improve the function of the joint can in many cases restore mobility and relieve the pain. Similarly in the spine many cases of "Arthritis of the spine" are minor injuries and restrictions of movement aggravating underlying wear and tear from which more than half the population over fifty years old suffer.

These conditions can be helped by careful osteopathic treatment however the treatment of the more severe inflammatory arthritis must be approached with caution and on an individual case basis.

If you have questions please telephone or contact us, remember we are happy to offer free friendly advice.

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Sports injuries

Most sports injuries will heal rapidly and successfully with either sensible self treatment or some physiotherapy, however some will either not settle or may recur causing long periods of inactivity.

Osteopathy with its unique view of the patient as a single integrated structure will frequently be able to find the key to help these difficult cases resolve. In many cases postural or other factors may be interfering with the healing mechanism or individual postural variations and restrictions of movement may be at odds with the movement required for that sport.

Osteopaths are trained to understand these problems and to help the individual sportsperson to achieve their maximum potential.

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Migraines & headaches

Headaches are an every day fact of life, we all get them from time to time, sometimes from over indulgence or at times of stress. However if we suffer from recurrent headaches often, for no really obvious reason, this should always be investigated. There are many possible causes for recurrent headaches ranging from eye problems through Migraine and postural problems to serious medical problems.

Osteopaths are trained to distinguish between these and to give treatment where appropriate. In many cases of recurrent headache treatment to relieve spasm in the muscles of the neck and especially right up where the neck joins the base of the skull can give amazing relief very quickly. Also the holistic, total body approach of the osteopath will enable them to identify the factors in that patient that leads to the build up of this spasm.

In the case of migraine headaches, which are much more complex and severely painful, this kind of treatment can often ease the severity and frequency of attacks and by listening to and discussing with the patient the predisposing factors osteopaths can frequently help in identifying some of the triggers that set attacks off.

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Slipped disc

The disc is a fibro-cartilage pad that sits between the mass of the vertebra and its immediate neighbour. It allows movement at the intervertebral joint by its structure.

In simple terms it can be thought of as a sponge rubber pad, with a ball bearing in the middle. This enables the flat surfaces of the vertebral bodies to pivot against each other.

In fact the sponge rubber is fibro-cartilage and the ball bearing is a clear cartilage. The fibro-cartilage is elastic whilst the clear cartilage is a jelly, which is incompressible, acts as the ball bearing. As time goes on and for many reasons associated with postural and movement factors the disc wears and will bulge out into the surrounding areas. This bulging can cause pressure on closely related structures such as the nerve root exiting from the spin at that level or direct pressure onto the spinal cord. This gives rise to pain frequently very severe pain with nerve root entrapment symptoms giving rise to Neuritis and neuralgia pains such as Sciatica or Brachial Neuritis.

Osteopathy can often relieve the symptoms of these my encouraging the mobility at the intervertebral level to improve the nutrition of the disc, helping it to repair, and also enabling the body to give the nerve root room to escape from its entrapment.

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Sciatica

Sciatica is pain down the distribution of the Sciatic Nerve and can have several possible causes. The Sciatic nerve is the largest in the body originating in the bottom of the lower back from the 4th and 5th Lumbar and 1st Sacral nerve roots. Anything that causes pressure on these nerve roots or on the nerve as it passes through the buttock down into the back of the leg can cause Sciatica.

Osteopaths can identify the cause of the sciatica and, where appropriate, give treatment to alleviate the pressure and ease the pain.

It is very common for lower back pain with or without leg pain to be labelled as Sciatica, when in reality the Sciatic Nerve is not involved at all. In these cases and in genuine Sciatica, Osteopathy will frequently be the safest, quickest and easiest way to ease the pain.

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Frozen shoulder

Frozen shoulder is a very painful and disabling condition, which can affect men and women more frequently as they pass forty years of age but can occur in younger people.

It frequently develops after an injury to the shoulder or after a period of lack of use, but can also appear for no apparent reason.

Generally it develops as increasing ache and restriction of movement in one shoulder progressing, if not treated, to almost complete loss of movement at the shoulder joint before gradually and slowly loosening and easing. This process typically may take from eighteen months to three years.

Osteopathic treatment can help to shorten this period and ease the pain by encouraging the movement at the shoulder itself and in the associated muscles and joints to gain as much movement as possible. Generally however it is a long slow course of treatment, for what is a slowly developing condition. It is not uncommon for neck and thoracic spine problems to cause symptoms similar to Frozen Shoulder. Indeed in some cases the pain coming from these regions leads the patient to restrict the movement they perform at their shoulder, because of pain, which leads to a Frozen Shoulder developing.

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Making an appointment

Making an appointment is simple, as Osteopaths are Primary Care Practitioners, you do not need to be referred by your G.P. although some Private Health Insurers may ask for this. You can contact us through the web link in our contact us section or, if easier, by telephone. Our telephones are answered 24 hours a day seven days a week, and whilst occasionally you may get an answer phone, most of the time you will get a person to whom you can speak. They will be able to help and advise you and arrange an appointment for you. If you do get the answer phone, leave your name and telephone number and we will phone you back within a couple of hours.

Having made your appointment all you have to do is come along at the agreed time, you do not need to bring anything with you, although if you do have X-Rays or Blood Test results they may be helpful.

When you arrive you will be asked a series of basic information questions by the receptionist and then introduced to the Osteopath, who will take you into the consulting room. There you will be asked a lot of questions about your problem and asked to describe it as best you can. You will also be asked questions about your general health and past medical history. This will help the Osteopath to build up a picture of what is wrong and how things should be.

You will then have a structural examination, during which the Osteopath will not only examine the immediate area of the pain but areas around it that may be having an effect. This generally requires the removal of some clothing and whilst this will be kept to the minimum it is not uncommon for you to be asked to undress to your underwear. If you think you will find this embarrassing please tell your Osteopath and it will probably be possible to arrive at a compromise between your embarrassment and the need to see to examine properly. Soft, loose T-Shirts & Track Suit bottoms are an alternative but do impede the examination slightly.

After examining you the Osteopath will do various tests, reflexes, blood pressure, retinal examinations as are thought necessary according to your symptoms. You will then be examined osteopathically testing the range of movements and tension in your muscles and joints. This is not painful, and whilst it may involve some moving about of your limbs and spine is not generally uncomfortable.

Having arrived at the Diagnosis the Osteopath will then explain to you what has been found and what is proposed to do to relieve your problem. Subject to your agreement you will then receive treatment.

Many people feel some relief immediately after treatment although normally it will take a few treatments before you are "symptom free" but your Osteopath will explain this and give you an estimate of how many treatments you will need. Some people get some soreness developing a few hours after treatment which can last for a couple of days, this is an inflammatory reaction in the muscles to treatment and sometimes occurs after the first or second treatment and then eases off. It is not constant and certainly occurs only in a minority of patients but if you experience this do not worry just telephone and advice will be given.

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