What is Osteopathy?
Osteopathy is a system of manual therapy which looks at you as a whole and explores the intimate relationship between the structures and function of all the tissues in your body. If the structure is not balanced and healthy, then its function may be affected.
The osteopathic principles are that the body is self-regulating, self-correcting and self-healing. Therefore physical imbalances and strains can impact on your body’s ability to maintain health. As an osteopath I will look at the whole body’s pattern of function to help it find a more comfortable balance.
During treatment I use manual techniques that may include massage and gentle mobilisation to help ease areas of ‘dys-function’ in your body and in this way improve health across interrelated systems.
I treat the symptomatic areas, identify the underlying cause to ultimately reduce them and prevent recurrence. Each treatment is unique to the patient as I look beyond the conditions and treat the individual as a whole.
Some conditions that may be helped with Osteopathy
Arthritic pain
Circulatory problems
Cramp
Digestive issues
Fibromyalgia
Frozen shoulder/ shoulder and elbow pain/ tennis elbow as associated with back and neck problems
Headache arising from the neck
Joint pains including hip and knee pain from osteoarthritis
General aches and pains
General acute and chronic backache (not arising from injury or accident)
Migraine prevention
Minor sports injuries
Muscle spasms
Neuralgia
Tension and inability to relax
Sciatica
Uncomplicated mechanical neck pain (as opposed to back pain following injury ie. whiplash)
Cranial osteopathy
Cranial osteopathy takes into account the structures in the head as well as the whole body and spine. This is a technique developed by WG Sutherland, an American osteopath. He felt a slow rhythmic fluid tide passing through the head and the body. He noticed that restrictions in the structures of the head and body can affect this rhythmic tide and lead to health and musculoskeletal issues.
As a cranial osteopath, I have had extensive training to develop this subtle sense of touch and diagnose and release any areas of increased tension and dysfunction. In fact, treatment may seem a passive process as it enables changes to take place from within using the body’s own inner healing ability.
I use gentle and specific pressure where needed to restore the body to a state of balance, stimulating the body’s inherent self healing capability. Patients often report a sense of deep relaxation and release during treatment. Symptoms in areas seemingly unconnected may improve; in some cases, when the spine and pelvis are treated, there can be an improvement in digestive or menstrual issues.
Past trauma, for example a difficult birth, road traffic accidents, operations or illness may act as future areas of restriction. The body adapts to these experiences over time but the effects on the patient may be long lasting and may cause fatigue and depression. Treatment may help the body become more balanced and improve its overall health and vitality.
Cranial Osteopathy is a very gentle approach to treatment can be particularly suitable for treatment of the elderly, babies and children as well as adults.
CASE STUDY
Why do some patients have neck and back pain?
Symptoms of back and neck pain may not arise because of a single incident. It may be the result of a lifetime of poor posture, family stress, work pressures and poor fitness exacerbated by ageing, loss of flexibility and strength.
Jean came in with lower back discomfort that was so painful she had to lie down for the case history part of our initial consultation. She had a stressful sedentary job and had elderly parents that needed a lot of help and support. She had hurt her back when bending over to pick her post from the doormat. However, she had had several episodes of back and neck pain in the past that had responded well to osteopathic treatment which kept recurring.
When I took her case history she mentioned that when she was twenty years old, she had been been in a car accident where her car had been hit from the side. After experiencing some initial neck pain, she had recovered quickly until ten years ago when her symptoms became more constant. When I examined her, not only was her back in spasm, but her mid back and neck were very restricted. Additionally there was considerable tension and restriction in the bones and membranes of the head.
It took a while, but during treatment the whole body pattern, including the head, began to release causing the symptoms to improve and reduce. After a course of eight treatments, Jean is more comfortable in her body and has started Pilates to keep her core strong. She comes for treatment every two months which she calls her MOT!