WHAT WE DO
Although most people think of us as ‘back specialists’, other conditions which may respond to osteopathy include:
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general, acute & chronic backache, back pain
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uncomplicated mechanical neck pain
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headache arising from the neck (cervicogenic) / migraine prevention
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frozen shoulder/ shoulder and elbow pain/ tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) arising from associated musculoskeletal conditions of the back and neck
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joint pains including hip and knee pain from osteoarthritis, "lumbago"
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sciatica,
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muscle spasms,
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neuralgia,
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fibromyalgia,
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inability to relax,
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rheumatic pain,
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minor sports injuries and tensions
Osteopaths assess and treat people of any age from the elderly to the new-born and from pregnant women to sports people. YourOsteopath will not only treat the painful area but we always try to address the parts of the body that may have caused the symptoms.
IT'S ALL A QUESTION OF BALANCE
Osteopaths have a holistic approach and believe that your whole body will work well if your body is in good structural balance. Imagine, for example, a car that has one of its front wheels not quite pointing in the same direction as the other three. The car continues to run, the engine unaffected, but after a few thousand miles, that tyre will wear unevenly, eventually not performing as well and causing more strain on other areas.
You can apply this example to the human body, which is why it is so important to keep the body in good balance/ "tracking" correctly.
HOW WE DO IT
Your medical history
Before we start to treat you, we will make a full medical assessment. We take time to listen to you and ask questions to make sure we understand your medical history and your day-to-day routine. We’ll ask you about things like diet, exercise and what is happening in your life, as these may give clues to help our diagnosis.
We may feel your pulse and check your reflexes. We may also take your blood pressure and refer you for clinical tests, such as x-rays, if we think you need them.
Your posture
We usually look at your posture and how you move your body. We may also assess what happens when we move it for you and see what hurts, where and when.
YOUR TREATMENT
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We use a wide range of techniques, including massage, cranial techniques (sometimes referred to as 'cranial osteopathy') and joint mobilisation. This wide range of gentle manipulation and breadth of approach allows us to focus on every patient’s precise needs, according to your age, fitness and diagnosis.
Treatment is different for every patient but may include techniques such as different types of soft tissue massage and joint articulation to release tension, stretch muscles, help relieve pain and mobilise your joints.
Sometimes, when we move joints you may hear a ‘click’. This is just like the click people get when they crack their knuckles. We will not perform this technique without discussing it with you first.
POST TREATMENT CARE
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We may discuss exercises that you can do to improve your posture and movement in your workplace and everyday life. We can give advice on the best way to manage an acute pain or devise an action plan to address a more long-standing problem.
We can give tips on work-station related problems or on the best driving position for you.
You may find our Post-Visit leaflet useful.
Download it here