- Acute/chronic low back pain, neuralgia
- Sciatica, muscle spasm
- Acute/chronic neck pain
- Migraine prevention/headaches from the neck
- Joint pains - shoulder, hip, knee
- Cramp, inability to relax
- Arthritic pain, rheumatic pain
- Minor Sports injuries
- Frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia
- Rheumatic pain, osteoarthritic pain of hip/knee
- Circulatory problems, digestive problems
BACK PAIN
Back pain is a very common complaint – six million patients visit osteopaths each year, and back pain accounts for over 50% of those cases. Pain exists for a particular reason. Your back will tell you very quickly when things aren't right, because the longer spinal faults go unchecked, the more widespread the strain suffered by the skeleton as a whole. The role of pain is to make us aware of a fault within the body so that we can alter our behaviour to fix it.
Most people will suffer with back pain at some point in their life. It can vary from a minor niggling ache to a severe pain that can spread to other areas of the body. Causes of back pain include chronic postural problems, unsuitable seating, unsupportive beds, poor lifting, a sedentary lifestyle, stress and anxiety, accidents, sports injuries, pregnancy, and obesity. The solution for an aching back sometimes lies in persuading a stiff and painful spinal joint to move, and that's something we specialise in.
Osteopathic treatment can help by isolating the source of the problem, treating it and giving you advice on how to prevent the pain from recurring.
Sciatica is pain in the leg, usually caused by back problems, and occurs when something blocks the path of the spinal nerve on its way out of the spinal column.
Most back pain is a simple joint problem – the back's equivalent, you might say, of a twisted ankle – but when the problem persists, the swollen joint can irritate the nearby spinal nerve. Degeneration of the inter-vertebral disc can have the same result.
Another type of leg pain is called referred pain. When a joint becomes inflamed and painful, its nerve supply picks up the pain messages and pain is felt in the back. However, other tissues sharing the same nerve supply as the inflamed joint may also feel pain. It could be the sensation to the skin of the lower leg giving you a vague nagging pain in the buttock, hip or leg, far removed from the back itself. So, the back is the problem, and the pain in the leg is the symptom.
We can provide relief by identifying the root of the problem and treating the source of the discomfort.
NECK ACHE & NEURALGIA
Many neck problems are the result of modern life and the continuous strain we place on our bodies. For example, pain can be caused by repetitive movement, poor use of the neck’s full range of motion, poor work position, and stress. Headaches frequently accompany neck pain, and are caused by a build-up of muscular tension across the shoulders, which travels up into the base of the skull. Pain in the neck and mid-back can also result from trauma, especially car accidents, which can lead to problems weeks, months or even years later.
The Osteopathic approach can determine the cause of your symptoms and a treatment programme to overcome the pain.
HEAD ACHES & PAINS
Headaches affect most of us at some point in our lives. While painkillers can help to alleviate the symptoms, they don't address the cause of the pain. You may not have considered osteopathic treatment for recurring headaches, but the fact is that some types of headache respond very well, and we successfully treat many people for head pain.
There are many reasons why people suffer with migraines and headaches, including diet, stress, and chemical imbalances. Both tension headaches and migraine-like head pain can often be alleviated by a course of treatment.
Not all shoulder problems arise from the shoulder itself, particularly where there is no history of trauma to the area. Many conditions unrelated to the shoulder can cause referred pain in the shoulder region. For example, neck dysfunctions, repetitive strain injury, tennis/golfer's elbow, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
We can locate the exact area of your discomfort and create a treatment plan to relieve the symptoms.
JOINT PAIN - HIP
Hip pain doesn’t always indicate a problem with the hip itself. The body's nervous and circulatory systems are closely linked, meaning pain in your hip may actually originate from your lower back, or even a muscular spasm elsewhere. On the other hand, there may be a problem within the hip joint itself, such as osteoarthritis.
Osteopathy can help determine the source of the problem, and treat the tissues causing the pain.
MUSCLE SPASM & CRAMP
Muscular tension is extremely common, mainly due to the physical and mental stresses we place on our bodies on a daily basis. If the tension isn't addressed early on, it can become prolonged and build up within the body, resulting in a chronic problem that can affect the joints. Taut muscles can pull the joints out of alignment, which leads to abnormal joint function.
We can help by reducing the tension using soft tissue massage, manipulation and gentle stretching.
All of us beyond our twenties experience degenerative changes of our joints because of the limited way we use our bodies. This degeneration speeds up the ageing of our joints, and older joints are less tolerant of knocks and bangs. Arthritis is not a disease, but simply wear and tear: it only begins to cause pain once it has become more advanced.
Degeneration of the joints happens when the flow of fluid into the joint slows down – cartilage becomes brittle, ligaments, tendons and muscles dry out and lose their elasticity, and the joints lose their 'give and take'. If this process continues unchecked, the cartilage can become chipped and irregular, weight-bearing through the joint becomes uneven, abnormal bony outgrowths begin to form around the edges of the joint, and the joint swells.
The pain is caused by mechanical and chemical irritation of all the tissues of the joint. Mechanical irritation arises when the joint's soft tissues are stretched, often by excess fluid trapped in the joint. Chemical irritation is caused by the effect of 'inflammatory products' produced by the unhappy tissues.
We are in the business helping arthritic pain alongside core OA treatments and exercise. Our skill lies in using therapeutic movement to improve mobility of the joints.
Sports injuries tend to arise either from a specific trauma, such as a bad tackle or a collision, or when an increase in functional demand is placed upon a fatigued joint or soft tissue that isn't functioning properly. This can cause muscle/pelvic imbalances, poor posture and altered spinal mechanics that can lead to any of the following:
We successfully help with many minor sports injuries associated with musculoskeletal conditions of the spine and can offer advice to avoid problems reoccurring.
- Shoulder impingement syndrome
- Tennis elbow
- Ligament sprains/muscle strain
PREGNANCY RELATED PROBLEMS
A woman’s body undergoes more changes during pregnancy than at any other time in her life. Hormonal changes cause the ligaments to soften, the spinal curves change and posture is altered. Circulatory or digestive problems can occur, such as swelling of the legs and varicose veins. Many of these problems can be helped by osteopathic treatment – in fact, pregnancy is a good time to undergo treatment since the body is changing so much and so quickly.
We can gently and simply ease any restrictions or strains. We also recommend coming to us for a thorough check-up if you've suffered from back problems and are considering becoming pregnant.