Osteopathy
Do you suffer with low back pain? Shoulder and neck stiffness? Pain during exercise? Is pain holding you back from enjoying life or spending time with your family?
What is Osteopathy?
Osteopathy is a patient-centered method of assessing, diagnosing and treating 'neuro-musculo-skeletal dysfunction' within the Human body. This may include muscles, joints, nerves or ligaments. Osteopaths develop high levels of palpation (touch) in order to detect areas of dysfunction within your body and aim to treat them accordingly.
In simple terms, Osteopathy is a 'hands on' profession that focuses on helping relieve pain stemming from the muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons and nerves.
Osteopaths understand that the whole body is linked, and therefore symptoms in one area may result from a problem elsewhere, for example: someone experiencing low back pain may have their symptoms due to a previous knee injury, a broken toe, or even dropped arches in the feet.
By looking at other areas of the body, and not just the site of pain it allows the practitioner to develop a greater understanding of why the issue has arisen and what else has compensated since, not just what it is; and therefore target the predisposing features of your symptoms with manual therapy and exercises.
Osteopath's also recognise that the body has an inherent ability to heal itself. When you see an Osteopath, they are not trying to 'heal' you, they are trying to put your body in its best position to heal itself. This is achieved through techniques like massage, stretching and manipulation, focusing on stimulating blood flow, lymphatic flow, neurological health and musculoskeletal balance.
What to expect?
Upon arrival
Upon arrival at your appointment you can expect to be greeted in a warm and friendly atmosphere. The consultation will take place in several stages, for more information see below. The Osteopath may require you to dress down in order to observe, examine and treat you effectively, therefore you may wish to bring loose clothing such as shorts/leggings and a vest top.
Case History
The Osteopath will take an in-depth case history of your presenting complaint, along-side questions about your general health including history of accidents, illnesses, family history and activity levels. This is done to ensure that you are safe to examine and treat, if they feel that Osteopathic treatment is not appropriate for you they will refer you to an alternative professional or advise you to seek help from your GP.
Examination
The next stage is the examination. The examination will include observations of your general posture, asking you to carry out some movements both unaided and slightly resisted by the Osteopath. They may also complete any clinical tests which are felt necessary to ensure you are safe to treat; this may include a neurological assessment or Cranial Nerve assessment amongst others. Osteopaths gain high levels of palpation and will use their hands to assess for alterations in your body; whether this is the skin, muscles, joint movement or other structures.
Treatment
If treatment is appropriate then you can expect a variety of techniques tailored to your specific needs The Osteopath will work with your preferences to find an appropriate treatment plan that you are happy with in order to ensure you can be involved with your own health care decisions. These include: stretching, massage, joint articulations, joint mobilisation (manipulation), trigger point therapy, and other similar techniques.
After your treatment
After your consultation the Osteopath may provide you with exercises and advice such as posture and exercise habits to help relieve your symptoms in-between treatment sessions. Different presentations will require a different number of treatments. Some chronic conditions may require regular treatments (once every month or two) to maintain the improvements, whereas acute presentations may require a single session or short block of intervention.