What is Osteopathy?
Osteopathy is a wonderful, hands-on treatment used to restore function to restricted or painful areas, and address other parts of the body which may be causing problems or imbalances.
I use soft tissue techniques, mobilisation and manipulation of joints, fascial release of connective tissue, ligament balancing and cranial osteopathy to treat both acute and chronic pain, and give exercises and rehabilitation advice to aid your recovery at home.
Osteopathy is holistic: it starts with the understanding that the health of the whole is governed by optimal structure and function throughout the body. This means that yes, that 10 year old knee injury really might be affecting your back!
Osteopaths are well-qualified. Osteopaths undertake at least three years of university education to achieve a degree in Osteopathy, including a minimum of 1000 hours of supervised clinical time.
Osteopathy is a fully regulated healthcare profession by law. Anyone calling themselves an osteopath must be registered with the General Osteopathic Council who oversee all osteopathic training and professional development and provide the statutory Code of Conduct by which all Osteopaths must abide.
Osteopathy is recognised by NHS England as part of the Allied Health Professionals who work to support patient health both within the NHS and outside of it as private healthcare.
Good to know:
BACK PAIN AND NECK PAIN
HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES AND TOES
ARTHRITIS CARE
Osteopathy can help
Back pain and neck pain are very common presentations in any osteopathy clinic, as is sciatica and trapped nerves in the neck and back.
Hands-on mobilisation, manipulation, massage, gently balancing ligaments and cranial osteopathy can all help reduce pain and get you moving more comfortably.
Exercise and rehabilitation advice is included in your treatment so that you can get back to doing what you love more quickly.
Treating the whole body
It's a common misconception that osteopaths only treat bad backs.
Osteopaths are highly skilled in treating all areas of the body, including shoulder, elbow and wrist conditions, hip and knee pain, foot and ankle problems and a variety of muscle spasms, ligament and tendon strains and sprains.
It's little know that we also treat cervicogenic headaches: this means headaches that originate from tension in the neck
Getting you moving
Arthritis can be painful and debilitating. Of course sometimes joints will need to be replaced, but sometimes this isn't an option or you're simply not at that stage yet. There's a lot that can be done in the middle ground.
Osteopathic treatment and exercise can help reduce arthritic pain to a manageable level, but multidisciplinary care is also important. I liaise with GP's, consultants, physiotherapists and podiatrists to make sure you get the best care possible at the right time