What is Osteopathy
Osteopathy is a drug free, hands-on way of diagnosing and treating medical conditions.
Osteopaths aim to detect areas of the body that are compromised and not functioning optimally, such as misalignment’s, muscle tension, joint stiffness, weakness, and we correct them by using joint manipulation, soft tissue and/or stretching and strengthening.
Osteopaths are Allied Health Practitioners and Osteopathy is recognised as a way of treating back pain in accordance with the NICE guidelines.
How the healing works
Our bodies are made to adapt, we do it all day every day, but sometimes we can reach a point where we no longer adapt to the demands being asked of us and that’s when we get a problem.
Your brain is the powerhouse to your body, it has a vital communication system via the spinal cord and nerves to the rest of your body. Sometimes the communication in your body can be interfered with and this affects the messages the brain is sending to the rest of your body; this is when things can go wrong, and you end up with a problem i.e. symptoms or pain. Your vascular system has vital roles in your body by providing the nutrition your body needs in order to heal or to eliminate any waste products. Both joint restrictions and muscle tension can affect these systems.
Stress can play a major role to how well your body functions. There is physical stress which could be poor ergonomics at work, sitting for too long or poor technique. Emotional stress such as worry or anxiety and chemical stress such as poor diet, not enough fluid or lack of sleep.
If stress is not correctly addressed, it will have a negative impact on your body resulting in symptoms such as neck pain, shoulder tightness, headaches, low back pain. All of these are warning signs and should not be ignored. We are all born with an innate self-healing mechanism but if pain and symptoms persist this is your body’s way of telling you there is something wrong and to seek help.
Osteopathy is all about creating movement where it has been restricted. If there is a restriction in the spine, muscles, ligaments, fascia or joints we will get them moving, moving smoothly again, using the body’s own self-healing ability. This will provide a long-term solution without the need to take drugs, long-term medication or surgery. Ultimately, we will recreate an environment where your body is able to be adaptable again and heal itself.
Who can benefit ?
To put it simply…everyone! From the new-born to the elderly and everyone in between. There are a vast number of techniques that can be used to treat a variety of people with different conditions, your osteopath has completed an intensive 4-year degree in order to be able to know which techniques will work best for you. British Osteopaths annually treat over 6 million patients, however, like with anything sometimes your case may not be appropriate for Osteopathy, if this is the case, we will be completely open and upfront with you and help you to find the appropriate specialist or refer you back to your GP.