Gentle Stretch for Lower Back
Mobilising a Foot Sprain
Treatment for Shoulder Pain

Osteopathy

Bad back or neck? Muscle Spasms ?
Sciatica ? Neuralgia ? Fibromyalgia ?
Whiplash ?
Painful joints ?
Arthritic or Rheumatic Pain ?
Strains, sprains or other minor sports injuries ?
Muscular problems or stiff joints?
Muscle tightness ? Digestion Problems ? Inability to relax ?

Don't suffer pain in silence - your osteopath may have the answer!

Britain's Osteopaths provide over 8 million consultations a year for musculoskeletal problems and problems related to musculoskeletal dysfunctions. Our expertise in treating back pain is sought by people both young and old and from all occupations and walks of life. The Department of Health recommends prompt treatment of back pain from osteopaths and other physical therapists. When patients entrust the care of their back to an osteopath's hands, that practitioner aims to treat the symptoms, help find out what is causing the problem and will give advice to prevent it recurring in the future. Osteopathic treatment is gentle and often very quick to help.

Osteopathy is primarily concerned with the study of structural and mechanical faults in the body and how these faults affect physiological processes. Osteopaths work by diagnosing structural / mechanical 'faults' and correcting these. The body's structure and function are inseparable. Alterations of structure by injury, faulty posture, etc. affect function. We place primary importance on restoring function.

Our patients come from all walks of life and all age groups, the most numerous are those in sedentary occupations and light to heavy manual work.

60 % of osteopathic treatments are for back pain. 1 in 3 people have back pain at some point in their lives.

Many minor physical injuries respond to rest, cold packs and strapping. Most conditions are painful, but self-limiting and will get better in 5 - 10 days.

We recommend you seek professional advice if your injury seems to be worsening.

If your injury or painful joint is not getting better after 2 - 3 weeks, it may not resolve by itself. You may need professional advice and treatment.

Most private health insurance pays for osteopathic treatment. Your insurance company will advise you if you need referral from your GP or consultant.

Cranial Osteopathy

Cranial Osteopathic treatment may be used alongside the more conventional type of osteopathic treatment of neuro-muscular techniques, deep soft tissue massage, passive joint stretching, gapping and manipulation.

There are some patients who benefit more from a purely cranial / indirect approach. It is often well tolerated by patients who find traditional osteopathic treatment too uncomfortable for them.

The cranial approach is especially used in infants and children, pregnant women and post partum mothers. Karen Carroll has done extensive post-graduate study in both cranial and paediatric osteopathy and uses this approach extensively alongside the more conventional structural osteopathic approach.

Osteopathic Medicine - some principles

Each individual is unique - osteopathic medicine aims to promote health by improving each individual's physical function, leading each individual towards recovery, greater well-being and lowered susceptibility to illness in general

The musculoskeletal system contributes to the body's health - reducing stress on this system contributes to more efficient responses by the body to adverse stimuli

All body functions are involved in the response to disease - dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system may adversely affect the body's ability to respond to disease. Subtle changes in the musculoskeletal system may form a focus from which other tissues and systems are adversely affected.

Osteopathy is primarily concerned with the study of structural and mechanical faults in the body and how these faults affect physiological processes.

Osteopaths work by diagnosing structural / mechanical faults and correcting these. As structure and function are inseparable and interrelated at all levels, alterations of structure by injury, faulty posture, etc. affect function. Equally function affects structure - poor posture over time affects the neck and back mechanics. This relationship applies to the vascular, lymphatic, visceral, neurological systems as well as the myofascial system

Osteopaths place primary importance on restoring function - restoring alignment  is secondary as most of us have mild differences in leg lengths, mild spinal curves that make perfect alignment virtually impossible to maintain.

Osteopaths don't "put bones / discs back into place", we aim to remove any mechanical hindrance to normal movement.

The practice of Osteopathy is not just manipulation, but an integrated method of treatment involving soft tissue massage, joint articulation, traction, manipulation, etc. Osteopaths rely on constant reassessment and adapt their techniques to suit the patient and their problems rather than a 'one size fits all' approach - every back pain or tennis elbow is unique - thus so is treatment.

Our case history covers all aspects of the patients general health and past history.  We are interested in our patient's history of illnesses, their digestive problems or accidents and trauma as well as their current health issues. This allows us to consider how all the falls, mild whiplash strains or illnesses have impacted, say, a recurrent sports injury or a long-standing bad back. Easing the strain on a rib after a fall during judo or off a bike may have to be augmented by treatment to rebalance the pelvis, whose mechanics may have been compromised mildly by a leg length difference.

Patients may just come for treatment of their back or neck, or understand that their newborn might be suffering from a neck strain due to a forceps delivery that results in constant crying, but often report indirect, secondary benefits of easing musculoskeletal imbalances, dysfunctions and strains.

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