Osteopathy
What is Osteopathy?
Osteopathy is a safe and natural approach to healthcare and recovery from injury. Its main emphasis is on the structural integrity of the body. Good body structure allows free circulation of blood and nerve pathways which encourage self-healing mechanisms in the body. Osteopaths have a highly developed sense of touch and use their hands to investigate underlying causes of pain.
Osteopathic treatment uses a combination of soft tissue techniques, joint mobilisation and manipulation. Treatment is gentle and varies according to each individual case.
What should I expect?
When you visit an osteopath for the first time a full medical history will be taken and you will be given a physical examination. You will normally be asked to perform a simple series of movements so that the mobility of your body can be evaluated.
Any points of postural imbalance, excess strain, weakness or specific injury will be identified. The musculoskeletal assessment will be considered alongside lifestyle factors such as work and leisure activities, to enable a full diagnosis to be made and a treatment plan to be determined.
At the clinic the practitioners believe that their patients should have an understanding of their condition, therefore, patients are given information and explanations at all stages of treatment.
The prognosis and expected duration of treatment is also discussed between the patient and osteopath. Where necessary, the patient is advised on how best they may include specific exercises, core stability etc. This not only affords the patient general independence but also reduces the number of treatment sessions required.
What are the benefits of Osteopathic treatment?
The first and most important one is less pain which is the priority for most of our patients.
Improved mobility and activity soon follows on from pain reduction. These two are the most immediate benefits patients notice and are important to get you back on the road to leading a normal life again.
Reduced wear and tear. Many patients are told that they have some wear and tear of the spine. This is the process of Osteo-Arthritis. By improving the muscle balance and circulation around the joints, Osteopathy can help to limit the amount of wear on the joints surfaces.
Understanding what is wrong. This is an important aspect of the treatment as reassurance will help recovery. It puts you in control and with appropriate advice the problem can be resolved in the minimum time possible.
Improved posture. This is a result of treatment and advice about exercises and lifestyle which will have lasting positive effects on your body.
Injury prevention . Not only can we help to fix the problem but we can help you to make changes to ensure that it does not return.