Common Problems
Many common ailments can be treated using osteopathy. Osteopathic care is based on the principle that while the body is a self-healing organism it occasionally requires a helping hand.
Some of the everyday problems Osteopaths help people with are listed below, if your particular condition doesn't appear below, just call or email Jason to find out if it’s something he can help you with, if he can’t help, he will refer you to a suitable specialist.
We can help you take care of:
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Back Pain
Back pain is extremely common – roughly six million patients visit osteopaths each year, and back pain accounts for over 50% of those cases. Pain exists for a reason, your back will tell you very quickly when things aren't right because the longer spinal faults go unchecked, the more widespread the strain suffered by the skeleton as a whole. The role of pain is to make us aware of the fault so we can fix the problem. Most people will suffer with back pain at some point in their life.
Back pain can vary from a minor niggling ache to a severe incapacitating pain that can spread to other areas of the body. Causes of back pain include chronic postural problems, unsuitable seating, unsupportive beds, inappropriate lifting, a sedentary lifestyle, stress and anxiety, accidents, sports injuries, pregnancy and obesity. The cure for an aching back lies in persuading a stiff and painful spinal joint to move, and that's something Osteopaths specialise in.
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Sciatica
Sciatica is pain in the back of the leg, usually caused by back problems, and occurs when something blocks the path of the spinal nerve on its way out of the spinal column.
Most back pain is a simple joint problem – the back's equivalent, you might say, of a twisted ankle – but when the problem persists, the swollen joint can irritate the nearby spinal nerve. Degeneration of the inter-vertebral disc can have the same result.
Another type of leg pain is called referred pain. When a joint becomes inflamed and painful, its nerve supply picks up the pain messages and pain is felt in the back. However, other tissues sharing the same nerve supply as the inflamed joint may also feel pain. It could be the sensation to the skin of the lower leg giving you a vague nagging pain in the buttock, hip or leg, far removed from the back itself. So, although the symptoms are leg pain, the cause is in the back.
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Hip Pain
Pain in the hip can often be caused by osteoarthritis or injury and will frequently respond well to Osteopathic treatment. Though hip pain itself doesn’t always indicate a problem with the hip because the body's nervous and circulatory systems are closely linked, meaning pain in your hip or groin may actually originate from your lower back, or even a muscular spasm in the gluteal region. Hip pain can affect the way we walk and cause additional problems if not checked. Persistent or re-occurring problems in this area should be evaluated early on.
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Neck Pain
Many neck problems are the result of modern life and the continuous strain we place on our bodies. Pain can be caused by repetitive movement, poor use of the neck’s full range of motion, poor work position and/or stress.
Headaches frequently accompany neck pain and are caused by a build-up of muscular tension across the shoulders, which then travels up into the base of the skull. Pain in the neck can also result from trauma, especially car accidents, which can lead to problems weeks, months or even years later.
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Shoulder Pain
The shoulder is a complex and shallow joint held in place by the deeper rotator cuff muscles and cartilage. Damage to any of these structures can cause a variety of painful symptoms which should be addressed promptly.
Not all shoulder problems arise from the shoulder itself, particularly where there is no history of trauma to the area. Many conditions unrelated to the shoulder can cause referred pain in the shoulder region. For example, neck dysfunctions, repetitive strain, tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome. Other conditions such as gall stones, liver problems and heart conditions can also refer pain to the shoulder region and should therefore by checked out.
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Knee Pain
Knee pain can be due to problems arising from above or below the knee such as or hip problems like arthritis or over-pronated feet (flat feet). There are also several structures within and around the Knee that can be damaged through sports such as Football, Rugby, Tennis, Badminton and other sports which put large demands on the knee joint. Any problems with the knee should be looked at promptly as they can alter the normal gait pattern and cause stress and pain to develop on other parts of the body very quickly.
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Headache and Tension
Headaches affect most of us at some point in our lives, and while painkillers can help to alleviate the symptoms, they don't address the cause of the problem. You may not have considered Osteopathic treatment for recurring headaches, but the fact is that some types of headache respond very well to Osteopathic treatment
There are many reasons why people suffer with migraines and headaches, including diet, stress, and chemical imbalances. Both tension headaches and migraines can often be alleviated by a course of treatment.
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Muscular Pain
Muscular tension is extremely common, mainly due to the physical and mental stresses we place on our bodies on a daily basis. If the tension isn't addressed early it can become prolonged and build up within the body, resulting in a chronic problem that can affect the joints. Taut muscles can pull the joints out of alignment, which leads to abnormal joint function and pain.
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Work related & Overuse Injuries
Work, whether at a computer terminal or in heavy industry, can cause disorders of muscles, tendons and joints, particularly in the back, shoulder and arms. Symptoms vary from mild aches to severe pain and disability.
- Caused by manual handling and lifting:
- Muscle and tendon injuries
- Intervertebral disc lesions ('slipped disc')
- Sciatica
- Caused by forceful or repetitive movements:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tenosynovitis
- Peritendonitis
- Epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
- Caused by poor posture:
- Low back pain
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Computer hump (Kyphosis)
- Loss of natural spinal curves
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Ostoarthritis
All of us beyond our twenties experience degenerative changes of our joints, this degeneration speeds up the ageing of our joints, and older joints are less tolerant of knocks and bangs. Osteoarthritis is not a disease, but simply wear and tear: it only begins to cause pain once it has become more advanced.
Degeneration of the joints happens when the flow of fluid into the joint slows down – cartilage becomes brittle, ligaments, tendons and muscles dry out and lose their elasticity, and the joints lose their 'give'. If this process continues unchecked, the cartilage can become chipped and irregular, weight-bearing through the joint becomes uneven, abnormal bony outgrowths begin to form around the edges of the joint, and the joint swells.
The pain is caused by mechanical and chemical irritation of all the tissues of the joint. Mechanical irritation arises when the joint's soft tissues are stretched, often by excess fluid trapped in the joint. Chemical irritation is caused by the effect of 'inflammatory products' produced by the swollen tissues.
The good news is that we can control the pain by performing simple movements to pump away the excess fluid and free up the stiff, tired joints. This rejuvenates old soft tissues that are binding up a joint too tightly.
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Sports Injuries
Sports injuries tend to arise either from a specific trauma, such as a bad tackle or a collision, or when an increase in functional demand is placed upon a fatigued joint or tissue that isn't functioning properly. This can cause muscle imbalances, poor posture and altered spinal mechanics that can lead to any of the following:
- Shoulder impingement syndrome
- Tennis or golfer’s elbow
- Ligament sprains/muscle strains
- Cartilage tears
- Tendonitis
If you've suffered a sporting injury, we can help to speed up your recovery time using various techniques including ultrasound, electrotherapy and medical acupuncture. We can also recommend a rehabilitation programme to reduce the risk of problems in the future.
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Pregnancy Related Problems
A woman's body undergoes more changes during pregnancy than at any other time in her life. Hormonal changes cause the ligaments to soften, the spinal curves change and posture is compromised. Circulatory problems can occur, such as swelling of the legs and varicose veins. All of these problems can be helped by Osteopathic treatment, which can gently help ease restrictions or strains as the ligaments are softer than usual, and treatment is completely safe.
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Asthma
Asthma usually starts in childhood but may not appear until middle age when it is known as 'late-onset asthma'. It is associated with wheezing and breathlessness, due to narrowing of the airways.
Aggravating factors include allergy to inhaled pollens, pollutants, or foods, respiratory infections, emotional upsets or stress, and physical exercise.
Many asthma patients often find benefit through Osteopathic treatment of the muscles associated with breathing which in asthmatics are in a prolonged state of increased tone. During treatment the function of the spine and ribs are addressed and specific techniques that can improve neurological and mechanical function of the spine and ribs may be used. Furthermore we can offer advice on lifestyle, diet and stress management, all of which can be helpful to asthma sufferers.