Osteopathy
Osteopathy is a widely recognised system diagnosis and treatment of musculo-skeletal pain using a sound knowledge of the workings and structures with in the human body and the ability to pick up pain or dysfunction in muscles and joints using highly trained palpatory skills.
Osteopaths use their hands and occasionally other tools such as therapeutic ultrasound to relieve pain, tension and stiffness helping the body to function more efficiently.
Osteopathy treats the young, the elderly, manual workers, office professionals, pre and post-natal women and sports enthusiasts.
All osteopaths must be registered with the General Osteopathic Council, they must have completed a four year degree course from a recognised college and yearly undergo continual professional development to keep their skills up to date.
Osteopathy is most commonly associated with back pain but we treat the whole body and can improve everything from plantarfasciaitis in the foot to neck pain and migraines and many parts in between. Patients may also find osteopathy being helpful in aiding the pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis.
Osteopathic treatment involves hands on work to stretch and articulate joints, massage techniques to soften and stretch tight musculature and joint manipulation to free up restricted joints. Each session is patient centered and adapted to the best needs of each individual patient.
Osteopaths also look past just the patient and will consider aspects and stresses on the body from work, posture, sports and hobbies and any previous injury.
If you have any questions about whether osteopathy could help you then please contact us with any questions you may have.
Cranial Osteopathy
Cranial osteopathy is a complementary treatment using subtle release techniques on the head and body to ease tension, aiming to encourage the body’s healing processes.
Cranial osteopaths are trained to detect tiny rhythmical shape changes they consider to be present in all tissues. Impact, strain and pressure on the skull are said to disturb this movement, causing issues that can have long-lasting effects throughout the body. What we forget is that there are many joint lines in the skull that have very small amounts of movement in them to allow for the cushioning of impact and general movement within the head. These joints can become stiff and stressed just like any other joint which can lead to a build up of tension and therefore pain.
Cranial osteopathy for babies.
The birthing process is a fairly traumatic procedure potentially causing great tension on soft unformed skull bones which can lead to asymmetry in the shape of the baby’s head. This in turn can potentially lead to painful tensions within the head and body. The two most common difficulties this can cause are trouble sleeping and digestive problems. Assessing and addressing any tensions can relieve these issues. If this isn’t addressed then it is possible that it becomes a problem later in life. As with regular osteopathy a full and detailed case history will be taken before examination and treatment.
Treatment usually involves very subtle and gentle techniques, the accumulated stresses and strains in the body are gradually released. The aim is to relieve the current symptoms and also improve the underlying health of the tissues as far as possible in order that they do not recur. This is usually a comfortable experience. Occasionally children can be unsettled for 24-36 hours after treatment this is perfectly normal but do not hesitate to get in contact if you have any concerns.
A baby who is uncomfortable may alert you to something being wrong by:
- Crying
- Being unhappy or irritable for long periods
- Having difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Showing signs of digestive discomfort
- Preferring to feed on one side.
Cranial osteopathy for adults
Cranial is suitable for all ages and in adults treatment maybe required due to a blow to the head, a fall, a whiplash, previous undetected asymmetry, stress and low energy levels amongst many other problems. The lightness of treatment can often be beneficial to a patient who has experienced painful treatment reactions to more robust styles of treatment in the past.
Sports Massage
Sports massage is a deep pressure type of massage designed at stretching muscles and relieving tension in all areas of the body. The pressure of a sports massage is much deeper then other kinds of massage but it is not just for sports people.
Sports massage can:
- Release muscle tension
- Prevent injurires
- Maintain improve flexibility
- Reduce recovery time
- Increase the removal of lactic acid from msucles
- Maintain the human body in a healthy condition
- Enhance blood flow to target muscles
- Reduce anxiety levels
For these reasons it can restore balance to the musculoskeletal system and it is recognised that regular sports massage has the potential to prevent injury enhance performance.
Sports Injury Assessment
Nowadays more of us are taking part in some form of physical activity. An osteopath uses their understanding of anatomy, physiology and biomechanics to get the best results for you.
Whether you are a pro athlete or a just enjoy a casual set of tennis with your friends, a mountain hiker or you would rather a gentle walk with the dog part of undertaking regular physical activity can mean repetitive aches and pains and other more traumatic sprains and strains.
When these pains occur the fastest way to get better is to see a professional as soon as possible so that the correct methods of recovery can be put into place.
In our clinics we can assess what type of injury has occurred, this could be ligament, tendon, muscle or joint problems. Our specialists will advise on rest, recovery and rehabilitation as well as giving the best treatment at the same time. Following this strategy to get you back to your best means quicker recovery and less chance of reoccurrence and ultimately more time doing what you enjoy.
Musculo Skeletal Check Up
In all walks of life it is good practice to look after and maintain belongings we use regularly. We service our mechanical possessions such as our cars, boilers and washing machines without a second thought and most of us have a check up on our teeth by our dentist. We do this because we know that it can help detect any problems early, allowing them to be attended to before any major damage occurs.
This is perfectly true about our muscles and joints which are essentially moving parts in a mechanical body.
Here at Complete Health Osteopathy we believe in prevention as a good habit to get into and rank it as important as reacting and helping our injured patients. Much like with seeing your dentist, having a musculo skeletal check up once every six months to a year can help pick up on any underlying issues before they become major.
During this thirty minute check up your osteopath will perform a check on the spine, pelvis and weight bearing joints as well as look at any issues you have concerns about. Some gentle treatment and advice may be offered.