What is Osteopathy?

Most people think of osteopaths as ‘back specialists’ and although back pain is what we treat a lot, we are more versatile than that. Osteopathic treatment does not target symptoms but treats the parts of the body that have caused the symptoms. We have a holistic approach and believe that your whole body will work well if it’s in good structural balance. We use a wide range of techniques and this breadth of approach allows us to focus on every patient’s precise needs.

Osteopaths assess and treat people of any age from the elderly to the newborn and from pregnant women to sports people.

Your appointment

Before we treat you, we will make a full medical assessment. We take time to listen and ask questions to make sure we understand your medical history and your day-to-day routine which may give clues to help our diagnosis. We may feel your pulse and check your reflexes, take your blood pressure and refer you for clinical tests, such as x-rays, if we think you need them.

We usually look at your posture and how you move your body. We may also assess what happens when we move it for you and see what hurts, where and when. Using touch, we may also find the areas which are sensitive or tight and this helps us to identify what’s going on. When we have done this, we can diagnose your condition. We may sometimes feel that osteopathy is not appropriate for you and refer you to your GP or another specialist.

Osteopaths use a wide range of gentle manipulations, depending on your age, fitness and diagnosis. Treatment is different for every patient but may include techniques such as different types of soft tissue massage and joint articulation to release tension, stretch muscles, help relieve pain and mobilise your joints. Sometimes, when we move joints you may hear a ‘click’. This is just like the click people get when they crack their knuckles. We may discuss exercises that you can do to improve your posture and movement in your workplace and everyday life.

Common conditions treated

• Back & neck pain
• Shoulder and arm problems
• Pelvis, hip and leg problems
• Sports and other injuries

However, patients have found osteopathy helpful for many other conditions. If you want to find out more, call us. We will be happy to talk to you.

What is Cranial osteopathy?

Cranial osteopathy is a refined and subtle type of osteopathic treatment that encourages the release of stresses and tensions throughout the body, including the head. It is a gentle yet an extremely effective approach and may be used in a wide range of conditions for people of all ages, from birth to old age.

The body has a very subtle, rhythmical shape change that is present in all body tissues, called involuntary motion or cranial rhythm. Cranial osteopaths are trained, by finely developing their sense of touch, to feel this movement, which is of very small amplitude. Tension in the body disrupts the cranial rhythm and cranial osteopaths work with the body to regain the optimal rhythm. This type of therapy can therefore be effective for all type of symptoms.

Cranial osteopathy for babies and children

It is common belief that babies and children should have no structural stresses or stains in their bodies because they are so young. The reality is different as birth is one of the most stressful events of our lives as the baby is subjected to enormous forces. Although the baby’s head has remarkable ability to absorb these stresses, sometime the recovery is incomplete, especially if birth has been difficult. As the child grows, retained birth trauma can lead to other problems. Cranial osteopathy may be able to identify if there are any remaining stresses and support a quicker recovery.

The treatment

Cranial osteopathy is a very gentle, save and effective treatment approach. The practitioner will still take a careful case history to understand the medical history and to obtain a diagnosis. Examination and treatment may be by very specific, skilled light pressure applied around the head, diaphragm and other areas of the body. The light pressure applied aims to assist the natural ability of the body to release stresses and tensions.

Adverse reactions

Reaction to any treatment are variable from person to person. Babies and children are often very relaxed after a cranial treatment, other have bursts of energy. Occasionally children are unsettled after treatment which is a temporary situation which usually settles after 24-48 hours.