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Arthritis
–
Osteopathy can reduce pain, ease swelling and improve mobility and range
of joint movement.
Asthma
–
Treatment is directed at improving breathing mechanics, correcting
posturally related problems and removing stresses in order to enhance well
being and ultimately reduce the reliance on medication.
Back
Pain
Doctors
agree that physical treatment such as osteopathy can be helpful as early
as possible after the onset of symptoms. Most back trouble responds well
to osteopathic treatment.
Children
and babies
– Osteopathic treatment for children and babies is very gentle and can
help correct mechanical problems in growing bodies or problems that
develop from earlier knocks or falls.
Colic
– The gentle, skilful application of osteopathic treatment (cranial
techniques are frequently used for treating babies) can bring about a
significant improvement in such cases, which may be an outcome of a
traumatic birth.
Cranial
Techniques
– Small tolerances of movement exist within the skull and osteopaths
with their highly trained sense of touch can identify and correct
disturbances and limitation of tissue
mobility, not only in the skull but throughout the body.
Diagnosis
– Osteopaths are fully trained in diagnosis and use many of the
procedures used in conventional medical assessment and diagnosis.
More specific clinical tests may also be done or arranged or a
referral made if it is felt necessary.
Driving
– Osteopaths can give advice on ensuring a comfortable drive,
particularly for those who suffer from back pain.
Education
– Training is for four years full time or five years part time.
The Privy Council has now approved accreditation by the General
Osteopathic Council of an initial five education providers.
Examination
–
what’s involved
- The initial consultation involves taking a thorough case history
covering general health, previous illness, lifestyle and family medical
history. The osteopath will
then conduct a physical examination, observing the patient’s range of
movements and joint function and assessing individual tissues. After the
examination the osteopath will explain the findings and a suitable course
of treatment will be prescribed.
Feet
and ankles
– Some lower limb and back conditions may stem from an uneven gait
(pattern of walking) and this may be due to problems with the feet or
ankles. An osteopath will
cover this in their initial examination.
Finding
an osteopath
– Registered osteopaths can be found through the by telephoning the
General Osteopathic Council’s advice line (020 7357 6655) or at its
website:-
GOsC
General
Osteopathic Council
– The Osteopaths Act (1993) established the GOsC as the regulatory body
for the osteopathic profession. After
9 May 2000 all osteopaths must be registered, with the Council.
GOsC
Glue
Ear
– Recurrent infections in the ear may be due in part to restrictions in
the small yet important movements between various bones of the growing
skull. An osteopath can often
help.
Gynaecological
problems
– Osteopathy can give relief to problems such as endometriosis,
menstrual pain and other associated pelvic problems.
Headaches
– A component of the typical ‘tension headache’ may be poor posture
or stresses and strains caused by mechanical problems, all of which can be
addressed by an osteopath.
Indigestion
–
Osteopathy may be able to relieve the discomfort of indigestion.
Irritable
Bowel Syndrome
– Osteopathy can help give relief to the bowel.
Jaw
– Many people find their jaw ‘clicks’ but when it becomes painful or
more frequent osteopathy can be beneficial
Joint
stiffness
- Osteopathy can help increase range of movement to relieve the pain
associated with joint stiffness.
Whether
through a sporting injury or general wear and tear osteopathy can help
relieve knee pain.
Strain
often accompanies skeletal problems and osteopaths can detect and correct
where this occurs.
ME
- or chronic fatigue syndrome. Some
researchers believe it arises from an impaired communication between the
central nervous system, the internal organs and the musculo-skeletal
components of the body. Clinical trials have successfully demonstrated
that a manual treatment programme such as osteopathy can help this
debilitating condition.
Migraines
– Tension in neck musculature may be a contributing factor in migraine.
Morning
sickness
– Some patients have reported reduced symptoms after osteopathic
treatment.
Neck
Pain
– Osteopaths can treat chronic or acute pain and treat to prevent pain
recurring.
Osteopathic
treatment
- Osteopaths
use their hands both to discover the underlying causes of pain and to
carry out treatment using a variety of manipulative techniques.
Osteoporosis
–
Osteopaths can advise on preventative steps to take to avoid development
of this disease. They can
also help with any associated pain.
Pelvic
Pain
– There are a number of causes of such pain (endometriosis, uterine
motility and surgery) that osteopathy may be able to address.
Pregnancy
–
Osteopathy is a wonderfully gentle way of helping the body adapt to the
changes which are taking place.
Posture
–
This can greatly influence the health of the musculo-skeletal system and
is frequently assessed by osteopaths.
Removing
pain and restoring freedom of movement can greatly improve ones quality of
life.
Rheumatic
Pain
– Osteopathy can help to reduce tissue inflammation and hence pain.
RSI
– Osteopaths can advise on workplace posture and treatment can help
ease the pain of RSI
Sciatica
– (Leg pain) is a common complaint which is frequently seen and
successfully treated by osteopaths.
Sport
injuries
– Osteopathy can help keep you at your training peak and also enable a
swift return to sport following strains and overuse injuries.
Statutory
Regulation
– As
of the 9 May 2000 osteopathy became a Statutory Regulated profession like
doctors and dentists and the title ‘Osteopath’ is restricted by law so
that only those registered can use it.
Techniques
- These may include soft tissue stretching, rhythmic passive joint
movements or high velocity thrust techniques to improve the range of
movement of a joint. Gentle
release techniques are often used, particularly when treating children or
elderly patients.
Tennis
Elbow
– This is not only restricted to tennis players!
It’s a common overuse injury that can be successfully treated
with osteopathy.
Symptoms,
such as aches, pains, difficulty in movement and swelling can be addressed
by an osteopath.
Veterinary
osteopathy
– Is used successfully to treat animals from domestic pets to race
horses.
Visceral
osteopathy - Osteopaths can
treat the internal organs for relief of symptoms from abdominal,
digestive, respiratory and pelvic pain.
Many
work related aches and pains (‘mouse wrist’, ‘computer hump,’
neck, shoulder or back pain) as well as injury caused by lifting can be
relieved through osteopathic treatment.
Osteopaths
may refer patients for X-rays if they feel they are necessary for
diagnosis and can interpret these in order to plan treatment.
An osteopath’s skills generally enable diagnosis to be reached
without the need for x-rays. However,
if thought appropriate the patient will be referred for tests.
Young
People
Children
and teenagers are not immune from musculo-skeletal problems which can be
caused by sports activities, hunching over computer games or carrying
heavy school bags.
Could
your bed be part of your back problem?
You can obtain advice on choosing a bed from your osteopath.
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