WHAT IS OSTEOPATHY?

Osteopathy is a physical medicine developed from ancient medical concepts.

Instead of just treating the symptoms, osteopaths seek to find the root cause of the patient’s problem without the use of medication or invasive procedures. Osteopathy adopts a gentle, holistic approach to patient health.

In the last 20 years, osteopathy’s efficiency for treating and understanding a number of disorders has made it one of the most popular forms of complementary therapy in the Western World. Osteopathy has been a regulated profession in the UK since 1993.

Osteopathy aims to restore and maintain the finely tuned system of the body with particular emphasis on the skeletal, muscular, nervous and visceral systems.

How does Osteopathy Work?

The body’s structural balance is commonly upset by physical strains, accidents, falls, poor posture, surgery, scar tissue, immobility and sporting injuries. Emotional trauma (because the mind directly influences the body through the nervous system) and chronic stress also affect this balance.

All of these factors can create tension and blockages in the body. These blockages can stay “silent” for years but eventually they will result in many different symptoms such as neck and back ache or pain, trapped nerves, digestives upsets, headaches, menstrual disorders, sleeping difficulties and many more symptoms.

How do I know if I can benefit from osteopathy?.

We can help you if you suffer from:

Back pain or neck pain

Trapped nerves

Joints aches

Headaches

Period pain

Stress

Inability to relax

Digestive disorders

Recurrent infections

Problems during and after pregnancy –see specific page

Newborn baby problems such as colic, difficult births –see specific page

You can also benefit from ostepathy if you are concerned by

Trauma

Accidents

A Fall

Repetitive strains

Poor posture

Strenuous activities

Surgery

Emotional trauma

Prolonged periods of stress

Traumatic labour

Repetitive strain injury

Even if you are only suffering from minor aches and stiffness at present, we advise a regular check up (especially if you are over 40), as prevention is the most intelligent, efficient and cost effective approach. If possible it is better to seek treatment before occasional stiffness or aches transform into a serious problem.

We all understand that bringing our car to the garage for a service prevents it from wearing out early and keeps it working optimally. The same thing applies to our bodies but, luckily enough, getting your body serviced from time to time will cost you far less than the MOT of your car.

How do we work?

After taking a full medical history and some further details concerning your complaint, we will carry out a thorough examination. Osteopaths use their hands to palpate and search for tensions in the body. We have a very high level of knowledge in anatomy and biomechanics, which we use to decipher tensions and to understand how the strain pattern that is disturbing your body has lead to your presenting problem.

During the treatment, we will then use different manipulative techniques (all gentle and painless), ranging from cranial therapy to gentle joint manipulation and stretching. We work to release the tensions until the body feels balanced and free.

After the treatment, patients normally leave the practice feeling calmer and lighter. It is very common for people to tell us that after their session they have slept “like a baby”