We have compiled a list of some of the more common conditions we treat to give you a better understanding of osteopathy and how it may be able to help you. Everyone of all ages, including pregnant mums, children and babies, is welcome.
Back pain
Sciatica
Shoulder, arm and hand pain
Neuralgia
Muscle tension/spasm
Neck pain
Buttock, leg and foot pain
Arthritic pain and rheumatism
Inability to relax
Back pain
One of the most common reasons people consult osteopaths is back pain and therefore we believe that we are true experts in dealing with all types and severity of back pain. Back pain affects over 80% of the population at some stage of their lives and is one of the biggest causes of absence from work. The pain may vary from a slight niggling ache to sharp debilitating pain that can affect every part of the back and also radiate to other areas of the body too.
It is essential that your osteopath diagnose accurately the source of your discomfort before any treatment is provided. Normal causes of back pain make up the vast majority of the cases we see and these include bad posture, poor seating, unsupportive beds and pillows, incorrect lifting, sedentary lifestyle, stress (both physical and mental), trauma, sports injuries, pregnancy, “arthritis”… the list goes on. So what can be done?
Newent Osteopaths will provide a safe and effective treatment for your back pain using proven ways of relieving pain and rehabilitating the spine. We aim for a long-term solution to keep you feeling pain free by restoring normal motion and posture so that you can lead a full and pain free lifestyle. You should not have to put up with long-term back ache. There is often an underlying reason that is maintaining your back pain. Even if you have tried other therapies, given the opportunity to investigate and identify these reasons, in the majority of cases Newent Osteopaths will be able to help.
Sciatica
Those who suffer with sciatica say that the pain came on suddenly, like a bold of lightening. Others describe it as an excruciating "toothache" in their legs - either way sciatica is a painful experience and Newent Osteopaths will be able to help in most cases. Early Sciatic Pain is often so mild it can be ignored but this is the stage when it’s vital to see your osteopath.
The term Sciatica is a general term, which describes pain from irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve that leaves your spine to supply your leg. Its symptoms are generally pain down the back of the legs and can sometimes be felt in the ankles, feet & toes. Even when sciatica originates from the lower part of the spine, low back pain isn’t necessarily present. A prolapsed disc may cause sciatica but there are other conditions, such as the spinal wear and tear of osteo-arthritis that can cause irritation of the sciatic nerve. Sciatic symptoms may include numbness or tingling in one or both legs, occasional shooting pains, and tenderness in surrounding muscles.
Shoulder, arm and hand pain
Sometimes the hidden cause of arm and shoulder pain isn’t always clear cut as it would seem, as the hidden cause can be far more complicated. The anatomy of your shoulder makes it vulnerable to injury, but as with leg pain, the most important thing to do is to determine what is causing it. Your osteopath has been trained to accurately diagnose the problem and treat accordingly.
Whatever is causing the pain (frozen shoulder, repetitive strain injury, tennis/golfers elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, sports injuries, awkward sleeping positions, or your work station), your osteopath will explain the best course of action.
Most problems can be related to a large nerve outlet starting in your neck, called the brachial plexus, the nerves that service your arms and shoulders all meet here before they branch off. All it takes is a compressed (pinched) nerve to throw the whole system off balance which can cause tingling in the fingers, and unpleasant feelings of heat, cold and swelling. Newent Osteopaths aim to relieve the compressed nerve by realigning the spine, reducing muscle tension and therefore relieving the pressure on these vital nerves.
Neuralgia
Nerves can be irritated easily by inflammation, abnormal function or loading of the spinal vertebra and muscle tensions. However, nerves pinched by bones are relatively rare
Irritation and compression of nerves can result in pain, muscle weakness, pins and needles, numbness and burning sensations. Your osteopath is highly trained to diagnose the exact location of the nerve irritation and once this has been found, can effectively treat to reduce the tension and irritation gently, safely and effectively.
Muscle tension/spasm
Muscle tension can vary from a slight sense of tightness to agonising pain; it is very common. Getting to the root cause of the tensions is vital in providing long term relief.
As each muscles job is to move your joints, it is easy to see that if the joint is not moving well then the muscle will have to work harder to achieve the same result, conversely if the muscle is tight then the joint itself will struggle to move freely. Your osteopath will diagnose and treat these combined areas of tension and give you the tools for posture and exercise to help maintain your new restored sense of painless freedom and mobility. Many of our patients can not believe the difference in their sense of freedom when moving after a course of osteopathic treatment.
Athletic and sports injury treatment
If you’re an athlete (whether you’re a social squash player, or a highly tuned athlete competing at top level sporting events) sports injuries can be a very real problem. Sports injuries are often not the case of a simple muscle strain or local trauma that should be expected when you play sport.
You will be assessed to ensure that there are no underlying mechanical issues, such as an imbalance in the pelvis or spinal misalignment, that may be clinically silent, but that may be loading your muscles and tendons to the brink of collapse allowing trauma to occur with only the slightest of excess exertion.
Obviously, where local traumas present such as a twisted shoulder or sprained wrist from a fall, osteopathic treatment will help to reduce the pain and return you quickly to normal function.
Neck Pain
If you consider that the average adult head weighs about the same as a bowling ball, you can understand that bad posture can cause your head to deviate from its most comfortable position. If it changes to one that can significantly increase the weight that the muscles and joints in the neck and shoulders have to hold, then the result could be pain in the form of local tension, arm pains and often headaches spreading from the neck to up and over the head.
Car accidents and falls are a common cause of trauma to the neck is also very common. Substantial tissue damage can be caused by the speed and unprotected elements of these type of injuries and could cause other symptoms to arise; neck pain, headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, reduced ability to turn and bend, low back pain, pins and needles, and numbness or muscle spasms in the shoulders, arms and hands.
The key to success for this type of condition is going to your osteopath as soon as you can after the event. You will have a thorough investigation of your neck and related areas to determine where tissues have been damaged followed by a discussion with you as to the best way forward for treatment.
Buttock, leg and foot pain
Leg pain doesn’t always mean there is something wrong with the leg itself and your osteopath will be able to identify whether the source of your problem is where you feel the pain, or whether it is radiating from another part of your body. Because of the way your nervous system works, you may, for example, have pain in your foot when the problem actually lies in your lower back.
Arthritic pain and rheumatism
Don’t be despondent if you’re told that you should expect a certain amount of pain for your age, or that it’s normal for you to have reduced movement. At Newent Osteopaths we often meet patients who have come to us as a last resort having been told that nothing can be done for them and they must live with pain. Osteopathic treatment may enable you to live a more active life with reduced pain and suffering.
Wear and tear seen on X-rays are not always the underlying cause of your pain and advanced arthritis can be managed well. You don’t have to put up with constant pain.
The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, also called degenerative arthritis, and it is reported that over 50% of people over the age of 65 suffer pain and disability as a result. This type of arthritis begins years before any bone changes are found on x-ray and is primarily the “wear and tear” arthritis associated with every day life. In many cases, your osteopath can help you to accommodate to this change in structure, perhaps by freeing up related joints so that they share more of the load, or even reducing the tensions in the muscles of the area to reduce the inflammation and pain - treatment has proven to be immensely successful. There are also lots of postural exercises and day to day tips that can help you to help yourself.
If you start having aches and pains in joints that you believe are normally are subject to osteoarthritis, and the pain has come on over a matter of days, weeks or a few months (and in some cases years), please don't just resign yourself to it. It could be something far more simple to deal with, so make an appointment with us for a full assessment.
Inability to relax
Emotional stress can show itself through an increase in muscular tension, especially at the base of the neck, head and jaw, irritating nerves and upsetting blood flow to the brain, causing headaches and a general feeling of being out of sorts.
Children and Babies and Pregnant Mums
Please ring for further information.