I have successfully treated most of the body in terms of muscle pain, injuries and complaints over the 20 plus years I have been in practice.
For most of us lower back pain comes from 3 areas. Our hereditary (runs in families), our posture (sitting down for a living) and age ( wear and tear).
As a lower back pain sufferer myself, my unique focus is on how the whole area works as a unit, I typically look at the lower back in combination with the hips and pelvis as this tends to have a better longer term prognosis.
Welcome to the world of computers and technology which undoubtedly leads to most neck pain, with sleeping posture ( especially sleeping face down) being an additional consideration especially the older we get.
I tend to focus on re-establishing movement of the whole of the upper third of the body, from the neck into the upper back (thoracic area) . Work station suggestions are always gone through, and sleeping posture too.
When the pain shoots along your sciatic nerve, through your buttock area and down the leg it tend to be much more painful than typical mechanical back pain as the nerve itself is directly aggravated.
The pain typically is one sided and can be caused by a joint problem, a muscle spasm and occasionally and injury to the disc.
I focus on being really clear as to the nature of which tissue is causing the injury , rather than assuming that sciatica is caused by disc bulges , which is what a google search tends to suggest ( as a worst case scenario). Treatment can then be focused on quickly getting this area out of pain.
Osteopathy is a great support during pregnancy in terms of releasing tight muscles and keeping your posture as good as possible.
Most women suffer from some back pain during pregnancy due to the extra weight putting pressure on back muscles. With the hormone Relaxin softening all the ligaments in the body ready for birth this puts extra strain on the muscles in the back which are already coping with the increase in your bump at the front.
I focus on providing practical support and direct treatment and postural advice. Diagnosis is key here screening for Pubic symphysis Disorder and other significant problems before starting treatment.
Most people who present at the clinic with arthritis suffer from Osteorthritis ( wear and tear in the joints) , rather than Rheumatoid Arthritis, ( a more painful systemic condition which tends to have warn red swollen fingers and joints
Osteoarthritis is basically a wear and tear condition due to us living longer lives. Osteopathy is a great way of supporting this condition as it encourages pain free movement.
I focus on encouraging none weight bearing exercise, dietary changes and use dry needling which has been proven to be successful at reducing arthritic pain.
Shoulder pain is one of the most varied conditions osteopaths treat , ranging from Frozen Shoulder, Tendon injuries from the rotator cuff muscles to more serious tears in tendons from sports injuries and long term use.
The range of problems we treat makes shoulders an area where I have undergone extensive extra training with specific techniques for Frozen shoulder and Rotator cuff recovery.
I focus on initial pain relief so the patient can start to use the joint again as quickly as possible. In order to achieve this I spend a long term in the initial assessment making sure that all the contributing factors including the neck, back and elbow posture are considered as marginal gains in these areas can help massively in terms of getting the patient moving again.
Tennis Elbow is typically an overuse injury combined with poor technique / posture. I find two areas of injury , tennis itself and from using a mouse ( typically in hypermobile patients).
I focus on relieving the muscles around the injury and getting the inflammation down on the sensitive area of the elbow which is often tender to touch.
Plantar Faciitis is a term use to describe inflammation of the tissue under the foot and is typically felt on the base of the heel towards the inside. Plantar Faciitis is typically worse first thing in the morning and the more you walk the more it hurts. It tends to occur in older rather than younger patients and is often associated with other foot issues such as a collapsed arch
I focus on treating the area itself and any of the contributing factors which can often include tight calf muscles, and mobilizing the individual joints of the foot to improve the foot posture and biomechanics.
Other conditions I treat often include
Migraines and headaches, Whiplash, Hip and knee pain, Plantar faciitis and Fibromyalgar