What We Treat
feel better
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Back pain is a very common condition, which affects four in five people at some point in their adult life. Mechanical lower back pain or ‘non specific lower back pain’ is the most common cause of lower back pain. This is where the pain is a result of strained muscles, joints, ligaments, minor damage to an intervertebral disc, or several tissues causing the pain. Symptoms can differ from person to person, from sharp pain to stiffness and soreness. It can be a short problem lasting only a few days, but in some cases it can take weeks, months or even years to get past an episode.
Causes of Back Pain
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Bad posture
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Poor ergonomics
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A sedentary lifestyle
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Frequent repetitive movements,
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twisting/lifting/pulling/pushing
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High levels of stress and anxiety
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Trauma or Injury
Treatment of Mechanical Back Pain
Research has found that manual therapies such as Osteopathy, Chiropractic, Physiotherapy and Acupuncture can help with the symptoms of pain and with the right advice can help you to manage your symptoms and prevent it from coming back.
Trapped Nerves
Trapped, or impinged nerves most commonly occur in the neck or lower back. They are generally caused by compression or irritation of the nerves and can cause sharp pain, tingling and numbness down the arms or legs.
Causes of trapped Nerves
Trapped nerves can be caused when one of the discs in the spine has become disrupted and impinges onto the nerves as they exit the spinal column. This is more common in the lower back, but can also happen in the neck.
Trapped nerves can also be caused by damage to the nerves or nerve roots as a result of a traumatic event. An example of this is when the nerve root is stretched during a rugby tackle where the neck is side-bent too far from the shoulder causing damage to the nerves exiting the spine on that side.
Nerves can also be trapped, or impinged, in the shoulder, buttock or leg as they pass through muscles that have gone into spasm. The spasm of the muscles irritate the nerve, causing pain.
Treatment of trapped nerves
Depending on the extent of the injury, these conditions respond well to osteopathic treatment.
We use a combination of gentle articulation, massage, and manipulation techniques, along with other modalities and taping, in order to reduce pain and muscle spasm, facilitate healing and restore the range of movement to the area.
Due to the daily use of computers, laptops and tablets, neck pain has become a very common complaint, second only to back pain. Neck pain can be caused by strain to various tissues like muscles, ligaments and joints. However, in some cases nerves and intervertebral discs can be a factor.
An acute episode of neck pain can feel like a very sharp, stabbing pain with all neck movements being very uncomfortable. It can also feel like a constant dull ache with headaches in the base of your skull.
Causes of Neck Pain
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Desk posture and poor ergonomics
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Sleeping or prolonged sitting in an awkward position
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Anxiety and Stress
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Heavy lifting
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Age related changes like Osteoarthritis Arthritis
Treatment of neck pain
Research has found that ‘hands on’ therapy (massage, spinal manipulation and mobilisation), postural advice can help alleviate symptoms.
Headaches (Cervicogenic)
Headaches arising from the neck (cervicogenic)
Headaches affect as many as 10 million people in the UK. There are several reasons for what causes headaches; the most common are cervicogenic headaches. These headaches manifest as a result of referred pain coming from the neck due to tension or strain in the muscles and joints of the neck and upper back
Causes of Headaches arising from the neck
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Poor posture
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Sleeping or prolonged sitting in an awkward position
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Anxiety and Stress
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Age related changes like Osteoarthritis Arthritis
Treatment of cervicogenic headaches
Osteopathic treatment can help alleviate headaches arising from the neck with hands-on treatment of massage and manipulation to the muscles of the neck, thorax and back to relieve the build-up of muscular tension that may lead to headaches.
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain can arise from a number of conditions:
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Acromioclavicular joint pain – This is pain in the joint where the collarbone and shoulder blade join at the tip of your shoulder
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Rotator cuff problems – This is an injury or strain to the muscles of the shoulder girdle. Pain and stiffness suffered in the shoulder, and sometimes into the neck and upper arm is often due to a tendinopathy of the rotator cuff muscles – the deep muscles which help to control and stabilise the shoulder joint.
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Frozen Shoulder or Adhesive Capsulitis – This is where the shoulder capsule becomes inflamed and gradually stiffens and is very painful. Range of movement is reduced which can limit daily activities.
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Osteoarthritis – Gradual wear and tear of the cartilage and shoulder joint. You may feel swelling, stiffness and aching pain which can be sharp on movement.
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Referred shoulder pain – Pain in the shoulder can be referred pain from a problem in the neck or upper back.
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Shoulder instability – Dislocation or excessive movement at the shoulder joint leading to pain.
Treatment of shoulder pain
As an osteopath, I am trained to try and help you understand what is causing your shoulder pain. Once you have been examined, I will determine whether osteopathic treatment could help you. X-rays, scans or other tests may be required to make a diagnosis and I may refer you to your GP for further treatment or investigation. Treatment can vary to suit your individual case. You may receive massage, manipulation of the joint, neck and thoracic spine, medical acupuncture, and rehabilitative exercises.
Hip Pain
Pain in the hip can come from tight or strained muscles around the hip or from the joint itself.
Causes of Hip pain
Pain in the hip can sometimes be the result of an injury, referred from the lumbar spine or osteoarthritis within the hip joint.
Treatment of Hip pain
Osteopathy can’t cure arthritis and depending on the level of wear and tear within the joint it can help with easing some of the symptoms. Osteopaths looks at the person and their particular symptoms on a case by case basis. We'll look at how the hip moves and what is causing the pain. Treatment, massage and articulation of the hip and surrounding areas can help to reduce tension and pain. Advice and rehabilitative exercises may be provided to help strengthen and stretch the area.
Sciatic Pain
Most commonly recognised by the name ‘Sciatica’. Sciatic pain, originates from the Sciatic nerve that leaves the spinal cord at several vertebral levels of the spine and passes through the pelvis to the back of the thigh where it branches again and travels down the calf into the foot.
The sciatic nerve can become ‘irritated’ or ‘compressed’ at any point of it’s path from the spine to the foot. The most common points at which this can happen are as it leaves the lumbar spine and as it moves towards the pelvis where is passes through or close to a muscle called the piriformis.
Sciatic pain can present itself as lower back pain with buttock/leg pain and or pins and needles. Sometimes it can manifest in weakness of the leg muscles.
Causes of Sciatic Pain
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Bad posture
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A sedentary lifestyle
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Frequent repetitive movements, twisting/lifting/pulling/pushing
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High levels of stress and anxiety
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Trauma or Injury
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Age related changes, osteoarthritis arthritis
Treatment of Sciatic pain
Once the Sciatic nerve has been irritated it can take time to settle down. A combination of manual therapy, acupuncture, advice of pain medication and home exercises can help.
If you have any further questions about Sciatic pain or how Osteopathy could help you, feel free to get in touch.
Knee Pain
The knee is a major weight bearing joint and can be prone to stress, strain and wear and tear. Symptoms can be sharp or dull pain at rest or in movement, stiffness, locking, clicking and swelling.
Causes of Knee pain
The knee joint is made up of a number of tissues , such as bones, ligaments, tendons, muscles, capsule, and cartilage. These structures are all subject to stress and strain as a result of injury, sports injury or repetitive wear and tear.
Treatment of Knee pain
Some knee injuries may require scans to determine severity of injury. Surgery may be necessary to repair torn ligaments or cartilage. Osteopathy treatment, massage, articulation and medical acupuncture can help with easing symptoms and pain. Exercise and advice may also be given to aid recovery.
Elbow Pain
Pain around, the elbow can be due to 2 main conditions – Tennis elbow and Golfer’s elbow
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Tennis Elbow (Lateral epicondylitis) – This is pain and tenderness around the outside of the elbow joint, sometimes with referred pain down the forearm.
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Golfers Elbow (Medial epicondylitis) – This is pain and tenderness around the inside of the elbow joint, occasional pain into the forearm.
Causes of Elbow pain
Tennis and Golfers Elbow can arise from repetitive overuse or wear and tear of the tendons of the forearm muscles attaching at the elbow joint.
Treatment of Elbow pain
Massage and medical acupuncture can help ease your symptoms. Advice on posture and rehabilitative exercises may be given.
Foot & Ankle Pain
Foot pain can be extremely frustrating as we tend to spend a lot of time on our feet. Being in pain and/or immobile can have a serious affect on our quality of life and can hamper our participation in sporting activities etc.
Treatment of Foot and Ankle Problems
We are experienced at treating a wide range of foot and ankle problems using a variety of techniques including mobilisation, Pilates exercise, taping.
Common Conditions Include
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A Sprained ankle:- is likely to be painful and swollen and will often have bruising around the injured area. The ankle is usually painful to bear weight on and – although even some non-weight-bearing movements can sometimes cause pain.
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Achilles Tendon Problems:- pain around the heel and lower calf area, either in the tendon itself or where the tendon inserts into the heel. There may also be swelling in the tendon and it is likely to be tender to touch.
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Heel Pain:- The two main causes of heel pain are Plantar Fasciitis and a Calcaneal Heel Spur. These are related conditions and often occur together.
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Plantar Fasciitis:- The predominate sign of plantar fasciitis is pain into the underside of the heel, however you may also experience pain into the arch of the foot.
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A Calcaneal Heel Spur:- is a calcification of the heel bone on the underside of the foot around the insertion point of the plantar fascia.
This is a general term used to describe how the problem arose either from a traumatic onset or the gradual build up of stress over a period of time due to overuse. Almost any part of the body can be injured in sports as it can be damage to any or multiple tissues; muscles, joints, ligaments, bones and cartilage.
Common sports injuries I see are:
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ligament strain
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muscle strain
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groin pulls
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hamstring strains
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Achilles tendon problems
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knee pain
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shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome)
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ankle sprains
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shoulder pain or impingement
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back pain
Treatment of Minor sports injuries
After taking a detailed consultation and examination of the injury, a diagnosis will be made. This will then determine whether Osteopathic treatment is suitable. Treatments may include massage, manipulation of joints, medical acupuncture, ultrasound and rehabilitative exercise. The earlier the injury is treated the better the recovery.
Pain, swelling, inflammation and often stiffness in the joints of the body.
Causes of Arthritic pain
The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Other types include gout, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition of the joints of the spine, hips, knees, feet and hands. This is where the joint cartilage and underlying bone breaks down causing stiffness and pain.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease where multiple joints are painful, stiff, fatigued and swollen.
For more information on arthritis, visit Arthritis Research UK.
Treatment of Arthritic pain
Osteopathy can help with the symptoms of arthritis by using gentle manipulative and massage techniques to gently move the joint and release the surrounding muscles. Advice on postural changed, stretching and exercises may be given to help manage your condition.
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is a general term used to describe injury and pain in the muscles and tendons in the forearm, wrist and hand. RSI can feel like mild pain after a long duration of repetitive activity. More intense symptoms of numbness, tingling, weakness and cramping can also occur.
Causes of Repetitive strain injuries
In recent years RSI’s have become more common and affects all types of people; office workers, musicians, gamers, tablet users, excessive texters, gardeners and factory workers. Any type of prolonged strain and over use of the muscles, ligaments and joints of the wrist and hand can lead to RSI symptoms.
Treatment of Repetitive strain injuries
Osteopathy can help with RSI pains using massage, joint articulation, rehabilitative exercises and ergonomic advice.
