Osteopathy can be used to treat a range of common complaints with a wide range of techniques available which are used in Osteopathic treatment.
The aim of Osteopathic treatment is to improve the function of the nerves, muscles, ligaments and joints. Some of the most common treatments include manipulation of joints to relax muscle spasm and pain, soft tissue massage to improve muscular blood flow, specific releasing techniques where the body is taken to a point of movement that allows the tension to subside and cranial osteopathy to allow fluid movement in your body tissues, hydrotherapy to aid blood flow and function or exercises to strengthen the muscles. As you can see, osteopaths are trained to use their hands and a highly developed sense of touch for both diagnosis and treatment.
Pain relief
Pain comes in a huge variety of forms; it is your body’s way of telling you that something is functioning inappropriately and as such can affect almost any part of you with common complaints including the lower back, neck, head (including migraine), joints, jaw, knees and legs. Of course pain can also come about through rheumatism, periods, traumatic injury, arthritis, osteoarthritis, sports, whiplash, lumbago, sciatica, repetitive strain injury or chronic ongoing pain.
Back pain
Over 50% of Osteopathic consultations relate to back pain; impairment of the spine can affect the neck, shoulders, arms, buttocks, groin or legs and so is often the cause of pain in your body. Back pain can stem from injury, disease or other pathological conditions so your Osteopath will use a variety of medical examinations and sometimes referrals to other specialists to find the best way to prevent or treat your specific problem. If you are suffering from back pain we recommend seeing an Osteopath as soon as possible who can recommend exercises that can help and look at potential root causes like sitting positions at home, at work, in the car, lifting heavy objects, gardening or the type of bed you have.
Sports injuries and pain
Body posture is a critical element in all kinds of sports, get it wrong and it affects your performance and could cause you injury. Our Osteopaths can help you work on your posture for safer and often better performance. We typically look at feet, knees and lower back, general body posture and the critical role of the pelvis in chronic groin or hamstring strains. As ever, at Rainham Osteopathic Clinic we focus on prevention rather than cure and can give sports people advice on warm ups and warm downs specific to their individual requirements.
Work strain and pain
The human body is designed to move, it is key to our health to do so but our modern lifestyle unfortunately forces us to sit for prolonged periods of time at desks, in cars, even on the sofa at home. This can cause stiffness and other problems in the musculo-skeletal system such as muscle and tendon injuries, slipped discs, sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, tenosynovitis, peritendonitis, epicondylitis, wrist pain, lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and repetitive strain injuries. Your Osteopath can help by looking at your individual posture when sitting or driving, and offer advice on how to improve it and suggest exercises and changes in routine which can alleviate your pain or prevent it happening in the first place.
You can learn more about our treatments and common complaints we deal with such as pregnancy pain, treatment of children and babies, back pain and arthritis on our patient resources page, or by getting in contact with us for a full consultation. No matter what your musculo-skeletal complaints or pain issues, our skilled Osteopaths can help you find a solution that prevents or greatly reduces your suffering. Contact us today at The Rainham Osteopathic Clinic and we can arrange an initial consultation.