Osteopathy
Osteopathy is a system of diagnosis and treatment designed to provide pain relief for the body’s structural and mechanical problems. It is based on the principle that the wellbeing of an individual depends on their bones, muscles, ligaments and connective tissue functioning smoothly together.
How does it work?
Unlike many other treatments, an osteopath has a holistic (whole body) approach to health and aims to treat the cause and not just the effect of the problem. They will not only examine the area(s) of your body causing discomfort but the whole body as well as often the cause of the problem is in a different area to the pain. This means that all areas leading to the pain are treated and not just the specific area of pain itself.
To do this osteopaths use touch, physical manipulation, stretching and massage techniques with the aim of:
- increasing the mobility of joints
- relieving muscular tension
- enhancing the blood and nerve supply to tissues
- helping the body’s own healing mechanisms
Using these techniques osteopaths can treat a wide variety of conditions although most people think of us as ‘back specialists’. This is a common myth and it is important to remember that osteopathy can benefit all parts of the skeleton.
We provide effective treatment for:
Injuries:
Whether it’s a sports injury or a general injury you are often aware of what you did and how you did it, but require treatment to help you get back up and running.
If damage has occurred to the muscles, ligaments or joints we will diagnose the problem and develop an appropriate plan of action allowing you to get back to activity as soon as possible.
Reocurring Injuries:
Sometimes muscles, ligaments and joints never fully recover from an injury and as a result this can cause persistent and on-going problems and pain. This can be due to a number of reasons such as a tension or restriction in another area of the body that is putting extra strain on the injury and therefore not allowing it to fully heal. At The Cole Practice we are equipped to find these reasons and treat them effectively so that a full recovery can be made.
Degenerative Problems:
As we get older our muscles, bones, ligaments and joints will also age. Although there is no cure for arthritis osteopathic treatment can help with the symptoms associated with it. Our gentle and effective treatments encourage the movement back to the joints and relieve the stiffness so that the aches and pains don’t stop you from doing the things you enjoy.
Postural Problems:
Inevitably what with the rise in popularity of smart phones and tablets many of us have adopted poor postures which often lead to aches and pains. These symptoms will often have a structural component to them that osteopaths are able to identify and correct. We can offer advice about your posture and how to correct it by prescribing exercises that will help to restore the body’s state of balance.
Common Conditions:
The following lists some of the more common conditions that osteopaths treat. It is by no means complete and if you are not sure if osteopathy can help you please call us. We’ll be more than happy to discuss your symptoms and advise you on whether osteopathy is suitable for your particular problem.
- Acute and Chronic Back Pain
- Neck and Arm Pain
- Sciatica
- Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist and Hand Pain
- Sports Injuries
- Disc Injuries
- Muscle Spasms
- Headaches
- Arthritis
- Hip, Knee, Ankle and Foot Pain
- Pregnancy Related Pain
If you are suffering with any of the conditions above, please do book to come and see one of our trained specialists at one of our osteopathic clinics in Epsom or Sutton in Surrey.
