Osteopathy - making structure function
How it started.
Osteopathy was developed by Andrew Taylor Still in America in the 19th Century as a holistic system of healing and brought to Britain by Dr JM Littlejohn. Dr Still was a frontier doctor who saw much suffering amongst the pioneering settlers and in the civil war. When he lost two of his children to disease he became dissatisfied with the conventional medicine of the time and, through his study of anatomy (structure) and physiology (function), concluded that there was a relationship between the two. He developed osteopathy as a means of working directly on the structure of a person so that their function would be improved.
Osteopathy and holism
Osteopathy has a reputation for dealing with back and neck pain; and while it does this very well it was originally developed as a complete (drugless) system of medicine.
One of it's main principles is that a person is a unity (mind, body, spirit) and osteopathy addresses all these aspects through structure. Put simply, if the structure is balanced and functions well then the other aspects of a person must improve.
In everyday life our bodies (structure) are continually adapting to the demands that we make on them. They do this automatically, however, sometimes stress overcomes the reflex corrections that the body tries to make and this presents as pain and loss of function.
In this situation osteopathy can be an appropriate treatment to help resolve the stresses held in the body and help to make structure function again.
What osteopaths do.
We use a number of techniques to work on the body. In particular, I tend to use the following :
- articulation of joints - using a gentle rhythmic movement to restore mobility
- stretching of tight muscles to restore a more appropriate tension
- Manipulation of joints. Using precise "thrust" techniques to restore joint mobility.
- "inhibition" of muscles, a cunning way to gently slacken a tight muscle without engaging it's automatic stretch-receptors.
- Functional techniques, including "balanced ligamentous tension" and cranial. BLT in this context is not about sandwich fillings, but a very effective way of gently restoring the proper range of movement to a joint by adjusting the tension in the ligaments that make up the joint.
Cranial, or "cranio-sacral" therapy is a part of osteopathy and can be very effective in resolving complaints around the head such as sinusitis, jaw problems, or "glue ear". It is also successful for treating colic, irritability or poor feeding in babies, especially if there was a difficult birth.
There are also other techniques that I use when appropriate, including visceral work, Muscle Energy Technique and fascial unwinding. Please ask me if you would like to know more.
What we treat
Basically and pain and restriction in the body, including back and neck pain, whether brought on by overlifting, sports injury, repetitive strain injury, poor work position, overgardening or any other cause. Functional complaints like headaches and IBS can also be addressed where there is a contributing structural problem, as is often the case.
Who we treat
All ages, from babies to more mature adults.
What happens in a treatment?
At the first consultation I will take a thorough case history relating to your problem and any previous complaints. An examination will then be made of the problem area and any associated areas. After examination a diagnosis will be reached which will be discussed with you, and treatment will then start using techniques most appropriate to the person and the complaint. Very rarely, referral may be made to your GP if a problem needs further investigation.