Osteopathy Services
Osteopathy
Osteopathy is similar to Chiropractic and Physiotherapy, in that we diagnose and treat musculoskeletal disorders such as neck and back pain. Osteopaths liaise with your GP or consultant on diagnosis and treatment when necessary, and we may suggest X-Rays, MRI scans or other diagnostic tests are carried out. Osteopathy relies primarily on massage and manipulation to treat physical aches and pains. Osteopaths believe that if the body is correctly aligned the whole person will feel better and have greater well-being; for this reason Osteopathy is often regarded as being part of Complementary medicine or Holistic Medicine. The main difference between Osteopathy and Physiotherapy is that it is more 'Holistic' i.e. it takes into account the whole body and whole person.
Massage
Massage is a big part of Osteopathy, like Sports Massage Therapy, Osteopaths are trained to use all types of different massage techniques to facilitate release of tension and pain in the muscles and joints. It is one of the differences between Chiropractic and Osteopathy, in general terms Osteopaths use more massage or ‘soft tissue’ techniques. Often joints have pain or a pulled out of alignment by the muscles so it is important to address this as it is normally the root cause of joint misalignment.
Cranial Osteopathy
Along with many Osteopaths I use a style of Osteopathy known as ‘Cranial Osteopathy’. Like the name suggests it can be used to treat the head or ‘cranium’ but interestingly it can actually be used to balance all parts of the body. Sometimes referred to as ‘Cranio-Sacral’ Technique when practised by non-Osteopaths it helps to address problems from head (cranium) to tail (sacrum) and therefore allows the whole spine to feel more comfortable. Many patients like it because, apart from being very effective, it is also very relaxing and pleasant to receive. It is especially useful for those injuries where one has had a blow to the head or fallen heavily on ones bottom. It is also used a great deal to treat babies and children, and in pregnancy.
Low Level Light Lasers
Lasers are very useful in Osteopathic clinical practice, because of their amazing abilities to speed up healing, and reduce pain and inflammation. They do this more effectively than other approaches like ultra-sound and another added benefit is that they have a relaxing effect on the whole system.
The low intensity laser produces a beam of light that has a specific wavelength and frequency. When applied around the target area the light energy from the laser penetrates the tissue where it interacts with various intercellular bio-molecules setting in motion a chain of chemical reactions within each cell to help restore normal cell function and stimulate the body’s natural healing process.This chemical reaction in the cell allows several things to occur:
Stimulates Healing and Repair of Tissue
- Increases Tissue Strength
- Reduces Pain
- Reduces Swelling/Inflammation
- Promotes faster wound healing
- Stimulates nerve function
- Promotes Cellular Oxygenation/Detoxification
