You wake up in the morning with burning pain in your joints, a stiff back and struggle to get out of bed. Sound familiar? If you’re one of the millions of people suffering from chronic pain, you’ll know this scenario all too well. And it’s fair to say you’ve probably tried all kinds of chronic pain treatments to help alleviate those debilitating symptoms, with some or no success. Have you thought of seeing an osteopath?
Now the New Year is in full swing, there’s no better time to have a fresh start and try something new. You might have heard of osteopathy, or even tried it once before. But what exactly is it? And can seeing an osteopath help alleviate your pain? Before we delve into the latter, let’s just briefly explore what osteopathy is.
What is osteopathy?
Osteopathy is a health profession regulated by law in the UK. It’s a way of detecting, treating and preventing health problems by using a combination of techniques relating to the movement, stretching and massaging of your muscles and joints. It’s based on the principle that your wellbeing directly relates to your bones, muscles, ligaments and connective tissue, and how well they work together.
What are the signs that seeing an osteopath can help me?
There are signs to indicate whether seeing an osteopath might be beneficial for your health. From increasing joint mobility and relieving muscle tension, to enhancing blood supply to tissues and helping the body heal - it’s a holistic treatment that can hold great power.
There are many scenarios where seeing an osteopath can help you, here are just a few.
1. You have limited mobility in your joints
Whether you have limited joint mobility due to arthritis or an injury, osteopathy can help to increase the range of movement in your joints. This may be achieved through a combination of soft tissue massage and gentle joint manipulation. An osteopath will also advise you on things like posture, exercises you can do at home and how to make the most of your treatment.
2. You have a sports injury
Osteopathy is often used by sporting professionals to help increase performance. But it’s also a vital treatment for when you suffer a sports injury. Osteopathy can help improve joint mobility, reduce adhesions and soft tissue restrictions, thereby restoring performance.
3. Your back is hurting
Lower back pain affects around a third of the UK’s population a year. However, finding a cause is often problematic. If you’ve been to your GP and they think the issue is muscular or stiff joints, osteopathy may be able to help alleviate debilitating symptoms. An osteopath may use a combination of muscle massage and gentle manipulation to help alleviate symptoms of common back pain like sciatica, muscle tension, pregnancy back pain, spinal osteoarthritis and many more.
4. Pain affects your daily life
Chronic pain has been proven to cause stress, depression and other mental health problems. If your pain is affecting your day-to-day life, an osteopath can put a programme in place to try and alleviate those symptoms, either with or without medication. Osteopathy offers a holistic approach to your care, taking into account the structure and function of your body, along with the emotional and social aspects of health and healing. This often makes them ideally placed to manage a patient’s chronic pain symptoms.
If you’re still unsure whether seeing an osteopath could help you, we’d be happy to have a no obligation conversation. If you’re ready to start the new year with a fresh approach to your pain management, our expert osteopaths at Fiona Passey Osteopaths are here to help. To speak to the Halesowen team, please call: 0121 585 8555, or for our Wombourne branch, you can call: 01902 894894.
