Osteopath Treatment Wellington | Back Pain | Neck Pain | Sports | Rehab

BACK AND NECK PAIN

Low back pain can range from an annoyance to agony. There are many possible causes of lower back pain, including injuries to the back muscles, ligaments, nerves or discs that may have occurred due to strain, overuse, trauma or wear and tear.

Back pain is extremely widespread affecting about 80% of the population at some point in their lives. It is one of the most common reasons people consult osteopaths.

In most cases back pain is caused by a minor injury or a strain, rather than anything more serious, and can be referred to as ‘simple back pain’. The symptoms often occur suddenly and can be triggered by a particular movement, but the causes may have been building for some time.

Using manual techniques, osteopaths examine the whole body to identify sources of pain and restricted movement that may indicate injury or impaired function.

Osteopathy aims to relieve back pain by stretching the muscles and ligaments of the back, reducing muscle spasms and restoring improved mobility to the vertebrae, improving blood flow and lymphatic drainage, and promoting free movement of the entire musculo-skeletal system. An osteopath may also advise a patient on techniques for avoiding and relieving future episodes of back pain.

Neck pain is a common condition that can cause headaches, muscle spasms and pain in the shoulders or arms. Trapped nerves may cause pins and needles, pain or numbness in the hands.

Neck strain can be a result of poor posture, muscle strain, sports or work injury, and trauma such as whiplash. It can even be caused by an incorrect sleeping position.

Whiplash is caused by a sudden, vigorous movement of the head which damages the ligaments and tendons in the neck. This form of neck strain can often take a long time to heal, causing pain, stiffness and a temporary loss of movement in the neck.

The osteopath will help to improve joint function and mobility, reduce muscle spasm and improve overall postural alignment. Advice is often given about seated and work postures to help prevent reoccurrence. Cranial Osteopathy

SPORT

Regardless of the sport or level you partake in, osteopathy can help assist with the prevention and management of many common injuries.

Common sport injuries osteopathy can help:

Achilles Tendon

Back pain (lumbar or thoracic pain)

Biceps Tendonitis

Constant knee problems

Frozen shoulder

Foot pain

Hip pain

Injuries that don’t go away

Persistent hamstring or calf strains

Running injuries

Recurring achilles problems

Repetitive strain injury (RSI)

Sciatica

Sprained ankle and other sprains

Tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow

Wrist injuries

Issues such as joint dysfunction or soft-tissue restrictions limit the body’s ability to function correctly, directly affecting the degree of performance and may even result in further injury.

Osteopathy can help by improving joint mobility, reducing adhesions and soft-tissue restrictions, resulting in structural balance and restored movement leading to enhanced performance.

Osteopathy can also help with maintaining your optimal physical performance by keeping on top of those minor niggles that can occur during training and competition.

Osteopaths are able to order X-rays and Ultrasounds to get a definitive diagnosis of your injury and if required can refer you to specialists.

KATE MCILROY

KATE MCILROY – WORLD CLASS

Wellington local Kate McIlroy is a professional athlete committed to the pursuit of excellence.

As an accomplished athlete who has experienced the highs and lows that go hand in hand with success Kate understands the importance of investing in a support network to maintain the rigours she throws at her biggest asset, her body.

One of the people Kate was privileged to be supported by when she was competing was Vicky an the team at Focus Osteopathy. Kate placed a high value on the holistic approach that Focus Osteopathy took to keep her body functioning at the limits she demanded of it.

Over the years Kate has excelled across the board with her best memories being:

becoming World Mountain Running Champion in her own back yard
representing New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games in athletics (2006) and triathlon (2014)
representing New Zealand at the 2012 Olympic Games

Keep up with Kate’s endeavours via katemcilroy.co.nz

OSTEOPATHY DURING PREGNANCY

Osteopathy is an extremely gentle and safe choice of treatment during pregnancy.
The body goes through huge changes during this time. You need it to function at its optimum, so that you are comfortable, your baby is healthy and your delivery is as uncomplicated as possible. It is important that your body can accommodate the changes in posture that occur.

As your baby grows your pelvis and lower back tilt forward which can cause lower back pain. Your posture will change to compensate, which may lead to tightness and pain in the upper back, causing breathing difficulties.

During the latter stages of pregnancy your pelvis and hips start to prepare for birth. This may cause some discomfort, making it uncomfortable to sleep and walk.

As the months progress the spine is placed under extra pressure due to the increase in weight of the baby and the amniotic fluid. Pregnancy hormones also cause the ligaments of the spine and uterus to soften making them more susceptible to injury.

An osteopathic approach is to maintain your optimal posture through various treatments as well as exercises that you can do at home. By ensuring that the curvature of the spine is correct and that the muscles are strong and flexible, you can ensure that pain is minimal. Osteopathy can also assist with circulation and drainage during pregnancy, which can again ease a lot of discomfort.

CRANIAL OSTEOPATHY

Cranial osteopathy is a gentle approach to treating the whole body. It uses very subtle pressures to encourage the release of stresses throughout the body by working on deep structures including bones, membranes and nerves. Osteopaths are trained to feel for rhythmic shape changes that are present in all body tissue. This is called involuntary motion. When there are strains present the osteopath can feel restrictions in the movement patterns of the body’s structures and fluids by assessing these shape changes.

Any restrictions can then be relieved using subtle realignment techniques to re-establish normal cranial rhythms, allowing the body to restore normal health.

Within cranial osteopathy, treatment was initially focused to the motion of the bones and membranes throughout the head and their influence on the nervous system and the fluid that bathes it.

However it has since been discovered that the techniques used in cranial osteopathy can be applied to any part of the body.

The mobility of the bones within the head still remain significant when treating with cranial osteopathy particularly when addressing conditions such as headaches, migraines, dental and sinus problems, ear infections, nervous conditions and birth strains in babies.

OSTEOPATHY FOR BABIES AND CHILDREN

Birth is one of the most stressful events in our life. A baby is subject to enormous forces as the uterus pushes to expel the baby against the resistance of the birth canal. The bones of the head are designed to overlap to reduce the size of the head as it is expelled.

The bones bend and warp as the baby descends, absorbing the stresses of a natural delivery. If the labour is interrupted, prolonged, or requires intervention such as suction or forceps, or if the baby is engaged for a long period of time before labour, the baby’s ability to absorb these stresses may be overwhelmed, resulting in strains, compressions or torsions through its head or body.

These stresses can result in the baby’s head being oddly shaped with moulding strains present. A baby can usually resolve these in the first few days through yawning, crying and suckling. However this un-moulding process is often incomplete, causing the baby to have to cope with these uncomfortable stresses within the head and body.

Gentle touch is used to assess the child for strains and unresolved moulding. Various subtle techniques are then used to release strains and guide the tissues toward improved motion.

Often the baby or child is very relaxed after treatment and may sleep for longer than usual. Occasionally children are unsettled after treatment. This is a temporary situation and is usually due to the child responding to the treatment, feeling different within itself.

Caesarean babies can also be affected by the birth process. They may have had an unusual lying position within the womb which caused a build-up of pressure through the head or pelvis, or a prolonged and difficult labour that ultimately ended in a Caesarean section. Even with planned sections the action of a very quick birth can lead to irritation of the nervous system.

VISCERAL OSTEOPATHY

Viscera is the collective name for the organs in the chest and abdomen. Organs are fluid filled structures attached by specialised ligaments to the body walls or to each other. These ligaments have a large nerve supply to them. Each organ needs to be able to move inside your body, assisting functionality of the organ and your body as a whole.

Visceral osteopathy seeks to release tensions from the tissues of these organs to allow them to function more efficiently. When there is a build-up of tension in these tissues, this can affect how the musculo-skeletal system around them is able to work.

Gentle manipulations can potentially improve the functioning of individual organs, the systems the organs function within, and the structural integrity of the entire body. Visceral osteopathy can therefore assist in the release of spinal and joint restrictions. In addition to musculo-skeletal problems, visceral technique can be very useful in conditions such as constipation, IBS and menstrual problems.

Strains in the connective tissue of the organs can result from illness, poor posture, injury, surgical scars and adhesions.

Tension patterns form through the connective tissue network deep within the body, creating a cascade of effects – often far from their original source – for which the body will have to compensate. This creates fixed, abnormal points of tension that the body must move around, with chronic irritation eventually giving way to functional and structural problems. For example, the final part of the large intestine is attached to the inside of the left hip bone and can affect the movement of that bone, leading to lower back problems.

OSTEOPATHY AND THE ELDERLY

One part of the body that is greatly affected by the process of ageing is the musculo-skeletal system. As we get older, the elasticity present within our body deteriorates and this increases the chance of injuring the soft tissues and bony structures of the body.

The effects of ageing on the body’s structure give rise to symptoms such as:

early morning stiffness
lower back pain and stiffness
neck and arm pain
hip pain
arthritis and joint-swelling

Obviously we can’t reverse the effects of age, but we can certainly improve movement, loosen muscles and ease stiffness. Basic posture can also be improved through gentle stretching and soft tissue techniques.

Osteopathy can help with managing long term health conditions such as arthritis, respiratory conditions, lymphatic drainage and balance issues.

An interesting study of elderly who were hospitalised with pneumonia showed that those treated with osteopathy had a reduced hospital stay.
http://archives1.research.msu.edu/inthenews/hands-osteopathic-treatment-cuts-hospital-stays-pneumonia-patients

TREATMENTS