Osteopaths treat a range of conditions

For this article I have put the ball in the court of my colleague Anthony Brindle MOst, Registered Osteopath. Anthony is also qualified in Sports Massage and Dry Needling. He is a keen squash player and coach, having represented Gibraltar at various international events, most notably the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Like myself, Anthony is keen to make people more aware of how Osteopathy can help you. Over to you Anthony…

Osteopathy for better health

Head, shoulders, knees and toes…and backs, of course! As an osteopath I often have people ask, “so do you just treat backs?” but actually this couldn’t be further from the truth. Through our five years of training we learn to help with a wide range of conditions. These are as wide ranging as headaches caused by upper back and neck tension (known as cervicogenic headaches) to lower back issues caused by a lifting injury or niggling sports related injuries in people’s pursuit of a New Year’s resolution or fitness goal, like the upcoming London Marathon.

While treating, other issues are often mentioned!

In clinic I’ve had several situations while treating a patient for a lower back or neck complaint where a patient has mentioned after a few treatments that they have other issues such as a persistent pain in their Achilles tendon. Quite often this may be worse in the morning, going up or down stairs or when going for their weekly run. When asked why they hadn’t mentioned this before, they express how they didn’t realise osteopaths could help with such symptoms.

Structured approach & specific exercise advice

A careful examination followed by a structured approach to hands on treatment as well as specific exercise advice can greatly help – stretches for tight calf muscles for example can often help relieve Achilles and foot problems such as plantar fasciitis (that burning sensation in the bottom of your foot that has you thinking you’re walking over hot coals first thing in the morning.)

Holistic approach to a person’s health

This means osteopaths look at the entire body and the interactions between one body part and another, as well as how a patient’s pain may be caused by certain postural habits. So rather than just treating the area where a patient feels their pain we will also look at other factors contributing to the pain. Going back to the example of a patient with back pain and Achilles pain, there could possibly be a link between the two areas… did compensating for the Achilles problem trigger the lower back, or vice versa? Surely it would make sense to treat both!

At The Odiham Clinic Anthony, myself and our other Osteopathic colleagues use a wide range of hands-on techniques as well as exercise and postural advice to a treat a whole host of injuries.

So why not pop in? You might be surprised what injuries we could help with.