Osteopathy
Osteopaths are Allied Health Professionals recognised by the NHS as Primary Healthcare Providers, which means we are trained to diagnose and treat a wide range of health issues, and you don't need a referral from your GP.
We have substantially more time than most primary care practitioners which enables us to offer a comprehensive investigation into your issue. As well as being experts in the muscular-skeletal system, we understand its' impact on other systems of the body, and we use this knowledge to promote good health and wellbeing.
One of our central principles is that the health and well being of the person is optimal when the muscular-skeletal system, it's connective tissues and the organs they support are functioning smoothly together; that pain and dysfunction in one area may affect how another area is working.
The osteopath uses gentle techniques working with your body to create the optimal environment to encourage the body's own self-healing and repair processes.
We consider each case individually and take the time to ask you about your lifestyle and medical history as well as the bit that hurts, and look at how the different parts of the body are working together. By looking at the body as a whole we aim to redress imbalances to alleviate symptoms. This helps us understand the factors contributing to your current symptoms and what we can collaboratively do about it, to not only offer relief from symptoms but to stop it coming back.
The number of sessions you'll need will vary from person to person. How long you've had the problem, the nature of the problem and the stresses and strains you are under are some examples of what will affect this. It's my intention to get you back to full function in as little time as possible.
We undergo a minimum of 4 years rigorous clinical training to ensure that as primary care practitioners we are experts in our field. We also have to undergo 30 hours of CPD per year to keep our knowledge and skills up to date.
I will use a number of approaches to help you reduce pain and improve function with every treatment tailored to your specific needs including
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gentle manual therapy (moving, stretching and massaging muscles and joints)
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basic rehabilitation exercises and stretches to self manage your problem
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basic nutrition, health and lifestyle advice
Some common conditions treated can be found here and under the Osteopathy Tab
To find out more about osteopathy and how we are regulated please have a look at the websites of The General Osteopathic Council at www.osteopathy.org.uk or The Institute of Osteopathy at www.iosteopathy.org