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While our core area of practice is osteopathy, we also work in other areas including sports medicine and Pilates. If you wish to learn more about some of these key areas of our work, read on or simply get in touch.

Osteopathy is a distinct approach to healthcare based on an established system of clinical diagnosis. Osteopaths focus on the structure and function of the body using gentle manipulative techniques to correct and normalise joint and tissue imbalances. Osteopathy treats the person not just the disorder. In particular, it is concerned with the relationship between the structure of the body and the way it functions.

Rather than being caused by a single incident, most back and neck disorders tend to result from a combination of:

• Poor posture
• Faulty body mechanics
• Stressful living and working habits
• Loss of strength and flexibility
• General decline in physical fitness

Months or years may pass before a combination of these factors results in an actual disorder. Recognising this dramatically changes the way back pain is managed, shifting emphasis from concentration on the acute phase when pain occurs, to the long-term prevention process.

Addressing each of these factors in patients' care can avoid recurring episodes of back and neck pain. Osteopathy can help alleviate pain and discomfort from most parts of the body by allowing the body to heal itself. Not only does it offer hands-on pain management, but it can also encourage optimal health as the body balances itself through treatment and starts to function without intrusion. One vital component of an osteopathic treatment plan is to make sure that once you are in good health, you remain that way. Our definitive aim is to re-establish and maintain your optimal health.

How can an osteopath make me better?

Firstly by understanding the cause of your pain and then treating that, rather than the pain itself. Osteopathy works by identifying the fundamental cause of pain with the aim of resolving it. There is no surgery or drugs involved. Painkillers only numb the pain (and often have side effects). Osteopathy offers hands-on treatment which involves various techniques including soft-tissue massage, specific joint manipulation, cranial osteopathy (involving very gentle techniques on the cranial bones of the skull), a range of electrotherapy used on the soft tissues of the body and rehabilitative exercises, to aid in the short and long-term benefits of treatment. Treatment aims to regain the optimal functioning within the joints, ligaments, tendons and organs, in order that the intrinsic healing ability of the body is restored.

Remember that it may be bliss when your therapist has taken all your pain away, but it will probably come back unless the other contributing factors are addressed. Education, exercise and check-ups are the only things likely to work in the long term. Treatment can include some or all of the following techniques:

• Soft-tissue massage
• Joint manipulation
• Gentle joint stretching
• Rehabilitative exercise
• Ultrasound Medical Acupuncture
• Interferential
• Pilates
• MET and PNF techniques
• Cranial techniques

Osteopathic education and statutory regulation

Osteopathy was the first complementary healthcare profession to be accorded statutory regulation by the government, and our osteopaths are expert primary contact healthcare professionals. Our qualified osteopaths have undergone five years of training to gain a BSc (Hons) degree or equivalent, and are registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). The GOsC protects patients by regulating and setting standards for osteopathic education, practice and conduct.

Meet our friendly team of osteopaths.

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Pilates is a form of exercise that offers a different way of thinking about your body. It targets the deep postural muscles, which in today’s society are so underused, and works by building strength from the inside out, rebalancing posture and bringing the body into correct alignment.

Its slow and controlled approach means that its results are long-term, and it is especially recommended by healthcare specialists for people with back problems.

Practising the movements makes you more aware of your body, which helps you to understand not only your strengths but your weaknesses too. The exercises systematically work all the muscle groups in the body, the weak and the strong, combining a focus on suppleness with the emphasis on strength building. The movements gently stretch the muscles, too, pulling them into leaner and longer shapes.

Why Pilates?

Consider what the average person does in a day: sitting down for breakfast, sitting in the car, sitting behind a desk, sitting for lunch and dinner, and then, in the evening, sitting in front of the television before going to bed! Modern life means we don't ask much of our bodies in our daily activities: is it any wonder that most of us experience back pain at some point in our lives?

Pilates offers us the chance to use our bodies in a ‘complete’ way. It develops areas that need attention and builds strength in those that are weak. Abdominal strength is essential for most daily activities as it is this area that provides ‘core stability’. On the other hand, in order to achieve natural balance and stability we need to work on training our backs as well. Pilates helps redress this balance and allows us to become more aware of what we unconsciously do to our bodies, thereby helping us to identify and alter our bad habits.

Find about our Pilates classes and how they can help take care of your long-term wellbeing.

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