Are you suffering from general aches and pains or lower back pain, and long for an alternative to Paracetamol and Ibuprofen?
The practice of Osteopathy offers a drug free approach to holistic healthcare, using a range of techniques which allows the body to heal and restore itself to its natural state – free of aches and pains.
Although most people would associate osteopathy with back pain, all osteopaths complete a minimum of 1000 hours of clinical practice as part of their four-year degree course and deal with patients of all ages with a myriad of complaints including; back, neck, shoulder, knee, hip and ankle pain, arthritis, carpal tunnel, all types of sport injuries, headaches and fibromyalgia to name but a few!
Osteopathy is a form of hands-on manual therapy involving gentle techniques such as manipulation and mobilisation of the spine and peripheral joints, as well as deep tissue massage to minimise pain, improve mobility, correct structural anomalies and help the body return to a state of homeostasis.
However, osteopathy is not merely a range of techniques, but a philosophy founded in the late 19th century by Dr Andrew Taylor Still, based on the underlying principle that the structure and function of the body are mutually dependent. Flaws in the structure affect the blood Disease is the effect of a change in the parts of the body. To cure disease the abnormal parts must be restored to the
The body has inherent self-regulating mechanisms for protection, repair and reproduction. Osteopaths endeavour to restore the structure of the body to its optimum, and let nature do the rest.
Health is defined as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease’. With this in mind, each osteopathic appointment acknowledges the unique individuality of each patient and both the treatment and advice on exercise, diet and lifestyle are tailored accordingly.
There are currently more than 4,600 registered osteopaths in the UK, carrying out over seven million consultations every year. Osteopaths are primary healthcare professionals so no GP referral is necessary and 54% of patients are seen within one working day, 95% within one week!
To quote Dr Still in summary:- “When every part of the machine is correctly adjusted and in perfect harmony, health will hold dominion over the human organism by laws as natural & immutable as the laws of gravity.”
Written by Graham Miller
Registered Osteopath 0781 332 7167