Osteopathy
Osteopaths are primary healthcare practitioners that utilise manual therapy techniques to treat musculoskeletal issues such as back pain, sciatica, sports injuries and more.
If one area of the body is not functioning as it should then other areas may compensate or be over-strained. It is very important to identify and treat the cause of the problem and not just the symptom.
One common example is that a patient presents with back pain, however they may also have stiffness in the hips from hip muscle shortening from sitting for too long in an office chair at work. The stiff hip muscles are the cause but the back is being forced into an uncomfortable and unnatural position, giving the patient lower back pain. Here we would identify and treat the hip muscle shortening first to reduce the strain on the lower back.
Bad habits from daily living (such as poor chair posture, poor lifting technique or age-related degeneration) can cause pain by tightening certain muscle groups to compensate for weak or damaged areas.
Osteopathy is used to both treat and prevent musculoskeletal pain using a wide range of manual therapy techniques including massage, stretching, manipulation, exercises and more.
Treatment is bespoke and so is tailored to the individual, depending on the complaint and case history.
Here at Wokingham Osteopaths we strongly believe about the benefits of self-management and offer advice and exercises to all patients to allow them to take care of their condition between treatments and beyond.
Pregnant women can also benefit from Osteopathic treatment. As the baby grows, the mother’s centre of gravity is pulled forwards meaning that the lower back is more curved and the muscles shorten to ensure the mother does not fall forwards. As a result the sciatic nerves which exit the spine and run down the back of both legs can become compressed and lead to Sciatica.
For more information please call us on 0118 380 0385 and you can chat with an osteopath about how Osteopathy in Wokingham could help you.