Is sleep position important.

Your sleep position can cause problems and be responsible for your back, neck or arm pain.It is important to find out what is the best sleep position for you and your painful problem.Sometimes the position causes the pain, others the pain causes an issue with the position you usually sleep in. The osteopath is ideally suited to help you with these issues and give advise or treatment that can resolve sleep problems.Nerve entrapment, subacromial compression,double crush,brachial neuritis,dead hands,numbness down the arm,are all things that can be cause or  be aggravated  by your sleep posture.

With all of these states, you will need to consider; have I got the right bed, mattress and base for my problem? The Osteopath is an ideal person to discuss this with.

Wrist injury or RSI

We are in a unique position to help with wrist problems. We can access by feeling the joint movements.Carpel tunnel, repetitive strain injury, Dequervans,tendonitis, tenosynovitis, pins and needles down the arm,nerve root entrapment,brachial neuritis,stiff neck,are all problems that we are ideally trained to deal with.We can identify the cause, look at your posture or work position, the ergonomics of your everyday life or hobbies and improve the mechanics that will allow the body to heal; but also look at solutions to help prevent it’s return. Showing exercises and strategies to look after your body at work rest and play.

Back Pain Relief

Proper Back Pain Relief

Once a person starts to develop back pain, it is only normal that they will start to search for the best way to get relief. Even if it seems as though the pain is going to be unbearable, what you should know is that there are good ways that you can get some quality back pain relief. Learning how to take care of your back will help you to get back on track so that you can enjoy your normal routine. Your back is actually an amazing structure that is both flexible and strong, so with the right treatment you can achieve a good level of relief.

A major percentage of lower back pain that is reported will be nonspecific in nature, meaning that it is not actually related to fractures, infections or diseases. However, the muscles do not start to cause pain for no reason at all so there has to be something that is causing the pain. Achieving back pain relief will be the first step to recovery and you may be able to get some initial help with over the counter medications to reduce pain and inflammation.

Once you take the initial edge off of the pain, you will need to look at the physical damage. Be sure to rest your back as much as possible, putting yourself in a comfortable position for a couple of days. Heat is always something helpful that can be applied, using it for 20 minute intervals every two hours or so. While you are in a resting state, you will also want to make sure that you move slowly from time to time so that you do not become stiff as you are working to recover the muscles.

If you find that you are still having issues achieving back pain relief after three days, you will want to consult your physician or chiropractor to see if there are treatments that can be done. In some instances, you may actually have an underlying cause of the back pain that should be addressed. These could include kidney complications, bladder or bowel issues and more. Talking with your physician will give you some insight on what might be the cause of the back pain that you are experiencing. Once you have a proper diagnosis, you will be able to work on a treatment plan that will help to get you back up on your feet and feeling better once again.

Hip Joint Pain from Arthritis

Hip Joint Pain from Arthritis

Hip pain can vary depending on the degree and nature of the joint degeneration, the patient’s physical condition (such as weight and fitness level), and the patient’s individual perception of pain.

That being said, the hip pain associated with osteoarthritis is usually characterized by some combination of the following symptoms:

Hip pain that comes and goes
Arthritic hip pain may come and go and, unlike knee arthritis pain, is often predictable, meaning hip arthritis patients can anticipate what time of day and what activities will result in pain.1 Remember though, that this is a trend and not a rule.

Two distinct types of hip pain
In a clinical study designed to learn how people experience osteoarthritis pain, researchers found that hip osteoarthritis patients generally felt two distinct types of pain: a dull ache and intermittent sharp pain.

Ache. A persistent, dull aching is commonly felt in the groin and front of the thigh. Some people may experience a dull ache in the buttock, outside of the hip and/or in the lower back. People with hip arthritis use words like dull, aching, nagging, sore and throbbing to describe this type of pain.
Intermittent Sharp Pain. Intense, stabbing pain episodes due to hip arthritis are sudden and brief. People describe this hip pain using words such as sharp, stabbing, ice pick, spike or paralyzing.2

Prolonged inactivity. People with hip arthritis often complain of pain in the morning when getting out of bed. The pain will often dissipate within 30 minutes of getting out of bed or from a seated position.
Abduction, external and internal rotation. Spreading the legs or rotating the toes inward or outward can cause hip pain. Lying on the back causes a natural outward rotation of the toes and legs, so sleeping on the back can be uncomfortable. Sexual intercourse can be painful, also.
Bending over. Deep bending can be difficult to impossible for patients with hip arthritis. Many complain that bending over to put on socks and shoes is challenging.

Difficulty getting in or out of a car. People suffering from hip joint pain will often complain of a difficulty with driving and need the assistance of their arms to lift the leg and thigh both into and out of the car.

Prolonged physical activity. Participating in weight-bearing physical activity, including sports, can result in stabbing pain or be followed by an aching pain.

Rest. The surrounding muscles, tendons and ligaments that support the hip joint can tire, placing more pressure on the joint. Resting the hip can ease this type of pain.
Gentle/moderate activity. Gentle activity can relieve the pain and stiffness caused by prolonged rest. When the hip joint is used, synovial fluid is secreted, lubricating and delivering nutrients to the joint.

Can Osteopathy help knee pain?

Yes, a lot of knee pain may not be caused by your knee itself. A significant proportion of arthritic hips actually refer pain to the knee area on the same side.Quite a lot of back problems especially the sacroiliac joint (the joint between the spine and your pelvis) will cause groin, thigh or knee pain. We, as qualified registered Osteopaths, are able to tell you what is causing the pain, or able to refer you to the right specialist via your GP.

The knee is essentially a balancing act of the thigh bone (femur ) sitting on top of 2 leg bones (the tibia and fibula) supported by ligaments and muscles. If you strain the ligaments, with a twist or fall, the knee becomes unstable, causing further problems with your gait. Deeper injury or degeneration can cause damage to the cartilage/meniscus (these are the shock absorbers of the knee). When this happens you will usually need either a scan or an arthroscopy (a probe into the knee under a surgeon) but again the Osteopath will be able to advise on this.

Most of the strains and sprains, problems with ligaments and muscle imbalance can be dealt with by Osteopathic treatment. This will involve looking at the underlying causes which can be postural or due to a leg length issue or previous injury, perhaps to foot or ankle that has not been addressed before. We use massage and stretching, manipulation of some of the joints if they are not moving properly and extensive advice on exercises and how to manage the problem.

Many sporting injuries to the knee will have their origin in poor technique or in an unresolved earlier injury, the Osteopath is ideally trained and suited to diagnosing and treating these problems.

Sciatica: can an Osteopath help?

Sciatica is a symptom not a diagnosis.Sciatica is pain and possibly pins and needles caused by pressure,or inflammation of the sciatic nerve,which can have several causes.If someone tells you what is causing your sciatica,that is a diagnosis.

We as Osteopaths can make a diagnosis, to help you understand what is causing your pain,which maybe sciatica or it maybe sciatic pain i.e. pain in the region of the sciatic nerve( which is all the way down the back of your leg).Once that diagnosis is made the Osteopath is trained to advise what is your next best course of action. Many causes of sciatica can be helped with Osteopathic treatment,but some will need referral back to your GP and onto a specialist who may decide you need an MRI scan to show what is causing the compression of the nerve.This can often be a prolapsed disc and the specialist will then decide what further treatment is required.

Often though, pain down the back of the leg,in the region of the sciatic distribution,is not classical sciatica as just described and has a mechanical source, which can be readily treated by the Osteopath.1 type is when the nerve is compressed by the muscles of the buttock,known as piriformis syndrome; another is referred pain from the sacro-iliac joint. This is when the nerve supplying your pelvic joint,makes you feel the pain down the back of the leg.

So it is seen that this is a complicated matter and needs specialist training and a clear understanding of medicine and how the body works. That is all part of the Osteopaths 4 year, full time training, up to Masters level,recognised and overseen by University.

Sciatica: can an Osteopath help?

Sciatica is a symptom not a diagnosis. Sciatica is pain and possibly pins and needles caused by pressure, or inflammation of the sciatic nerve, which can have several causes. If someone tells you what is causing your sciatica, that is a diagnosis.

We as Osteopaths can make a diagnosis, to help you understand what is causing your pain, which may be sciatica or it may be sciatic pain i.e. pain in the region of the sciatic nerve (which is all the way down the back of your leg). Once that diagnosis is made the Osteopath is trained to advise what is your next best course of action. Many causes of sciatica can be helped with Osteopathic treatment, but some will need referral back to your GP and onto a specialist who may decide you need an MRI scan to show what is causing the compression of the nerve. This can often be a prolapsed disc and the specialist will then decide what further treatment is required.

Often though, pain down the back of the leg, in the region of the sciatic distribution, is not classical sciatica as just described and has a mechanical source, which can be readily treated by the Osteopath. One type is when the nerve is compressed by the muscles of the buttock, known as piriformis syndrome; another is referred pain from the sacro-iliac joint. This is when the nerve supplying your pelvic joint, makes you feel the pain down the back of the leg.

So it is seen that this is a complicated matter and needs specialist training and a clear understanding of medicine and how the body works. That is all part of the Osteopaths 4 year, full time training, up to Masters level, recognised and over seen by University.

Can osteopathy work on feet?

Yes we are generally very good at helping with the wide range of conditions and problems people can get with their feet.

Your feet have to be very strong,and there are 2 arches that keep the  sole of the foot from being flat on the floor.These are the longitudinal and transverse arches.Both can be the cause for foot problems and thus pain. If the longitudinal arch starts to collapse this is know as a flat foot or over pronation, which can cause a lot of pain,and this can be helped; some people never develop this arch and have flat-feet from their teens, which does not usually cause them any pain.When the transverse arch fails,it is known as dropped metatarsal arch,which can feel like you are walking on a pebble;it can be very painful,and can be associated with Plantar faciitits.All these can be helped by treatment and useful advise given.Often after a simple sprained ankle the swelling does not fully disappear and the joint never sits right which can then lead to achilles problems or calf strains,and yet the original injury can be helped by manipulation.

Osteopaths will often work closely with podiatrists and can resolve many of the chronic pains and difficulties of the foot and ankle.Equally we will often look at the foot mechanics as the underlying cause of knee, hip or lowback issues.

 

Is it my Posture?

Commonly patients ask if their back or neck pain is caused by their posture. This is complicated because pain can cause you to have a bad posture,also some of us were born and developed a poor shape to the spine due to the genes they inherited.But it is certainly true that most of us do not stand properly and very few of us sit well; we have lazy postures when sitting watching the television,and poor posture when we are working on the computer because the seat /desk set up is not right. And worse still, is our posture using laptop or tablets, because it is often held on the lap which means the posture has to be bad.

Simple rules are easy to say and yet hard to implement, as we have already got into the ‘bad habit’, and undoing that is not so easy.However with both sitting and standing if the head posture is good often things improve below, again you need to go through this with your Osteopath.But as a general rule when sitting if your knees are below the level of your hips, your back is thrown into the natural curve (Lordosis) that is good for it.(s0 actually, virtually all car seat do the opposite and your knees are above the level of your hips; so to counteract that they put in a lumbar support!!)

The Alexander technique revolves around good posture and is well worth a look.But the system of our body is so integrated you cannot look at one part in isolation, thus, to maintain a good posture you will need a good core. So it is very rarely as simple as ‘standing up straight’.

Osteopaths understand the integrated nature of the body and will help you put these things together in a way that works and will benefit your underlying problems.