Osteopathy

Back Pain - Sometimes not just one problem
Pierre saw a lady recently with low back pain, hip and further pain travelling down her leg. This young lady had had a few treatments with a couple of different Physios in the police force which had helped but the symptoms weren’t improving significantly.

Pierre quickly realised he was dealing with a double problem : sciatica and and hip joint injury. Each problem needed its own rehab plan.

By being very precise with the assessment, his patient felt excited with new answers and guidance , and she felt truly on the road to recovery.

Babies - Problems with feeding
Pierre saw 20 week old little J for her 2nd visit. She had been recommended by her midwife who had performed a posterior tongue tie division. The procedure had helped but she was still struggling with latching position and swallowing milk (from breast or bottle).

Pierre found that a difficult birth might have caused her palate (roof of the mouth) to move slightly down and nasal bones (sinus) to be compressed .

This tension heightened her GAG reflex which made it difficult for her to latch. The muscles in her tongue were still very tight and she wasn’t pulling her tongue out to her mum.

Gentle pressure point on roof of the mouth, nasals bones and on her tongue provided her with some relief. Mum said she started to pull her tongue out as well as stopped pulling off the bottle .

2 - 5 weeks later, Pierre did a check up and found that most of the findings had gone and she was discharged as a good comfortable feeder.

Babies - Head preference
Lizzie saw 6 week old baby Liam due to the parents noticing that he had a head preference since birth, meaning when sleeping or lying on his back, he rarely looked right. The mum had also noticed this was impacting his feeding. He also had some symptoms of reflux. 

Lizzie found tension in one side of Liam’s neck muscles, chest and jaw which meant the little one was potentially finding it more uncomfortable or more difficult to look to the right side. Lizzie suspected it was from Liam’s in-utero positioning and/or strains from a forceps assisted delivery. 

By gently releasing some muscle tension around the neck, thorax and helping the jaw to move more efficiently, the parents noticed a significant improvement in Liam’s neck mobility and feeding, and the reflux symptoms eased. At the follow-up appointment, Lizzie found his neck mobility was now considered normal and the neck muscles had become considerably stronger. Lizzie prescribed some extra exercises to maintain the improvements, and the family left the clinic delighted with the improvements made. 

Migraines
Laura, a 23 year old nurse had suffered from migraines since her teenage years. During Laura’s education, they were manageable, however since starting to work full-time they had significantly affected her ability to focus, were becoming more frequent and lasting longer. 

She had been referred to a neurologist at a local hospital when her migraines started, who discussed management options with her. After trying various medications recommended by her neurologist, Laura had little relief from her migraines. She was recommended to see an osteopath by her mother. 

On examination by Lizzie, Laura had restriction and tension in her upper back, with a head forward posture, likely as a result of her recent studying. There were multiple tender muscles in her upper neck and around the jaw, contributing towards her migraines. 

Over three osteopathy treatments to decrease the muscle tension and improve mobility of the spine, alongside some home exercises and advice, Laura noticed a significant improvement in her upper back and neck tension. The frequency and intensity of her migraines significantly decreased, became more responsive to painkillers. Laura still comes for a maintenance treatment every 3-6 months to keep on top of her migraines, and to treat any other aches/pains she develops from her job as a nurse.

Chronic Back Pain
Ian saw 32 year old mother who has been suffering with chronic low back pain for 2 years following child birth with a caesarean delivery. The pain was so bad that it affected most of life aspects of life, especially walking. It even put off having a 2nd child.

Previously, she had been diagnosed with a lumbar disc herniation by an MRI scan. Following the diagnosis she has received treatment from by the NHS physiotherapist and GP, though found the treatment less effective. Also steroid injections only provided her with short term pain relief by private consultants.

Ian provided her with a course of gentle osteopathic treatment that involved treating muscular trigger points in the low back/pelvic region and gentle resistive stretching to lengthen the surrounding muscles and reduce the protective muscle spasm.

Following her 1st appointment she has now reported 30-40% improvement in pain reduction. She can walk upright and more comfortably. At the end of her 2nd appointment she reported no pain on post treatment assessment and she can now do all of her daily activities comfortably, which she had previously felt like she had taken for granted. 

At the end of her 2nd appointment, she commented her money was better spent on osteopathic treatment compared to seeing all the medical/healthcare practitioners that had seen over the past 2 years. She wished she knew about osteopathy sooner rather later, So that she hadn’t had to suffer with crippling low back pain for so long.

Animal Osteopathy
It won’t come as a breaking news but animals don’t speak. We need to learn how to listen. Pierre uses his acute sense of observation to find out what is happening.

Sausage was a unhappy 4 year old Dachshund. Her owners had noticed that she had suddenly significantly slowed down, wouldn’t jump on the sofa any more. The vet did some X-rays That showed nothing. When asked to run, she couldn’t and looked in pain.

Chris and Steph were upset their little dog wasn’t well. Pierre noticed that it looked like something or someone had fallen on her, as her spine, pelvis and neck all appeared traumatised and whiplashed. It was thought that another dog might have fallen on her , while playing.

Pierre released each part of her body gently. She seemed to relax.

Thankfully, 2 weeks on, sausage is running and jumping again , and she feels so much better, she won’t let Pierre near her.

Chiropody & Podiatry

A recent patient of chiropodist Jacqui Bramall had this to say: -

“Jacqui spotted an infection on my toe, she managed the situation by writing to my GP, which enabled me to get antibiotics the next day. I am so pleased with the care I received, it got me out of pain and back on my feet!”

It is difficult to pick just one story as every foot tells a tale. A few of Lindsey Dearden more recent successes include helping a lady return to walking her dog after treating a very painful ingrowing toenail. Another, was treating a pregnant lady so she could continue working after very painful cracked heels. And another has been treating a man for a very painful corn on the ball of his foot so he could continue gardening and playing bowls.