The way you think about your pain plays a role in how it feels. This is not to say that it’s “all in your head”, but that pain is contextual. In the same way that a papercut doesn’t always hurt until you see it, other pain can be worse when the perceived cause is something …
Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a rheumatic condition that osteopaths cannot cure. We may be able to spot it though: diagnosis must be done by a rheumatologist, but symptoms are often missed in general practice. The average time between showing symptoms and receiving a diagnosis is 8.5 years. Early symptoms can seem very generic and be …
Piriformis syndrome is a form of sciatica. Sciatica is a specific problem, not just a generic term for leg pain. The sciatic nerve, which runs from just outside the spine down the back of the thigh and down to the foot, is irritated. Symptoms such as pins and needles, numbness, or shooting pain may present …
A scoliosis is a lateral curve in the spine. This means that when viewed from behind, the spine is not completely straight. It is not to be confused with kyphosis or lordosis. These are anterior-posterior curves and they are completely normal. You have a kyphosis where your upper back sticks out, and lordoses at the …
Osteopathy is a drug-free therapy involving hands-on treatment. Its work is built on principles that acknowledge the body’s capacity for healing, the relationship between structure and function, and others. These principles guide the way we examine and treat. Your osteopath will look at you as a whole to understand the root causes of your symptoms. …
There are countless factors in play when we experience pain. Beyond the basics of the painful stimulus and our previous experience with similar feelings, sensation is affected by physiology. One aspect of this that we are learning more about is hormones. Hormones are signalling chemicals. They include chemicals like insulin, oestrogen, and testosterone. Thyroid Hormones …
Although some people think that osteopaths just treat backs, there are actually few joints that we don’t work on. The jaw is one of those areas that might seem particularly out of our remit. In fact, if your jaw is causing you problems, your osteopath is certainly qualified to assess it. Clicking Jaw Within the …
Osteopaths treat the body as a whole, and the shoulder and elbow are no exception. Problems with the shoulder, whether in the joint or the whole local area, can cause further problems like headaches. They can also affect the muscles of breathing and vice versa. Trapped Nerves Around the Shoulder Nerves that run down the …
Rheumatic conditions cannot be cured by osteopathy, but they may respond well with regards to pain. Osteopathy and Rheumatic Conditions Osteopaths learn about these conditions during training, as we need to be able to identify when something is out of our remit. Rheumatoid Arthritis Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is different to osteoarthritis (more on that below). …
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a collection of symptoms caused by compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel. Alongside the median nerve, other nerves and tendons run through this tunnel, which is located on the underside of the wrist. The symptoms of an irritated nerve can include: Pain, often sharp or shooting Numbness …
