It’s about helping the body to be comfortable
and making sure every part is free to move.
The basic idea of osteopathy is that the way things work mechanically in the body affects how they function. Osteopaths are experts at finding any tensions and mis-alignments that might compromise our health and wellbeing. They are highly skilled at correcting these mechanical problems so that our bodies can get on with doing everything they need to in order to look after themselves. This can be as simple as putting a bone back in place or releasing a ‘trapped nerve’ but it can also be much more subtle.
Osteopaths use their hands to
help the body to realign itself.
Every part of the body needs to be free to move in order to do its job properly. As we go through life, we pick up bad habits and hold onto unnecessary tension from the way our bodies react to the things that happen to us. This can restrict motion, which can have a profound effect on your body’s ability to look after itself. This is where an osteopath can help.
When you go and see an osteopath, they will ask you some simple questions about your problem and your health in general to try to understand what’s going on. Then they will look at how your body works mechanically to see how this may be contributing to your problem. They can then begin to support your body to realign itself and release any tension that may be impairing its function.
This may involve directly stretching muscles or encouraging joints to move more freely. However, it is often as simple as holding the body in such a way that it can realise for itself how it got out of shape and then supporting it as it works out what it needs to do to feel better. Most treatment is very gentle and it can be quite relaxing.
No matter what is going on with your health,
an osteopath can probably help you
to be a little more comfortable.
Osteopathy is not a panacea and osteopaths treat people, not conditions. Our aim is simply to get your body moving as well as it can. However, this can make an important contribution to your wellbeing, whatever may be going on with your health.
I have treated people with rheumatological conditions, skin conditions, respiratory problems, immune disorders and nervous system disorders, as well as relatively minor health problems like asthma, eczema and irritable bowel syndrome, not to mention many people with musculo-skeletal problems like low back pain, frozen shoulder and sports injuries.
My experiences have convinced me that there is always something an osteopath can do to help, even if it is just to allow you to be a little more comfortable. This really can make all the difference!
