Osteopathy

Osteopathy is an effective form of hands-on healthcare that aims to improve how the body functions to reduce pain and improve people's quality of life.

Osteopaths help a wide variety of people from unsettled children, pregnant women, elite athletes through to the elderly for a variety of reasons including:

• back/neck pain
• joint and muscular pain
• arthritic pain
• sports injuries
• recurring headaches
• sciatica/nerve pain
• work related strain

Osteopaths are regulated and highly trained healthcare professionals, therefore it is not necessary to visit your doctor before your first appointment. At the initial consultation a full case history and a physical examination will determine what is causing the problem and the osteopath will devise a specific treatment plan for you. This will often be a combination of hands-on treatment and advice regarding stretching, exercises and lifestyle factors, where appropriate.

During the four years it takes to train to be an osteopath, and with the continual professional development that we undertake, a wide variety of different styles of hands-on treatment are learned. Therefore, treatment will vary between different people depending on their diagnosis, age and their overall fitness and health. However, it often involves specific soft tissue massage, joint articulation (stretching) and joint manipulation or more subtle cranial osteopathic techniques.

Therefore, whatever your age or the pain and challenges you face, there is usually something an osteopath can do to help.

Text kindly supplied by Dougal Cram.

Osteopathy is regulated by UK law. Practitioners must be registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). All Osteopaths on the site have indicated they are a registered practitioner, however it is advised you also make the necessary checks.