Osteopathic treatment

Osteopathic treatment is not normally painful. However, deep soft tissue techniques to release tight muscles can be uncomfortable; patients normally describe this as a ‘good’ pain. After treatment there is sometimes tiredness or aching, this will usually pass quickly and if you need any re-assurance we are only a phone call away. A treatment reaction is a process of re-adjustment as the muscles and ligaments get used to new instructions.

What is a manipulation?

These techniques apply rapid and highly controlled traction to the joint meaning the bones move away from each other, this is often accompanied by a click. When applied with an osteopathic intelligence these manipulations help to reduce the tension within muscles and ligaments and enable the body to re-align.

Some patients ask not to be manipulated and we always respect their wishes. Thankfully there are many other techniques that we can use. Some work gently on balancing the tension of ligaments, others focus on integrating and balancing muscle tension across multiple joints. Soft tissue techniques are effective for tight muscles and to re-habilitate muscles that have become chronically stiffened.

Osteopathy can also improve breathing and treat digestive problems. When we treat the body we are also working on the nervous system and improving blood supply to the tissues.

Cranial osteopathy – babies, children and adults

This is a gentle system of treatment that works with the bones of the skull and on the cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) that circulates and supports the brain within the skull and the spinal cord within the spine. This form of osteopathy seeks to balance the 26 cranial bones and to augment production and circulation of the CSF by working with its subtle rhythmic flow.

There is a powerful consensus that cranial osteopathy can have profound benefits for patients of all ages. Parents report that following the treatment their babies are more content, sleep better and have an improvement in digestive symptoms.