Common Conditions

Osteopathy is a safe and effective treatment for back and neck pain, and many people think that this is all we treat

This is a common misconception as we treat a whole range of complaints:

  • Generalized aches and pains

  • Joint pains including hip and knee pain from osteoarthritis as an adjunct to core OA treatments and exercise

  • Arthritic pain

  • General, acute & chronic backache, back pain (not arising from injury or accident)

  • Uncomplicated mechanical neck pain (as opposed to neck pain following injury i.e. whiplash)

  • Headache arising from the neck (cervicodynia) / migraine prevention

  • Frozen shoulder/ shoulder and elbow pain/ tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) arising from associated musculoskeletal conditions of the back and neck, but not isolated occurrences

  • Circulatory problems

  • Cramp

  • Joint pains, lumbago

  • Symptoms of Sciatica

  • Muscle spasms

  • Neuralgigia

  • Inability to relax

  • Rheumatic pain

  • Minor sports injuries and tensions

Back and Neck Pain

Back and neck pain are extremely common complaints. They can occur as a result of trauma like whiplash, falls or heavy lifting but more often they result from poor posture, slumping in front of a computer, lack of exercise. It is not always obvious what causes spinal pain. Stresses build up gradually over time causing changes in the spinal mechanics which leads to muscle spasm and fatigue. It may then only be a minor movement that initiates severe pain around the spine.

Pain

The severity of pain is not always an indication of the amount of damage to the spine.

A minor joint injury can cause severe muscular spasm.

Muscular spasm is a reflex process where the muscles tighten and act as a ‘splint’ to protect your spine from further damage as the joint heals.

It can be an extremely frightening experience, especially the first time you have back or neck pain.