“A year ago, four of us undertook the coast-to-coast hiking challenge across the breadth of England. It involved a 191-mile trek with several peaks to climb … and stunning scenery along the way,” says Judy of Warboys in Cambridgeshire.
“Unfortunately, I twisted my ankle on uneven ground just two days into the walk. I had no choice but to leave the challenge after ten days and 110 miles of walking.
“I was misdiagnosed initially, as having torn my ligaments, only to be told ten days later I had actually fractured my ankle. After six months of being in a boot and splints, I was still in pain and walking with a limp – and finally diagnosed with osteoporosis. My foot turned out to be fractured in five places. I joined a waiting list for physiotherapy.
“There had to be an alternative, to pain killers and the risk of never walking properly again, or not finishing the coast-to-coast challenge.
“I had previously been treated when I injured my spine at Shefford Osteopathy Clinic and had been impressed by the team’s formidable knowledge and skills. I showed my ankle.
“The team at Shefford Osteopathic Clinic is highly skilled and has an innate ability to heal. In doing so, the practitioners restore not only mobility but faith, confidence and trust in a therapist who has the time to go beyond just the physical trauma, but the complexities of the human psyche itself. I had been holding my left leg, ankle and foot so gingerly and taut to compensate for the relentless pounding I had given it.
“It was as if my osteopath could feel my pent up fear of it giving way again. She distracted me by asking me about my work in order to manipulate and feel her way to free up the locked, stiff joint. She discovered how tight my calf muscles were and suggested a series of simple exercises to help loosen them up. In one session, I went from being in constant pain to having more flexibility without pain.
“I will have to live with osteoporosis, but I now have the confidence to exercise (doing the right exercises but more gently), to keep mobile and walk more freely. My osteopath has restored not just the flexibility in my ankle, but also the dream of finishing the coast-to-coast walk and finally taking my pebble that I picked up in St Bedes Bay and dropping it in the sea in Robin Hoods Bay just as Wainwright suggested.”
The team at Shefford Osteopathic Clinic carefully assesses your point of pain, how you move and your range of movement. A range of techniques are applied to alleviate pain and maximise your mobility. Importantly, advice is given to prevent further problems and optimise recovery, including relevant exercises, lifestyle and nutrition suggestions.
If you want to enjoy life without pain, find out how osteopathy may help you.