Why an Osteopathic Check-Up is so important…
By the time most people seek treatment, they are:
- In severe pain
- Having difficulty moving
- Struggling to cope with work or family responsibilities
Does this sound familiar?
You may have been suffering with odd niggles and pains for months, taking the odd – or even regular – self-prescribed painkiller as needed.
But you don’t need to wait till you are in pain to have a treatment – the time to act is when you first notice relatively small changes.
- Maybe you’re suffering with aches and stiffness?
- Or you realise that you can no longer turn to look over your shoulder to reverse the car
- Perhaps bending to touch your toes or putting your socks in the mornings has become difficult?
Any of these signs – pain, stiffness, loss of flexibility and movement – means that something is not working correctly in your body.
Your body is connected and interrelated, so a problem with your ankle may affect your low back, a problem with your hip can cause knee pain and a tight upper back can cause headaches. Travelling through your spine is the spinal cord which is where all the nerves exit to supply not only your muscles so that you can move, but also the organs – your heart, lungs, liver, stomach, bowels and bladder.
If your spine is not working correctly you may find that your organs function less effectively and coupled with poor posture you may have IBS, reflux, poor digestion, shortness of breath and fatigue. If your joints and muscle don’t work correctly and you move less, this will have an impact on your circulation and immune system as the blood vessels run through and around the muscles.
If you see the warning light come on in the car you take it to the garage to find out what is wrong – you don’t cover the light with a plaster!
So why do we not look after our body, ignoring the lights until something fails?
Are YOU any of the following?
Someone who sits for long periods of time, at desks, computers, in meetings, even driving and commuting
You may have neck pain, shoulder tension, headaches, fatigue and back pain – these may be warning signs of serious developing problems which can be corrected with better posture, knowing how to set your chair up correctly, a few easy flex and stretch exercises, maybe occasional osteopathic treatments and/or therapeutic massage.
Someone who does heavy lifting, works in an industrial environment, on an assembly line, operating heavy equipment – perhaps working in the building industry
Did you know that back injuries and back pain evolving from the stresses and strains of the workplace cost the UK economy £37 million, £13 million in disability benefits and the NHS £1.3 million EVERY DAY. That’s a staggering £19 billion every year.
Back pain is the leading cause of sickness absence from work almost half the adult population of the UK (49%) report low back pain lasting for at least 24 hours at some time in the year. That tells you just how common it is for hard working people to develop serious back problems.
Let’s make sure that you aren’t developing health problems, and know how to prevent back injury.
SENIORS
As we get older, we naturally seem to slow down and move around less, some of this may be due to joint stiffness, diminished flexibility, aches and pains and even fatigue.
You would be surprised that some gentle stretching and articulation to your joints can make a huge difference to your wellbeing. Many arthritic pain sufferers find relief through osteopathy – just because you are older does not mean you have to be in pain.
CHILDREN
It seems that children are sitting more and moving less, with reduced PE at school and playing out less and less as they become bewitched by technology – parents have told me that they find it really difficult to get their children to go for a walk with them.
If they are spending lots of time sitting, usually with poor posture, how is this affecting their growing bodies and how will this impact on them in later life?
After all trees grow in the direction that the wind blows!
Someone who is a Weekend Warrior
Football, tennis, golf, squash, and running can be very good for us – and it is recommended that we all take about 30 minutes of exercise daily.
Focusing this at weekends, especially if we have been sedentary during the week, can cause back, leg or neck problems.
Many sports injuries can be prevented, with the right conditioning know-how and procedures.
Other sports injuries can be effectively treated with osteopathy and sports therapy.
Visit Our Clinic For A Check-Up And Much More
In your 30 minute osteopathic check-up, we will discuss any concerns that you have, assess you and hopefully give some treatment.
We will give individual suggestions for “self-care” to relieve aches and pains, prevent injury and stay healthy.
Patients are always amazed when we find muscles that are tight and /or joints that have stiffened up – you assume that this is normal and how your body should be!
We can show you, and with some treatment, get you to realise what your body should feel like, how you much movement you can have and that you could be pain free.