Osteopathy Blog - Osteopath in Soho - Massage Soho

‘What can an Osteopath do to help my ankle injury?’ It is a common misconception that Osteopaths just specialise in treating the spine, however, as Osteopaths we are specialised in treating the whole body, head to toe.

Over the years that I have spent working in a London Osteopathic practice I have seen a lot of ankle injuries, both acute (within a week of the injury) and chronic (weeks, months, years after the initial on set). One thing that is evident with all ankle injuries is that there is a severe lack of rehabilitation taking place following the injury, as a result this can increase the risk of reoccurrence by 50%. This is not a pretty looking statistic and as we use our ankles everyday it is crucial we keep them strong and most importantly functional, so why are we not doing this?

You are probably wondering ‘what is the most common ankle injury?’ Well, the most common injury is an ankle inversion sprain otherwise referred to as a rolled ankle. These can happen from walking on uneven ground, playing sports i.e. football, stepping off of a curb, etc. This injury can vary from a minor strain (strain on the ligaments, muscle irritation and mild swelling) to major strain (ruptured ligaments, loss of stability, pain, swelling, bruising, etc.). Most of us have experienced these at a mild level at some point in our life and have just rested, and waited for the ankle to improve. Those who have suffered a more severe case have also rested and allowed it to heal naturally, but how many can say they have rehabilitated their ankle properly and correctly? When we do ignore our rehabilitations, our ligaments will lose their supportive and stable function resulting in loss of balance and increased risk of re-injury. Furthermore, muscles helping ankle mobility and stability will remain weak, strained and have reduced tone, again increasing risk of re-injury but also affect areas higher up i.e. the knees, the hips, the low back, as we will have to compensate for these weaknesses.

And this is where Osteopathy comes in! As Osteopaths we can assess ankle and foot mobility, muscle strength/tone and proprioceptive balance in the ankle and take this information to develop a treatment plan and a progressive rehabilitation plan to strengthen the ankle both muscular and ligamentous, improve balance and general ankle mobility. So, what are you waiting for? Visit Regent Osteopathy Clinic Today in London Regent Street to have your Ankle pain given the help it needs. 

By George Berrett M.Ost

Cranial osteopathy is a conjunctive form of therapy with Osteopathy, a gentle form of Osteopathy that encompasses the anatomy and physiology of the cranium using osteopathic principles.

Highly trained osteopaths use palpation to feel small changes to the tissue around the cranium in order to identify where there are areas of strain or dysfunction in the area. Case history taking and general conversation can lead us to specific areas of your body where you may not be aware of the trauma that is currently present and relevant to the issue you're presenting with.

It's like seeing someone read a book to witness cranial treatment. A complex universe of structure, color, depth, and emotion is introduced to you as you read the book, despite the fact that nothing seems to be occurring on the surface. The plot develops as you read on.

An osteopath is intimately familiar with the inner workings of living anatomy and physiology. If you pay close attention, the body can describe what has happened to it, the mental or physical trauma it has experienced, and how it is attempting to deal with the consequences of these traumas.

The tissues advise the osteopath during therapy and facilitate the release or rebalancing of dysfunctional areas. The body has an amazing ability to heal itself and maintain its own physiology in a state of health and uses the re-balancing during osteopathic treatment to re-establish healthy physiology.

The cranial osteopathic approach is highly soothing and gentle. Some patients report feeling a variety of symptoms during the course of the therapy, including minor tension, soreness, or sensitivity that eventually goes away, as well as feelings of warmth and relaxation. Others are completely unconscious of the therapy while it is taking place, but they are aware that they feel completely different afterward. During treatment, most patients experience intense relaxation, and it is not unusual for patients to nod off.

There is no specific patient that can benefit from cranial osteopathy despite being popular amongst babies and individuals of high stress or with previous trauma. It is worth contacting an osteopath prior to booking to see if you would be suitable for the treatment.

At Regent Osteopathy Clinic we are all highly trained London Osteopaths in Cranial Osteopathy, so if you have any queries you can email us on Gabgiotherapy@gmail.com or text/whatsapp on 07951163337.

Osteopaths are notoriously known for treating lower back pain of most causes.  It is estimated that up to 84 percent of the adult population has experienced lower back pain once in their life, with up to 4% of adults below the age of 45 years who have chronic low back pain, and up to 7% of adults over 45. This prompts the understanding that if you're currently experiencing lower back pain, you're not alone. So what are some of the potential reasons for lower back pain?

Muscle spasms are a common cause with a plethora of reasons as to why this can occur, hence why osteopaths will frequently diagnose back pain as non-specific, meaning there is not pin point reason to the pain. Spasms can happen due to muscular weaknesses, shortened muscles from lack of movement and likewise muscle fatigue from too much exercise. Osteopaths use a holistic approach to identify what the potential cause is. 

Sprains and strains, these include body parts such as ligaments, tendons, capsules and more, which makes orthopaedic assessment and testing an important tool in identifying the approach to treatment and management of your presentation/pain.

Research has heavily suggested that a multitudinal approach to treatment is more effective for back pain than singular, this means having exercises and manual therapy can be more beneficial and help you to get back on track with your recovery. Averagely depending on the cause of the back pain, painless can be achieved anywhere between hours to a couple of months, making it important to get addressed as soon as you can. If not possible, the best advice for mechanical lower back pain is to attempt gently movement if possible to ease the muscles and joints and painkillers/NSAIDs advised if the pain is unbearable and not contraindicating with any medication/allergies you have.

At Regent Osteopathy Clinic we offer rehabilitation advice, Osteopathy, Cupping and Sports massage as modalities to help you in every step of your journey to health. If you're experiencing acute back pain, give us a call to seek advice.

How to identify the source of knee pain and potential treatments (home remedies)

There are two main routes to identify the source of knee pain, both of which need to be diagnosed by a practitioner and can subsequently be treated at home. 

The first and most popular is through manual therapy, where a specialist (Osteopath, Physiotherapist etc) carries out a case history and performs a series of orthopaedic tests to identify weaknesses in your joint and movement patterns to recognise where the issue lies. This includes exercises that will test the knee mobility and integrity (squatting, lungeing, jumping etc) and hands on assessments that stress specific anatomical structures to hone in on where the root problem lies in your knee (such as Lachman or McMurray Test). 

The alternative route is undergoing imaging tests such as an X-Ray or MRI to get a clear snapshot of the knee’s structural integrity and understand if there is damage to the joint or muscles. If this option is available to you, it may still require you to visit a physical therapist to help give appropriate advice, but you would have a diagnosis in hand which gives an advantage in speeding up the process. 

Treatment methods for knee pain includes exercise referral, hands on treatment or technological therapies such as Shockwave Therapy. Home remedies also include exercises such as the clamshell exercise (To strengthen the buttock), seated knee extensions (strengthen thighs) or body-weight squats (strengthen the whole leg) for at home strengthening without equipment. Applying ice to the knee or anti-inflammatory creams will reduce pain in acute circumstances.