O S T E O P A T H Y
Osteopathy is a system of diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of medical conditions.
It is based on the principle that well-being of an individual depends on the skeleton, muscles, ligaments and connective tissues functioning smoothly together.
For your body to work well, its structure must also work well. Osteopaths work to restore your body to a state of balance using touch, joint manipulation, stretching, joint articulation, cranial work and soft tissue manipulation. Techniques are highly specific to the patient and generally pain free.
Feel well, be well with Osteopathy
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A full case history will be taken on your first visit on your presenting symptoms and medical history. A routine examination will be performed and it may be necessary to remove some clothing, so they can assess the areas of the body causing you concern. You can bring shorts or t-shirt if you are uncomfortable undressing to your underwear and towels are often used if required. Follow up appointments are shorter but will still involve undressing for treatments and further examinations
on each visit. Your diagnosis is discussed with you
and advice given on the best treatment plan for you
Osteopathic care is based on the individual needs
of the patient and so varies depending on your age,
level of fitness and diagnosis.
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R E M E D I A L M A S S A G E
Osteopaths are specialists in treating muscular problems and are trained in advanced massage techniques called ‘soft tissue manipulations’. Increasing the mobility of the joints, to relieve muscle tension, to enhance blood and nerve supply to the tissues, and to help your body’s own healing mechanism. Also in combination with Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) a gentle muscle release technique for maximum mobility in the joints and muscles.
Advice on posture and exercises to strengthen your muscles may be given to aid recovery, promote health and prevent symptoms recurring.
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Do you find a regular massage only gives temporary or surface relief?
Osteopathy is not just about spinal manipulations and uses massage ’
soft tissue manipulations’ to help the body to restructure in a way that
increases the ability of you body to function as a whole system. They
are trained to feel for changes in your muscles and joints and examine
these areas to identify problems
Lisa Chrimes-Watts here at the Spinedynamics Clinic having spent
several years teaching basic massage and sports massage courses for
Bridgwater College finds the osteopathic approach effective treatment
for intermittent or ongoing symptoms of muscular pain.
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C R A N I A L O S T E O P A T H Y / C R A N I O S A C R A L T H E R A P Y
Cranial Osteopathy is a more gentle and refined approach to
osteopathy using a highly developed sense of touch or
palpation of the body’s tissues to diagnose problems that
other treatments or approaches may fail to resolve. It is also
an effective treatment in cases of acutely fragile or painful
conditions and for patients who want a more gentle treatment.
Cranial osteopathy is not just a head treatment but treats the
body as a whole working with releasing tension patterns or
dysfunction held within the body The head, neck, spine and
pelvis are usually addressed as a whole during treatment
working to relieve current symptoms and improving underlying
health.
Cranial work was developed from discoveries about the body’s
subtle physiology, made by osteopaths in the USA about 100
years ago and founded by William Sutherland D.O. Cranial
osteopathy is often thought to be associated with the head,
however cranial osteopaths will work with your entire body as
well as your head. This means that cranial osteopaths are able
to treat a wide range of pain, symptoms and illnesses.
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Cranial Osteopaths are trained to feel much more subtle
changes in your body and uses gentler methods to release
tension. They use the cranial rhythm to diagnose your problem
areas and gently move your cranial and spinal bones in order to treat your symptoms. The cranial rhythm (or involuntary movements) describes the regular pulses that cranial osteopaths can feel occurring in the fluid that surrounds your brain and spinal cord. They can associate minute changes in your cranial rhythm with pressure on the bones of the skull or feel an injury that exists in your body and make subtle adjustments to restore health.
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O S T E O P A T H Y F O R C H I L D R E N
A difficult birth can lead babies to appear unsettled or upset. Craniosacral Therapy is a safe, gentle, non-intrusive treatment and recognises that whilst the body has the intrinsic ability to heal itself, there are life experiences when this ability may be compromised. Cranial osteopathy is thought to be particularly beneficial to babies and young children. This is due to the fact that cranial osteopathy is a much more subtle form of general osteopathy. Lisa Chrimes-Watts B.Ost specialises in Craniosacral Therapy, a more therapeutic trauma skilled approach to cranial work and combines it with her osteopathic knowledge. She is also a qualified Infant Massage Instructor and able to offer parents further advice on massage especially for symptoms of colic. Often after just one treatment, babies can appear to be more relaxed and sleep can improve overnight
Even when there is no obvious reason some babies experience birth as a traumatic event. Craniosacral
Therapy can help the baby to process the experience of the birth very gently. In this way the therapist will
be able to relax any compressions or tensions that may have developed due to stress of any kind.
Cranial osteopathy is often a biomechanical approach
using a more directive heavy technique to manipulate
the sutures of the skull bones to facilitate health. Where
as Craniosacral Therapy is often a biodynamic approach
based on craniosacral motion detected within the brain
and spinal cord. Practitioners working with this model do
not focus on releasing restrictions (as in the biomechanical
model) but emphasise following an inherent treatment
plan as organised by this deeper intelligence in order to
establish a deeper relationship with our Health. As such
it can be considered to be non-prescriptive, allowing and
more patient-centred.
