• Before any treatment is carried out, we do the following:
  Take a case history (interviewing the patient) - noting all the factors (age, occupation, when the symptoms began and progression including all medical history) that could be important in reaching a diagnosis.
• Undertake the Examination - an examination is carried out to evaluate which part and how much of the body is involved. This involves patients getting undressed to their underwear.
• The osteopath then observes posture and ease of movement of the body. A very important aspect is the palpation (feeling), of affected tissues. If necessary conventional medical examinations and tests are also carried out.
• All information is gathered to enable a diagnosis to be made.

Different Forms of Osteopathic Treatment

• Structural Osteopathy follows the most basic principles of osteopathy where a certain structure ( muscle, joint, ligament etc. ) has a specific task which is known as the function. If these structures change ( strained, degenerated ) their function is disturbed. Structural treatment makes changes to the mobility of tissues by techniques that are discussed above (soft-tissue articulation and manipulation). This corrects any disturbance in their function, therefore improving the general mobility of the structure. 
• Soft-tissue Treatment: to increase circulation to an area to help the living tissue to heal or to drain an area that is heavily swollen. This is a very useful technique to break down chronicity in the tissues ( long term suffering )
  Manipulations ("Clicks") are movements that are carried out on a joint to improve its mobility. This can be on peripheral or a spinal joint and there may be an audible "click".
• Articulations: to stretch the soft-tissues, muscles, ligaments, tendons by moving the joint rhythmically, therefore increasing flexibility, and feeding this back to the central nervous system, to bring about a greater range of flexibility.
• Functional treatment involves moving a joint within its pain free range, thus improving mobility and reducing muscle spasm thus improving mobility. This technique is especially useful in acute conditions, where tissues are highly inflamed.
• Cranial Treatment is a specialized form of osteopathy. It is a whole set of very gentle manual techniques which are generally applied to the whole of the cranium ( head ) and the sacrum ( base of the spine ). It is particularly designed for treating babies and children, but can also be used in adults either exclusively or in conjunction with other forms of osteopathy. Cranial osteopathy tends to address various complaints such as headaches / migraine, post viral infections, ME, colic and growing pains in children.
• Visceral Treatment is another specialized form of osteopathy, encompassing manual techniques, which have been specially studied to enhance internal organ functioning. These techniques can be either applied to internal organs by gentle massage of the organs themselves and neighbouring structures, or by stretching their attachments. This is done to improve the blood supply, drainage and their inherent movements
• Rehabilitation treatment carried out after the patient has undergone surgery (e.g. hip replacement) and for patients suffering from neurological disease (e.g. Strokes, Multiple Sclerosis).
• Strapping is used to stop further damage to a joint, and is carried out using a special elastoplasts. Most joints can strapped - anything from the shoulder and low back to the ankle.

k-read@btconnect.com