Rheumatic arthritis is a progressive chronic condition causing symmetric joint inflammation in hands, wrists and other body joints.

Joints become swollen and red due to inflamed joint tissue and excessive production of joint fluid. Early treatment can slow down or reduce damage to joints and resulting pain.

Posture refers to the position we take when sitting, standing, walking or when carrying out daily tasks. The ideal spine is neither too straight nor too curved but has three gentle curves – cervical, thoracic and lumbar – which balance each other so that no single group of muscles has to work overtime to keep the body upright.

Good posture is surprisingly effortless and can even make you look taller and leaner. Try using the image of being suspended by a thread attached to the crown of your head, to get the sense of length through your neck and spine.

The way we each stand is so familiar to us that we are often unaware of our postural faults which we have spent a lifetime acquiring. These can lead to other common conditions such as sciatica, upper back pain and headaches, this is particularly true during the adaptations during pregnancy.

Minor sports injuries are particularly common presentations in osteopathic practice.

At Bodyworks Osteopathy we treat dancers, runners, golfers, rugby players and CrossFit athletes to name a few. Osteopathic treatment can help keep you at your training and performance peak and also enable a swift return to sport.

Our osteopathic treatment can contribute to increasing energy levels whilst combating inability to relax.

Osteopathy’s ability to positively impact your blood flow, lymphatic system and nervous system can allow your body to relax more effectively.

Osteopathic treatment can relieve fatigue, headaches and muscle pain caused by fybromyalgia.

Added benefits are improved mobility, joint pain relief and improved flexibility. Osteopathic treatment for this condition normally includes gentle palpation of legs, arms and back plus gentle articulation and reducing muscle tension.

Neuralgia is a severe pain caused by damaged nerves, most commonly in the face and neck but can be anywhere in the body.

Neuralgia generally occurs in elderly patients but can also affect young and middle aged people. Trigeminal neuralgia can be very debilitating causing severe facial pain.

An osteopath can help relieve the pain of neuralgia using techniques including manipulations to reduce the tension in muscles and joints, redusing pressure on trapped nerves.

Muscular spasm occurs when a muscle is damaged e.g. pulled hamstring or due to a protective contracture which is the body’s way of trying to protect an underlying problem.

Your osteopath will discuss your muscle spasm problem to diagnose the condition in order to treat and provide advice to relieve your pain.

Sciatica refers to pain that runs along the sciatic nerve. The pain usually affects only one side of the lower body at a time and often extends from the lower back all the way through the back of the thigh, down through the leg.

Occasionally the pain may also extend to the foot or toes. Sciatica is frequently seen in osteopathic practice and patients with sciatica are successfully treated. This can be caused by a range of different problems. We will identify and treat the underlying cause.

Lumbago is a term often uses to describe back pain (It is not a condition in itself)

Back pain responds well to osteopathic treatment and can be caused by a variety of things such as: Poor posture, Degeneration, Stress, Over use and repetitive injury, Arthritis, Ligament strain, Disc injury and Trauma

Back problems can lead to symptoms in other areas due to irritation of the spinal nerves, such as sciatica.

NICE guidelines recommend osteopathy for the treatment of non-specific lower back pain (May 2009) www.nice.org.uk

Osteopathic treatment may be of assistance to some sufferers of irritable bowel symptoms such as indigestion, heart burn, bloating, constipation and flatulence.

This is because an improvement in spinal mobility may aid nerve and blood supply to the gastro-intestinal tract and so help gut motility.

Osteopathic treatment positively affects the nervous, circulatory and lymphatic systems, to deliver a more balanced body and better health overall.

This combined with good dietary and /or exercise prescription can enhance a patient’s wellbeing.

Flat feet and over pronation can alter the working of the dynamics of the body and effect posture from the ground up.

Osteopathy can help with pain from conditions such as plantar fasciitis, ankle sprain or heal spurs, Achilles pain and altered foot mechanics.

Pain can come from a tight, strained or overused muscle in the hip or from the joint itself.

Pain in the hip can sometimes be the result of an injury, it can be referred from the back or related to the way you move, stand and/or use your hip.

Pain from osteoarthritis or wear and tear in the hip joint is also common. Osteopaths can’t cure the arthritis and it depends on the severity of the wear and tear but treatment and advice from an osteopath can often help ease the symptoms.

We can look at the patient as a whole, assess the way the hip moves, strengthen and stretch the muscles, gently massage the hip muscles and stretch the hip joint to reduce tension and improve the mobility of the joint and work on the secondary problems like backache.

Elbow, wrist & Hand pain can sometimes be relieved by the gentle manual treatment of osteopaths depending on the cause.

Overuse injuries are common in the wrist, elbow and hand and can be caused by repetitive strain injuries. Osteoarthritis or wear and tear in the joints of the hand and the elbow may be the cause of your symptoms and may benefit from treatment and advice from an osteopath.

Some of the conditions we treat include tennis & golfers elbow (lateral & medial epicondylitis), carpal tunnel & repetitive strain injury.

Shoulder Pain is common and can be caused by a number of conditions.

Sitting in front of computers and sedentary occupations can contribute to complex shoulder problems as well as overuse injuries, we can help you manage a wide range of shoulder conditions including Rotator cuff, Acromioclavicular joint pain, Frozen shoulder or adhesive, Referred shoulder pain, Osteoarthritis and Shoulder instability.

Evidence to show that osteopathic techniques are safe and effective in the treatment of “cervicogenic” (those that are caused by tension or strain in the muscles and joints of the neck and upper back) headaches and migraines.

There are several types and potential causes for headaches. Most are not serious and once the cause is established headaches can often be helped by treatment and a few simple changes in lifestyle.

Neck pain is common in people of all ages and is often caused by how we use our necks.
Working all day bent over a computer, driving long distances, poor posture while standing or sitting, stress and tiredness are all factors that can cause the muscles in the neck and upper back to become tight and the joints to become stiff which can contribute to ongoing neck pain. Sometimes a nerve in your neck can become irritated or “trapped” and cause pain in the arm going down into your shoulder or the hand, and may be accompanied by pins and needles and numbness.
Osteoarthritis or age-related wear and tear in the neck can also cause muscular pain from the neck into the shoulder as well as some stiffness in moving the neck.

Up to 80% of the UK population suffer back pain at some point in their life. As holistic practitioners we consider the many factors that can contribute to your back pain.

Back pain can affect anyone at any age, and can often be the result of a sprain or a strain of the structures of the back such as the muscles, ligaments, joints or damage to the discs. Osteoarthritis or wear and tear in the back can also be a cause of symptoms. Osteopathy is recognised by the NHS and The National institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for the treatment of “low back pain”.

Treatment is individual, gently moving and stretching an arthritic joint and massaging surrounding muscles and tissues can help ease some of the discomfort.

Sometimes we may work on general mobility of the other joints and muscles in the body to help the mechanics of the body work better. We may also give advice on exercises, diet, posture and changes to lifestyle.

To an osteopath, for your body to work well, its structure must also work well. So osteopaths work to restore your body to a state of balance, where possible without the use of drugs or surgery.

Osteopaths use touch, physical manipulation, stretching and massage to increase the mobility of joints, to relieve muscle tension, to enhance the blood and nerve supply to tissues, and to help your body’s own healing mechanisms. They may also provide advice on posture and exercise to aid recovery, promote health and prevent symptoms recurring.