Osteopathy
What it is and how treatment can help
What is Osteopathy, and how can it help me?
Osteopathy is a type of manual therapy that recognises the link between the structure of the human body and the way it functions. It is a drug-free way of treating and preventing health problems.
If something isn’t working quite right structurally, we recognise that this will impact on your body’s functionality. As osteopaths, our focus is on the body’s skeleton and joint function, along with underlying muscles, soft tissue and internal organs.
Osteopathic treatment varies depending on the person and the diagnosis, but our primary aim is to return your body to its optimal state, to re-enable and kick start the self-healing process. The fantastic thing about osteopathy is that we can consider and treat each person as an individual because there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
Who is eligible for treatment and what can we treat?
Anyone of any age, from new born babies to the elderly, can be treated by an osteopath. There are hundreds of osteopathic techniques and your practitioner will choose the one most appropriate for you and your condition. Osteopathy works by stretching, using mobilisation techniques, as well as manipulating joints to achieve better mobility and functionality. We can help with a wide range of conditions, even after surgery. These include (and are not limited to):
- Back and neck pain
- Headaches
- Joint and muscle pain
- Sciatica and sciatic pain
- Arthritis and arthritic pain
- Sports injuries
- Tennis elbow
- Carpal tunnel
- Pregnancy-related conditions
- …and many more!
Is osteopathy suitable for children and babies?
Yes, all people of all ages can find osteopathy helpful for a variety of ailments. We are more than happy to see your little ones at Suffolk Osteopathy. We have seen some babies as young as a few days old and also treat children, teenagers and adults. Osteopathy is perfectly safe and suitable for babies, and may assist with digestive issues, difficulty settling/sleeping, or just checking that all is as it should be after a stressful/traumatic birth.
How many sessions will I need?
Whilst fully dependent on individual need and the nature of each person’s condition, we generally find that the vast majority of our patients require between three and six treatment sessions to address their initial complaint.
We do however treat many patients who choose to come to the clinic periodically. This is great as a preventative measure and helps to support wellbeing and general health. We find that the patients seen periodically tend to have less health issues and manage to avoid recurring problems with great success. Your osteopath will be able to advise you further as to the best approach.
Is Osteopathy safe?
Osteopathy is one of the safest forms of healthcare in the world and is now recommended within the latest NICE guidelines as a recognised course of treatment for the alleviation of back pain.
All UK based osteopaths must be registered with our governing body, the General Osteopathic Council in order to practice and at Osteopathy Suffolk, we can give assurance of the following:
- We are fully registered and compliant with the General Osteopathic Council
- We will identify and talk through any risks with you before treatment is offered
- We will always refer upwards (to the appropriate authority) for the next course of action, if we feel further insight and advice is required where treatment is concerned
Is osteopathy painful?
Osteopathy is not painful but due to the physical nature of treatment, your practitioner will explain any risks and discuss any concerns you may have prior to commencing treatment. It’s possible that you may feel sore 24-48 hours post-treatment, but if you have any problems or questions you can always contact us directly.
What else is on offer?
As well as providing hands-on support in-clinic, we can also offer advice for maintaining your recovery at home. We can put together a package of home strength training, or less formally, provide you with suggestions of more basic stretches which can be done at home and which can be incorporated into your daily routine, with the aim of providing relief in between sessions and accelerating your overall progress.
We are more than happy to see your little one at Osteopathy Suffolk too! We treat a wide range of ailments in babies and children and may be able to offer assistance with digestive issues, difficulty settling / sleeping, cranial osteopathy, or just checking all is as it should be after a stressful or traumatic birth. We have seen some babies as young as a few days old and we also treat older children and young adults for a broad range of concerns too.
At Osteopathy Suffolk, we will take the time to listen to your concerns and symptoms. We utilise a highly-developed set of skills to identify problem areas of the body and work with you to correct these.
Why choose us?
Friendly and experienced staff
Passionate about delivery of high-quality care and improving health and wellbeing
Registered and fully insured
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