Back pain is one of the most common medical complaints in the world. It can be caused by a variety of things, including injury, poor posture, and stress. Luckily, an osteopath can help! In this blog post, we will discuss five ways that your osteopath can relieve your back pain, and can help support your back care whatever your lifestyle and fitness levels.
Osteopathy is a branch of medicine that focuses on the musculoskeletal system. Osteopaths use a variety of techniques to treat their patients, including manipulation and mobilisation of the joints, massage, and stretching. Practitioners are trained to identify and treat problems in the body using these techniques. Here are 5 ways your osteopath does this:
5 ways an osteopath relieves back pain
Diagnosis
Your osteopath will examine your whole body in relation to your back pain, and will ask you to do some basic motions and stretches. They will feel around your joints, ligaments, and tissues (this is known as palpation). Because osteopathy considers the entire person into account, she will inquire about your medical history as well.
Manipulation
Osteopaths often help relieve back pain by manipulating and mobilising the joints in the spine. {Bowlby, Doug. “What is Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) .” Mayo Clinic} This supports an improved range of motion and helps to reduce pain.
Muscle energy technique
Osteopaths may sometimes ask you to push against them while they apply force in return. The purpose of this is to help the affected joint move more freely.
Counterstrain
Your osteopath will slowly move you into positions that ease your pain, then hold you in these positions for a short time while monitoring ‘tender points.’ Tender points are areas of your body where the pain is originating.
Functional technique
With this method, your osteopath will direct your joints into positions that reduce stress and discomfort. She will then gradually moving them back to the original position.
In addition to helping relieve your pain through these techniques, your osteopath offer advice on improving your posture and what types of exercises can help ease back pain.
What to expect after osteopathy
You might feel a little tender for the first few days after your therapy. If you have any worries, talk to your osteopath.
You may require more than one session of treatment. Your osteopath will examine you at each visit and make any necessary adjustments to your treatment strategy with you.
If you are suffering from back pain, an osteopath may be able to help. If you would like to learn more about how an osteopath can help relieve your back pain, please contact us today! We would be happy to answer any questions that you may have.