Osteopathy
Osteopathy recognises that much of the pain and disability we suffer stems from abnormalities in the body’s structure and function. Osteopaths diagnose and treat problems with muscles, ligaments, nerves and joints to help the body’s natural healing ability. Treatment involves gentle manual techniques, easing pain, reducing swelling and improving mobility. Sometimes manipulation is required, which is painless but can result in an audible ‘crack’. This is simply the sound of gas bubbles popping in the joint fluid, and is not the sound of bones cracking together as some people believe!
At The Walsingham Clinic our Osteopaths prefer a gentle approach, using massage, functional and cranial techniques where appropriate. Ultrasound can also be used for some conditions like acute tendonitis and RSI.
Osteopathy is most commonly used for back pain, which usually results from mechanical disturbances of the spine – postural strains, joint derangements and spinal disc injuries. Osteopathy is a particularly successful treatment for these problems.
However Osteopathy is used to treat a range of other issues as well, particularly headaches which can be caused by tension and stiffness in the neck, and it can help reduce pain and stiffness in the less acute stages of arthritis. Osteopathy can also be used to treat work-related health problems, such as RSI.
Osteopaths are self-regulated by the General Osteopathic Council, which has a strict code of conduct and requires all Osteopaths to carry out Continuing Professional Development annually.
Kevin Meyers DO (BSO Lond. 1987)
Kevin trained for four years full-time at the British School of Osteopathy in London. He has been practising from The Walsingham Clinic since 1996.
Kevin focuses on acute cases and can often see patients who are in pain at short notice.
Price per session, £30. Concessions available, please phone or email for details.
Email: kevin@walsinghamclinic.com
Jodi Capleton
Kate Hands
Cranial Osteopathy
Jodi Capleton BSc (HONS) OST MED, ND
Cranial Osteopathy is a gentle, subtle, yet extremely effective type of osteopathic treatment for the whole body.
Cranial Osteopaths are trained at a post graduate level to feel a rhythmical shape change that occurs in all the tissues of the body. This is called Involuntary Motion or the "cranial rhythm" and is part of our body's natural self-corrective mechanism. The movement has very small amplitude and practitioners need to develop a fine sense of touch.
The quality and size of the movement gives the practitioner information about tissue health. In perfect health the movement is symmetrical, felt throughout the body, and 'lively'. Through injury or illness the rhythm gets blocked, distorted or sluggish. Too much injury or stress and the body can not compensate, expressing pain or ill health. Cranial Osteopathy works with this corrective mechanism amplifying its action on the body to resolve blocks in the Involuntary Motion.
The term 'Cranial' Osteopathy was used after William Garner Sutherland (a student of Dr AT Still, the founder of osteopathy) observed in 1899 that the 26 bones of the skull are sutured or joined in such a way as to enable very specific movements. Trauma to the head or face can affect the symmetry or block the motion which affects the rhythm in the rest of the body and often our general health. When this happens during our intra-uterine life, birth or childhood it can affect how we grow, the shape of our spine and head. This affects our posture and balance and therefore how we move in everyday life. Blocks to movement in the head can also come from some dental trauma and some orthodontic work.
Cranial Osteopathy is effective in treating a wide range of conditions for all ages from pre-natal to old age. People find it often improves general well being and can help with some very unusual conditions such as post viral syndromes and atypical migraines.