During pregnancy it is very easy to strain your back and pelvis. Many women who experience pain during pregnancy think nothing can be done, as there is not much help from their GP because most drugs are not safe during pregnancy. But this is not the case!
Pregnancy is one of the best times to receive osteopathic treatment because of the body’s tissues becoming suppler, so it is a safe and effective way of eliminating or reducing your spinal and pelvic pains. Mothers can respond very quickly to treatment, some women may have had problems or injury prior to becoming pregnant, and for others it may be the first time they have experienced musculo-skeletal pain. In either case your osteopath will examine your back to see what is preventing your posture from adapting to your growing baby.
Here at Not Just Backs, we love treating and caring for our pregnant ladies. Not only do we treat your back, but we also talk about how you can prepare for labour and delivery by giving advice on exercise, posture and labour positions to try and create the best possible delivery resulting in a more content baby. Those who were lucky enough to escape pains during pregnancy may suffer post-natally, as being pregnant, giving birth and post-natal care puts enormous demand on the body. It is common for women to maintain their pregnancy posture long after delivery, which can cause back problems especially as their baby gets bigger and heavier.
Common problems we treat post-natally are backache, coccyx pain, headaches, and tendonitis (particularly in the wrist and shoulder). We often see women who still have back pain remaining days or even years after childbirth.
What have your teeth got to do with osteopathy? Well it is all to do with the bite or occlusion. Your bite directly influences your posture and muscular tension through the face, head and spine, so if you have a poor bite or malocclusion it can cause problems in all of these areas.
Not only can problems present themselves as headaches or spinal pain, but also clicking jaws, sinus trouble, tiredness, snoring and mood swings. At Not Just Backs we may assess your bite if you have longstanding spinal problems, as your bite may be the primary cause. We work closely with local Orthopaedic Dentist, Mr. Rob Jukes at Gentle Dental in Salisbury. We assess all of his patients that are undergoing appliance or brace work, which helps the patients’ tissues adapt to the new jaw position and reduce musculo-skeletal problems that can arise from this type of work.
This work mainly uses cranial osteopathy, and some work may involve working directly on the bones in the mouth itself.
At Not Just Backs, we specialise in treating both babies and children. Not all osteopaths are trained in this field, as intensive postgraduate study is required to be a competent paediatric osteopath.
Babies suffer from musculo-skeletal issues just like adults, however they cannot always tell you if they have a sore neck, jaw or headache. If your baby is having feeding difficulties and you have had midwives, doctors and breast-feeding counsellors assisting you, yet you are still having problems, then the issue may be physical. This is where a paediatric osteopath can help.
At Not Just Backs we run a weekly clinic on Monday with Samuel dedicated to babies. During the clinic, the osteopath works on the baby which helps to release musculoskeletal strains and tension. This clinic is particularly designed for those under 4 months who are having difficulties adapting to their new environment outside the womb
The teenage years can be particularly stressful for both parent and child, and is also a vital time for the development of our spines – the end plates of our vertebrae turn from cartilage into bone creating the adult spine.
If your teenager has poor posture, it will remain throughout adulthood if left unaddressed. This can have an enormous effect on self-esteem and confidence, and can predispose them to spinal problems as adults. The huge growth that takes place from age 11 - 16 can put strain on the joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons, especially if the child is sporty (we have treated many children who have suffered from sporting injuries).
We also treat children as a routine appointment following a sporting season or event, even if they are not feeling any pain, in order to prevent any problems from arising in the first place.
70 is now the new 60! We are living longer and staying active for longer, so it’s really important that we look after our bodies as we age.
Osteopathy won’t cure degeneration or arthritis, but it can help to reduce some of the pain that arises from the soft tissues that are involved with wearing joints. Osteopathic treatment helps to reduce the increased muscle tone and encourages more movement through the restricted joints. Prescribing exercises to perform at home can make a significant difference to reduce pain resulting from wear and tear. As we get older, a small reduction in pain can mean a completely different lifestyle without restriction.
At NotJustBacks we like to work closely with your GP and if we are concerned and require further investigations then we will, with your permission, contact your GP.
We also see patients who require post-surgical rehabilitation. As osteopaths, we make sure that the affected joint is working with the rest of the body. For example, before having a hip replacement the lower back has to extend further to make up for what the hip isn’t doing, so after surgery we make sure that the spinal joints are no longer over-compensating.
Our treatments are designed for the individual, so even people with osteoporosis can receive our help.