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Bone Density

How do I maintain good bone density as I age?An excessively acid diet will also reduce the amount of calcium in the bones. Avoid excessive red meat, coffee, smoking and carbonated drinks (ie soft drinks) as these all require calcium to be taken from your bones to buffer the acidic environment in your body.  You can also minimise bone loss, especially after menopause, by engaging in moderate-impact exercise and strength training, alongside a higher calcium intake to reduce the calcium l...

Pain and Injury

Osteopathic treatment of injuries and pain is very effective It is difficult to find anyone who has never had an injury of some sort. Heavy lifting strains, falls, car or bike accidents, surgery (including teeth extractions!), birth trauma for both the mother and baby, even emotional traumas... The list goes on.  Osteopathic treatment can help with most injuries but there is more to it than meets the eye. Osteopaths are mediators in enabling your body to heal better, faster and more comple...

Sciatica

What is sciatica? You’ve probably heard people saying they have sciatica – and if you’ve had back pain, you might have even wondered if you’ve got it yourself. Sciatica is a commonly used (and occasionally abused) term - but what does it actually mean? The sciatic nerve is the largest in diameter in your body and when it's in trouble the pain can be excruciatingThe word sciatica describes a set of symptoms, including lower back, buttock, hip, leg and foot pain as well as numbness, w...

Bad Posture

When bad posture isn’t really bad posture As osteopaths, we see many people who are concerned about their posture, often saying “I don’t want to end up like ….(insert name of elderly relative)… He/she is completely hunched over!”. It’s great to see people who understand the benefits of prevention over cure, but in many cases the person they are thinking of doesn’t just have bad posture. In fact, they may have an underlying condition such as spinal compression fractures due to ...

Treatment for Pregnancy

Osteopathic treatment for pregnancy and birth, and Pregnancy research At City Osteopaths, all our Osteopaths are Registered with the Osteopathic Council of New Zealand and four of us are trained to assess and treat pregnant women. This includes specific medical history considerations, treatment positioning for comfort and the most helpful, gentle treatment approaches to ease pregnancy pains and prepare for birth.  We can usually help reduce or eliminate back pain, neck pain, pelvi...

Acupuncture for Pregnancy

Recurrent pregnancy loss can be benefited with Acupuncture treatment, assisting with related immune factors, emotional distress, and hormonal imbalances. Acupuncture is also supportive of a developing foetus by improving blood flow supply and preventing involuntary uterine contractions. Balancing the hormonal interaction between the Hypothalamus and Pituitary Ovarian axis (HPO axis) regulating the body’s natural hormone production and Progesterone levels. This results in improved ovarian egg q...

Headaches and Neck Tension

Headaches, neck tension, and what we can do about all this...  Often people have chronic recurring headaches, without realising that they commonly have a mechanical cause. The nerves that give sensation to the sides of the head pass through the muscles of the neck, and if there is sufficient tension in those muscles then the nerves can be compressed, stimulating them.  This leads to the sensation of pain or aching in the head, particularly behind the eyes and over the ears, and this ...

Cranial Osteopath

In a large studying involving over 1000 babies, Dr Viola Fryman, Osteopath, found that 10 percent of new babies will have little or no inutero or birth strains, 80 percent will have moderate strains and 10 percent will have severe strains. We recommend that all babies should be checked by an experienced Cranial Osteopath. A baby will often communicate there is a problem by being unsettled, irritable or wakeful. Symptoms in a newborn baby to be aware of are: colic excessive wind continuous cryin...

Sprained Ankle

The long-term effects of a sprained ankleAnkle sprains are one of the most common sports injuries, making up about 14% of all sports-related injuries.  People will often notice pain and weakness in the ankle for months afterwards, and if it isn’t rehabilitated properly, the ankle can be more likely to suffer repeated sprains throughout life… and the reasons why are really quite interesting!An ankle sprain means that there has been some damage done to the ligaments that support the ankle.�...

Pelvic Floor Exercises

Some new mums don’t get the right information and start back into the wrong exercise too soon after birth. This can contribute to weakening of the pelvic floor which can lead to urinary incontinence or prolapse of pelvic organs. It can also exacerbate Diastasis Rectus which is the separation of the fascia which connects the two halves of the rectus abdominis vertically. This will lead to a pouchy/poofy tummy regardless of how many crunches you do. In fact, crunches too early on can only worsen...

Workstation Ergonomics

Your workstation should be set up to cause the least amount of stress on your body. Prolonged hours of poor posture or repetitive work habits, often in a stressful environment can result in significant overuse injury. Applying the following points can help to minimise such injuries.Important points to note : Sit in front of your workstation such that your monitor is directly front on.Your arms should be at right angles from your shoulders when you type. Your wrists should be in line with your fo...

Chronic problem management

Melanie has been studying the Biodynamics of Osteopathy courses since 2002 and has now completed Phase Nine. She says "I have found the experience of working with the refined skills Biodynamics encourages, enables me to treat more complex and chronic problems in a very gentle and effective way.  Melanie was recently on a course to help develop the future competency requirements for Paediatrics Osteopathy in New Zealand. "We were reviewing how we assess a child medically and osteopathic...

Good research from bone and joint

I had an older patient in the practice last week with a full thickness supraspinatus tear (top of the shoulder and shoulder tip) which has been causing pain when sleeping on that shoulder and pain on driving. Good to read this research from Bone and Joint, that conservative treatment outcomes are so positive, as many people are understandably not keen on surgery. http://www.bjj.boneandjoint.org.uk/cgi/content/short/96-B/1/75...

Headache and MIgraine

HEADACHE AND MIGRAINE TREATMENT IN WELLINGTON PLUS RECOVERY TIPSHEADACHE CAN TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE. IT CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT TO THINK AND HARD TO FUNCTION. ​At City Osteopaths Healthcare, we have been treating people with headaches and migraine for over 25 years and have helped thousands of Wellingtonians out of pain and on the path back to better health.​We have had patients with a constant severe headache for two years, have it resolved fully to a pain free status, with one gentle treat...

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PELVIC FLOOR WITH THE RIGHT EXERCISES

THE PELVIC FLOOR The pelvic floor is formed by tissues such as ligaments and pelvic muscles (iliococcygeus, puborectalis, pubococcygeus, coccygeus, ischiocavernosus, superficial and deep transverse perineal muscles). These soft tissues attach to your pelvis, and more specifically, to the bones at the bottom of the pelvis. ​In all people, the pelvic organs include the urethra, bladder, intestines, and rectum. If you have a vagina, the pelvic floor also consists of ...

How to self treat your bunion

Do you or does someone you know have a bunion?This video is by our Registered Osteopath Melanie Young, who has a very strong history of bunions in her family and was starting to develop her own. She decided she wanted to see if she could reduce the bunion she was developing and enable her foot to function normally again.So she studied and practiced on herself for a few years and worked out a method that really helped reduce and remove the pain, stiffness, and even the deformity. She goes over ho...

Daily Foot Care Exercises

This is a short video with general exercises for your feet - doing this regularly will really help your feet work well for you. It is important to look after your feet as you get older to maintain good connection with the ground and balance. If you have problems with any of these exercises then come and see one of our Registered Osteopaths, they do excellent work with feet! Soon I will post another video - this time on self care for easing and reducing bunions....

How to help yourself out of pain:

1 in 6 New Zealanders are living with chronic pain 1 in 4 New Zealanders are living with a chronic diseaseHere are some handy general tips to help maintain health and reduce pain: DIET:  Food has the potential to be anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory. When you are in pain reducing inflammation is a key to feeling better.  Sugar, alcohol, processed foods and dairy are all highly inflammatory  The Mediterranean diet is recognised as having the best health benefits in protecting against...

What is Pain?

“an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage” – International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), 2020 Defining pain has been and continues to be a topic of debate within the scientific community, this is because it is so subjective. Whilst almost everyone has experienced pain, reasons how and why it presents vary widely.  An important note made alongside the current definition is...

New Baby Gentle Osteopathic Treatment

At City Osteopaths we have treated thousands of new babies over the last 25 years. Our practitioners are experienced and have done extra post graduate training. We love to help babies feel better to help the whole family....

PELVIC HEALTH INTERNAL

For many years Pelvic disorders weren’t discussed much in our society and many women, and also men, have suffered in silence. In the last decade, Pelvic Health has become a point of interest for many people and therapists as well. The scientific studies related to Pelvic disorders and Pelvic treatment are increasing every day and finally, we are proud to confirm that specifically trained healthcare professionals can support and improve your Pelvic Health.&nbs...

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF SCAR TISSUE AND OSTEOPATHIC MANUAL TREATMENT

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF SCAR TISSUE What is a scar?​Scar is a formation of tissue that occurs as a result of an inaccurate healing process. What are the causes of scar tissue?All lesions secondary to wounds, burns, acne, insect bites, piercings, tattoos, lacerations, surgeries, including Cesarean section, produce scar tissue. A zoom into the healing process After any trauma, the great work of tissue repair is assigned to the “Healing Process” which consists of  4 s...

WHIPLASH INJURY AND OSTEOPATHIC MANUAL TREATMENT.

Whiplash is defined as an “acceleration-deceleration mechanism of energy transfer to the neck”. It could be divided into two parts. First, the impact on the neck creates hyperextension (excessive motion that creates a locking of the facet joints and stretching of the anterior/front of the neck soft tissues), then, there is a too-fast reversal motion called hyperflexion.   ​Have you ever had a whiplash injury? Have you ever wondered what its impact on the cervical spine is?&n...

MOOD DISORDERS, YOUR DIAPHRAGM MUSCLE OF BREATHING AND OSTEOPATHIC MANUAL TREATMENT

According to New Zealand based research by Kovanur and Roy (2015), most practising osteopaths in Aotearoa come across patients with a history of mood disorders.As the New Zealand mental health 2020/2021 survey has shown, psychological distress in adults, and also in children, has increased from 7.5% the previous year possibly due to the pandemic and lockdowns. According to the same research, 100% of manual therapists perceived the need to manage and support clients with mood disorders during the...

HOW TO BREATHE WELL USING YOUR THORACIC DIAPHRAGM AND BELLY.

THE DIAPHRAGM The diaphragm is the primary muscle of breathing and it creates a physical barrier that separates the thorax from the abdomen.Function:During quiet inspiration, the upward dome shape of the diaphragm changes very little. When taking a large breath, the diaphragm contracts and pushes downwards 7-8 cm, while the rib cage expands outwards. The atmospheric pressure in the lungs decreases, so to fill what is a larger space with less pressure, air enters into the lung...