Category: Osteopathy

Want to feel really good for Christmas and New Year? (Without needing alcohol!)

12/17/2017

In this day and age, time is precious and so is our health.

Many more people are realising the downsides of excessive alcohol or sugar intake and are looking for healthy options to help them relax and feel good. Gentle hands on treatment has been shown to be very effective in improving the parasympathetic nervous system response and reducing the 'fright/fight and flight' response. This makes you feel grounded, relaxed, calm and happier than usual.

At City Osteopaths Healthcare we have osteopaths, acupuncturists, massage therapists, naturopaths and counselling available. We have many ways of approaching stress and helping your body back to health.

For more information check out our website www.cityosteopaths.co.nz or give us a call on 04 4991439. Plus if you have any questions one of our practitioners can call you back as soon as they are able.

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Pain "It comes from the brain and can be trained"

5/14/2017

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No one really wants to be in pain. This is understandable because it is unpleasant. But it does have its purpose and now that we are understanding so much more of what it involves, this allows us to reconsider our beliefs around it.

Pain is complex. However having a basic understanding of the physiological foundation for pain is a great start. Understanding pain physiology will change the way we think about pain, reduce its threat value by empowering us and improve overall management of pain. It’s time we equipped ourselves with more knowledgeable and more efficient tools to tackle this epidemic!

Our misconceptions around pain

Here’s a little questionnaire for you. If you answer yes to more than 3 of these questions, you are part of the majority of people (and myself until a few years ago) who have misconceptions about pain.

When you are in pain, do you think that a health practitioner is going to fix you or cure the pain? Yes/No
Do you think that pain relief is necessary before you can become active again? Yes/No
Do you often take a drug to “take the edge off” the pain? Yes/No
Do you think that increased pain means that you have injured yourself, or made the injury worse? Yes/No
Do you often think that doctors have missed something, or that you need more investigations to explain your pain? Yes/No
Do you think that if an x-ray or MRI/CT scan show an anatomical pathology, then that is what is causing your pain? Yes/No

Purpose of it - Why do we experience pain?

Pain is everywhere. You are not alone. Right now, there are about 20 percent of people on this planet who have pain that has persisted for more than 3 months. Why is it that way?

Let’s talk about the basics for a minute. We classify pain as acute or persistent/chronic pain.

Acute pain: This is the pain when you get a paper cut on your finger, or you just put your finger on the pan that was really hot. Pain is useful in this situation because your brain detects the action as a threat and as a response retrieves the finger from the threat. Once the threat has disappeared, the tissues are left to heal and each tissue has a specific healing rate.

Persistent pain: When pain persists and feels like it is ruining your life, it is hard to see its purpose. But even when pain has been around for years and years, it is still there and nasty because the brain has concluded that there is threat or danger and that you need protecting-the trick is finding out why the brain has come to the conclusion.

Complexity of pain-it is multifactorial

Yes, we are right in the middle of a huge paradigm shift where our clinical knowledge about what’s happening in your tissues is only ONE part of the whole pain experience. In fact, by knowing what is happening physiologically in your tissues, I simply can’t predict how much pain you are experiencing!

But it is the BRAIN and the brain only that decides whether something hurts or not, 100% of the time, with absolutely NO exceptions. He is the boss.

Nerve signals get sent to the brain when a peripheral tissue is injured. The brain then checks with your memory centre, emotional centre, sensory centre, fear conditioning and motor centres and many many more in the brain to only THEN release an output of pain that can be intensified or reduced. Isn’t that amazing?! You have to check in with the boss first before you actually feel the pain.

What can we do about it?

Consult with your osteopath and get an idea of how long it will take for your injured tissues to heal (acute pain) or how long it should take for there to be a change (persistent pain). Manual therapy itself is a tool that sends signals to your brain telling it that it is safe, and not a threat.
Think positively-
- ‘this pain that I am experiencing is here for a purpose’,
- ‘my pain might be quite bad for a while, but it doesn’t mean it will be there forever’
- ‘I am in control, I can find ways to manage this’
- ‘if this has happened because of an underlying cause eg. posture, I will do something about it to avoid this happening again’
Use relaxation techniques eg. Yoga, mindfulness, meditation are all beneficial for decreasing the neurological sensitisation in the area, that may be increasing your perception of the pain
Move-keep mobile, our bodies are designed to move! Even if you are in a little bit of pain, stay mobile.
Desensitise the central nervous system (the brain, the boss)-this can be done through all of the above

All these strategies help to de-threaten the value of pain. They help you overcome fear of movement and send constant signals back to the brain that it is OK to be in a little bit of pain.

“Everyone can understand the basics around pain science. And it is our role as osteopaths to educate patients about this. It needs to be a team effort between the osteopath and the patient. We need to figure out why the brain is still seeing a healthy tissue as a source of pain, ie beliefs around pain, previous trauma, previous emotional experiences and work on developing management strategies around that”
Clementine Carnus, Associate Osteopath at City Osteopaths, Wellington

How can I tackle chronic pain?

Watch this 5min video about pain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3phB93rvI
Ask your registered osteopath for more information about the science behind pain
Develop a <Pain Plan> addressing all aspects of the pain experience (medical, emotional, diet and lifestyle, exercise)
Don’t be put off by set-backs, changing habits take time

References:

Explain Pain, 2nd Edition. Butler D & Moseley L. 2013
Manage your pain, 3rd Edition. Nicholas M, Molloy A, Tonkin L & Beeston L. 2011

Clementine Carnus
B.App.Sc.(Complementary Medicine), M. Ost., Reg. Osteopath

For more information please see www.cityosteopaths.co.nz
Or phone 04 4991439

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Severe reflux and idiopathic oral aversion in a premature baby treated with osteopathy at 8 months after the birth. A case study.

4/7/2017

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The baby was one of a set of twins, born three months early at 27 weeks. There were feeding issues from the start so the baby was fed with a nasogastric tube till 37 weeks gestational age, then tried on breast/bottle, however the baby refused to take food or bottle into the mouth. The mother thought it was due to severe reflux. The other twin did not have reflux, was able to eat and was thriving.

I first saw the baby at 8 months past the birth date, referred to me by another osteopath who had seen the baby only once the week before and decided to refer quickly as there was limited time before surgery. A stomach tube was planned in a fortnights time to enable food to go directly via a tube into the stomach and increase the amount of calories and nutrition received by the baby.

The baby was being fed via a tube through the nose and taking omeprazole twice daily for the gastro-oesphageal reflux. Weight gain was slow, milestones delayed, and there was a severe eczema like rash on the face from the acid spilling onto the cheeks. The baby liked to poke fabric into the mouth, however had a very active gag reflex and disorganised suck.

A few days after one osteopathic treatment using very gentle hands on work to reduce the compression of the cranial base and treat the nerves (glossopharyngeal, facial and vagus) to the baby's tongue, palate, face and digestive system, the reflux stopped completely and the baby started eating. The gag reflex was much reduced and the cheeks started to heal up rapidly as they were no longer being covered in acidic reflux.

The specialist was very happy with the changes so took the baby off the omeprazole, removed the nasogastric tube and cancelled the stomach tube surgery. The baby started to put on weight as the intake of solids was increased and has continued to improve.

The baby needed a couple more osteopathic treatments to help as he started to grow. The baby has had no more reflux and the cheeks are normal healthy skin. I have recently followed up with the mother and now a year on, the baby is doing well, eating well and has had no more oral aversion or reflux.

In Australia and New Zealand, Osteopaths study intensively for five years full-time at University, are required to be registered by the their respective professional councils and do ongoing postgraduate study each year.

Only some osteopaths treat babies as it takes time, aptitude and practice to develop the skills. The treatment is safe and very gentle. Osteopaths learn to use their hands to gently treat strains in the body. Facilitating blood supply, nerve supply and venous and lymphatic drainage enables the body to heal as well as possible and as quickly as possible.

Please note, not all babies with reflux will respond as rapidly as this baby did. Reflux is usually multi-factorial so other management strategies may also be necessary.

There is a growing body of global research to support our work. Our practice would be happy to participate in further research studies.

Here is a link to information on gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD)
Also a link to a very small scale osteopathic research paper on treatment of GORD

Thank you to the parents who permitted me to write up their baby's case. These photos are not of their baby but are a fair representation.

Melanie Young
B.A., BSc.(Clin Sc.) B.Osteo Sc. MONZ
Reg Osteopath
Director City Osteopaths
Wellington
New Zealand

Phone 04 4991439

http://www.cityosteopaths.co.nz

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Clementine Carnus, new Osteopath for City Osteopaths

3/14/2017

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City Osteopaths Healthcare is very happy to announce we have a new osteopath, Clementine Carnus, joining our team. Clementine is fluent french speaker and will initially be working as a locum in the practice.

Clementine graduated from RMIT University in Melbourne with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Complementary Medicine) and a Masters of Osteopathy. She started studying Osteopathy in France, before moving to Australia in 2008 and finally settling in New Zealand.

She was particularly drawn to osteopathy because of its holistic approach to health and well-being, treating the patient as a whole and not as one local symptom. She was always fascinated by the body’s tendency towards self-healing and at the osteopath’s ability to assist in this process.

Clementine enjoys treating a wide variety of patients. She has a particular interest in treating adolescents, female patients of all ages and patients with ongoing or chronic pain. She uses an integrative approach to chronic pain management and encourages each patient to develop awareness around the role played by mind and emotions in health and dis-ease.

She strongly believes that empowering the patient to be active in their recovery is key to their journey toward health. Health is not merely the absence of disease, so there is always something more we can do.
As a long-time yoga practitioner, she has a profound understanding of biomechanics, injury prevention and management. She also appreciates the importance of healthy breathing, a healthy diet and a healthy mind.

Clementine will be working in our city clinic twice a week and also from our beautiful Eastern suburbs (Breaker Bay) clinic. Simple free parking and very relaxing to hear the sea while being treated!.

Call 04 4991439 to book an appointment with our reception staff.
www.cityosteopaths.co.nz

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Learn about your spine with Reg. Osteopath Lara Sanders

12/4/2016

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Five lumbar vertebrae with discs, the sacrum and then the coccyx. All the bumpy bits are for muscle attachments. Note the nerves as they exit the intervertebral foramena/spaces

Ten Interesting Facts About Your Amazing Spine

1.      The bones of the spine are called vertebra, which comes from a Latin word meaning ‘to turn’. The spine is so flexible that if it were removed from the body and bent, it could form two-thirds of a perfect circle! Osteopaths are trained to find the areas of your spine that aren’t moving well, and get them moving again.

2.      Babies are born with 33 individual vertebrae, but adults only have 26. This is because five bones fuse to form the sacrum which sits at the back of the pelvis, and three fuse to form the coccyx at the base of the spine. Osteopathy offers a gentle and safe treatment for newborn babies to the elderly – at all stages of spinal fusion!

3.      The sacral vertebrae start to fuse in the teenage years, and are usually fused into a single bone by 30 years of age. Heavy falls onto the backside throughout this period can set the scene for back pain in later life, so it’s worth getting them gently treated early on.

4.      The coccyx is the remnant of a vestigial tail which is most prominent in human embryos at 31 to 35 days old, hence the term ‘tailbone’.   The coccyx performs a very important role as the attachment site for our pelvic floor muscles (the ones we need to prevent incontinence). Tailbone pain is relatively common, especially during and after pregnancy, and it can be treated osteopathically.

The curves of your spine combined with your discs are very important for shock absorption

5.      The first vertebra at the top of the spine is called the Atlas, named for Atlas from Greek mythology because it holds up the globe of the head. The second vertebra is called the Axis, because it forms the pivot upon which the Atlas rotates. Problems with the movement of these two bones are a common cause of headaches. Osteopaths are trained to palpate the movement of these bones and gently restore normal function to reduce headaches.

6.      The spinal column has approximately 220 individual ligaments keeping the vertebrae interconnected and stable and over 100 joints, giving flexibility. Osteopaths look at how the whole spine moves when making a diagnosis, and sometimes the painful area isn’t where the actual problem is.

7.      The curves in our spines are very important because they allow the spine to support ten times more weight than if it were straight. That’s why proper lifting is so important – if you bend at the waist to pick up an object, you straighten out your lumbar curve and put your low back at risk of injury. Low back pain is one of the most common reasons people see an osteopath.

8.      Between the vertebrae are cartilage discs which make up a quarter of the length of the spinal column. As we age, the discs lose height and we become shorter, but old age is no excuse for back pain! Good postural habits and back care throughout life can keep you moving happily through life. Many people choose to get regular osteopathic treatment with this goal in mind.

9.      The intervertebral discs are structured like a jelly donut, with a soft, jelly-like substance in the middle and a tough outer layer. They act as shock absorbers in the spine.

This is a picture representing one vertebra, one intervertebral disc (in pink) and a cross section of the spinal cord showing spinal nerves as the exit/enter through the intervertebral space.

10. The spinal cord, protected inside the vertebrae, begins at the base of the skull and continues down to approximately waist level - it doesn’t continue down the length of the entire spine. Instead it turns into the cauda equina – Latin for ‘horse’s tail’ – because the bundle of nerves at the base of the spine resembles the tail of a horse.

Osteopaths have an excellent understanding of the spinal nerves and their role in back pain and can help in the management of nerve-related pain.

Lara Sanders
M.Ost., B.App.Sc.(Human Biol.),
Reg. Osteopath, MONZ

www.cityosteopaths.co.nz
Phone 04 4991439 for an appointment

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Want to feel really good for Christmas and New Year? (Without needing alcohol!)

Pain "It comes from the brain and can be trained"

Severe reflux and idiopathic oral aversion in a premature baby treated with osteopathy at 8 months after the birth. A case study.

Clementine Carnus, new Osteopath for City Osteopaths

Learn about your spine with Reg. Osteopath Lara Sanders

Categories

Archives

For Wellington's Premier Health Clinic,
Call (04) 499 1439 to Make an Appointment

Want to feel really good for Christmas and New Year? (Without needing alcohol!)

Pain "It comes from the brain and can be trained"

Severe reflux and idiopathic oral aversion in a premature baby treated with osteopathy at 8 months after the birth. A case study.

Clementine Carnus, new Osteopath for City Osteopaths

Learn about your spine with Reg. Osteopath Lara Sanders

Categories

Archives

﻿For Wellington's Premier Health Clinic, Call (04) 499 1439 to Make an Appointment﻿

For Wellington's Premier Health Clinic,
Call (04) 499 1439 to Make an Appointment