What is amazing about the human body, is it's ability to adapt to a given situation or task.  Problems can occur though, when we spend to long in a fixed position, such as being sat at a work station.  The body does it's best to adapt to the sustained posture, but even then can end up fatigued.  So, we end up with restricted spine and ribs, with sore muscles and joints. Then when we want to be active or exercise, our bodies are less able to move, so we may underperform or become injured.

This thoracic stretch can help relieve the stiffness and restriction that builds up when your work requires you to sit or stand at a desk all day.  You can do this stretch at your desk, so give it a go. Worried you'll look a bit funny in the office? Then, get you work colleagues involved! ​

Lewis Jenner M.Ost., FAFS, Reg Osteopath MONZ 
​​Lewis graduated from the British School of Osteopathy, the biggest and oldest osteopathic school in Europe. Before training to be an osteopath, he had a successful career in engineering. 
 
Lewis is the only osteopath in New Zealand to have completed the prestigious GIFT program, at the Gray Institute (USA), working with some of the world's leading experts in rehabilitation. He is also a certified Nike Golf Performance 'Specialstandworks' with golfers to prevent and rehabilitate injuries and also improve their power, strength, flexibility and balance. 
 
By combining osteopathy with principles from the GIFT program, Lewis can perform functional movement based assessments and treatments, which can be tailored to the patients relevant sport or activity.  Lewis has a particular interest in treating injuries relating to running, golf and racquet sports, although his approach is effective for anybody that moves.
 
Lewis’s philosophy is about helping patients get better, quicker, so that they can overcome pain, feel like themselves again and get back to doing what they love to do. He also educates patients in how to self-manage their complaints using personalised exercise prescription and ergonomic advice
 
Lewis moved to Wellington from the UK, with his Kiwi wife and their two young boys 

See Lewis for:

• Sporting injuries and exercise advice
• Foot, ankle, knee and hip injuries
• Shoulder injuries
• Restrictions and mobility problems

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Headaches and migraines are two of the most common ailments in the world, with up to 80% of the population having at least one headache per year. They can widely vary in their type and intensity, meaning that some may rarely suffer at all, however there are individuals who suffer so much that it begins to take a toll on their everyday life, even causing them to take time off work or cancel their social plans.
There are various types of headaches that all have different causes. These include migraines, tension, cluster, cervicogenic, sinus headaches and many more. As osteopaths, the two most common types that we treat are tension and cervicogenic, however osteopathic treatment can help to relieve many variations of headache.
At City Osteopaths, we are specially trained to assess and determine the cause of your headaches. We conduct a thorough case history, in order to ascertain how often they occur, when they occur, where they occur and whether there are any specific triggers to your headaches. We can rule out certain headaches that may need further medical investigation from your GP and we will conduct a postural assessment to decipher the cause of your headaches. ​
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What causes tension or cervicogenic headaches?

• Tension or tight muscles in the neck, back, jaw and eyes are common causes of tension headaches.
• Nerves that are irritated or inflamed in the neck can lead to pain symptoms in the form of a headache.
• Dysfunction or stiffness in the upper three cervical (neck) vertebrae are another common cause.​

Osteopaths use specific and gentle techniques to loosen the muscles and joints in the neck and back which can help to relieve the symptoms of headaches. We can also provide you with exercises that you can do at home to help to stretch specific muscles and improve posture. A combination of manual therapy and home exercises has been found to be highly effective in treating cervicogenic and tension headaches. Every individual will manage their symptoms in different ways, often through a system of trial and error. 

 
​Rhianna Smith 
DO M.Ost. Reg. Osteopath, MONZ 
www.cityosteopaths.co.nz
​Phone 04 4991439

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We had a great response to our hip mobility video, so we decided to follow it up with 3D functional calf stretch.
You may be doing the type of calf stretch where you hang your heels off the edge of a curb? If so, you may want to try this calf stretch instead, which creates mobility that will carry over into your running or walking gait. Get the most out of the 3D calf stretch, by doing it before the 3D hip stretch. All you runners and walkers out there, give it a go!
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​Following on from our previous running blog, we decided to make a short video, demonstrating a simple and effective hip mobility stretch, to help you get the most out of running and reduce the chances of injury.

Mobility is an essential component in all sports. Creating mobility through stretching is essential and the most effective stretches are those that look, in the whole or part like the sport that you are preparing for. Notice how the hip stretch in the video is performed in a running type posture and creates the hip movements that will carry over into improved running performance.  Give it a go and let us know what you think!