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Sore back? Help is available at City Osteopaths in Wellington

4/17/2018

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Did you know that 60-80% of the general population will suffer back pain at some time in their lives? The incidence is highest in the 45-54 years old age group. 

Would you like to know more about the causes of back pain?

Things that contribute to the likelihood of back pain are: 
Poor health and nutrition
Increasing Age
Marked scoliosis
Reduced fitness
Loss of hamstring flexibility
Smoking
Psychological problems including Tension, Stress, Anxiety, Fear, Resentment and Depression
Drug abuse
Headaches
Neck pain
Leg discomfort
Stomach pains
Obesity
Poor quality of sleep
Excessive sitting
Pregnancy and caring for small children

For LBP in children (incidence 20-50%)
Too much TV
Competitive sports
Loss of hamstring flexibility
Birth strains and congenital anomalies which are problems a baby may be born with
Failure to receive appropriate treatment in growing years.

There are often many causes for the pain in your back and Osteopaths are even better trained than most medical doctors to figure out what has gone wrong, give you advice and treat appropriately so that most of the time your pain goes away quickly and you can avoid long term back pain, injections or surgery.

Osteopaths study for five years full-time at university to become very much a doctor of the musculoskeletal system. We study anatomy in great detail, along with physiology which is about how the body functions. We are trained to take a medical history, perform physical and osteopathic examination, appropriate orthopaedic and neurological tests and refer for x-rays to help us come up with a list of possible causes for your problem. Its always preferable when the cause of your pain is something we can treat and that is the case most of the time. When the cause is something else, we refer appropriately.
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All our practitioners are trained to look for the CAUSE of the problem and fix that rather than recommend long term use of pain killers or antinflammatories to mask the pain which left untreated, has a tendency to get worse.

Why is it called Osteopathy? Well Dr AT Still who discovered osteopathy in the late 1800's in America said "You start with the bones". But its only a start and osteopaths look not only at your bones but muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia, nerves, arteries, lymphatics and viscera. We look at your posture, your body type and your illness and accident history. We basically check you out from top to toe!
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Example of a short lever manipulation of the lumbar spine
How do we fix things? Well, osteopaths have a wide range of technique approaches from the very gentle such as cranial which can be used on a new born baby, through functional, fascial, balanced ligamentous tension, muscle energy technique, GOT, and short lever manipulation. Osteopaths are known for their gentle approach, using only as much force as necessary to achieve a result. In a hip, knee or foot problem the cause may be coming from the muscles, ligaments, bones or discs of the back and once the nerve and blood supply are improved, the hip, knee or foot are healthy and pain free again. So often I hear "Oh it's just me getting old" (they are 45!) our treatment works wonders by getting the body functioning as its designed to.

Cranial osteopathy is very useful in trauma, for example where a fall has sprained the ligaments of the back and normal movement and exercise have been limited for many years due to pain,  a skilled osteopath is able to gently remove the strain and help restore normal function. Its not uncommon to treat an injury that has been there many years and back and hip discomfort ease away. 
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If you have had an accident within the last year, there is no need to see your doctor, our Reg. Osteopaths can put you on ACC to cover treatment for osteopathy and also for acupuncture. ACC data from 2001-2017 covering around a half a million claims, shows that Osteopathy gets people better in half the number of treatments compared to Physiotherapists or Chiropractors. The average number of treatments required is 3 for Osteopaths vs 5-6 for Physios and Chiropractors.

Everyone's back problem is unique and will require a unique solution. That is why we have many skilled practitioners, with over 100 years combined clinical experience, all working together at City Osteopaths. We work with you to educate you about the CAUSE of your back pain and what you can do to help get yourself pain free and stay that way. We want to help you quickly back to health so you can get back to enjoying life, with long lasting results.
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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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Wellington Osteopath with 'Magic Hands'

9/12/2016

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Sebastian Tucker B.A.(Hons), B.Sc. (Hons) Ost. Reg. Osteopath, MONZ

Sebastian graduated from the European School of Osteopathy in the U.K. in 2006. Before coming to New Zealand in 2011 to join City Osteopaths, he worked in Liverpool and London advancing his cranial, visceral and pediatric osteopathy skills.  He has completed courses in advanced osteopathic technique.  He has assisted in teaching Paediatric care to post graduate osteopaths. Prior to studying Osteopathy he graduated with a degree in Theology.

Sebastian has spent time in Kenya treating orphaned children in the city and women and children of the Pokot tribe in the desert region.  He enjoys working with people of all ages and conditions from babies to the elderly.  He has particular skill in treating shoulder injuries and providing pre- and post-natal care for mothers and newborns.

With over ten years in full time Osteopathic practice, Sebastian has developed a gentle approach, easing back the layers of problems and compensations in his patients in order to reach and change the root cause of their condition whether that originates from stressors in the physical, mental or emotional.

"I have had long term back and shoulder pain. This has been totally fixed by my osteopath Sebastian in the last three weeks. A great change to my life and lifestyle.  Recommend the practice (City Osteopaths) to anyone." T.Lynch

"I have been having seeing Sebastian for the last few months, after suffering from neck, shoulder pain and stiffness and lower back stiffness and discomfort. Most of the pain and stiffness I was experiencing has disappeared and my overall posture has improved significantly. Sebastian has also recommended targeted exercises and magnesium and vitamin B all to assist with my overall recovery".
M. Mallet


"I have been seeing Sebastian, and I was a little skeptical initially. However he has helped mobilise my back and pelvis to a point I have never had so much movement in my life. He has been so kind and supportive in every way possible and made me feel comfortable at all times. I have urged so many others to book in and see him". 

Sarah, Wellington​
When you have had enough of being in pain and would like gentle treatment to help you feel better, call our lovely front desk staff on 04 4991439 to make an appointment or have Sebastian call you back or for more information please see our website www.cityosteopaths.co.nz
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How do Osteopaths help me out of pain and back to Health?

7/31/2016

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What does an osteopath even do?
By Claire Richardson

We get it. Lots of people don’t really know exactly what we do. First of all, it doesn’t help that our name is a massive misnomer, a relic of the past where bony “alignment” was emphasised far more than what we know to be useful today.
In medical terms, Osteo = bones. Path = disease. Therefore, osteopaths treat diseases of bones right? Well, wrong actually!

Secondly, osteopaths seem to be associated with mainstream medical clinics, but also alternative therapies. Are osteopaths just greedy fence sitters who can’t make up their mind?
First of all – an osteopath isn’t some weirdo replacement for your GP. We’re University trained manual healthcare practitioners.

Our brief job description is simple. We assess, diagnose, treat and rehabilitate conditions of the human body, in particular, the musculoskeletal system. We do this in an allied health setting, with input from other healthcare professionals such as GP’s, exercise physiologists, psychologists, personal trainers and so on.

The vast majority of osteopaths will predominantly deal with musculoskeletal issues such as low back pain, neck pain, headaches, sports injuries etc.Some osteopaths have trained in treatment of other conditions such as constipation or period pain, which can be related to the muscles within our bowels or uterus.

A typical appointment with an osteopath will include a thorough discussion about your condition and your concerns. The osteopath will discuss with you your medical history, and ask questions about your work habits or other relevant health related topics such as diet or exercise.

Following this, the osteopath will assess the area of pain or dysfunction. This might include getting you to move in a certain way, or feeling the muscles. The Osteopath might poke or prod certain areas to get an idea of whether they are moving or functioning properly.

The osteopath at this stage will have a diagnosis of your condition, and will inform you what seems to be causing the problem. If the problem is something that the osteopath can confidently treat, they will begin with your consent. If the osteopath believes that your condition is being caused by something non-musculoskeletal or more serious (such as infection etc.), they will refer you to an appropriate practitioner such as a GP.

Treatment will vary between patients, because each individual body is different, and each presentation of a condition is different. Some patients respond well to gentle treatment, such as light massage, breathing techniques or stretching, whereas others will do better with stronger techniques such as deep tissue massage, manipulation (cracking) or active stretching.

Most of the time, an osteopath will apply some hands on treatment, however, depending on your condition your osteopath may instead get you doing some specific, tailored exercises to help activate or “wake up” certain muscle groups.

Sometimes, osteopaths will also run an education session for patient with chronic pain (long lasting), to help them implement strategies to decrease their pain long term.

So, osteopaths are manual therapists with a dodgy name. No, it’s not just bones. We deal with the musculoskeletal system, we deal with pain, we deal with injuries, and we deal with rehabilitation.

Are we fence sitters? Nope. Osteopaths in Australia and New Zealand are Allied Health practitioners who work with, not against GP’s. Whilst some osteopaths may choose to work with naturopaths or other alternative therapists (just like some physiotherapists do), this doesn’t override their ability and training to refer to a medical professional when necessary and indicated, or sway their likelihood to do so.
​
Osteopaths hang their hats on providing patient centred care. This can only happen with a team care approach – so we want GP’s and their medical expertise on board!

Claire Richardson
Reg. Osteopath
Victoria, Australia

To see one our Reg. Osteopaths in Wellington, phone 04 4991439 or check out our website www.cityosteopaths.co.nz/osteopathy.html




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Childhood Scoliosis treatment at City Osteopaths Wellington

4/14/2016

3 Comments

 
I thought I would post a clinical case of a recent patient (I have permission from the parents).
​
Two weeks ago, this nine year old boy presented with right knee pain that had been present for about one year. This is a long time  for a child to have knee pain and initially set off my alarm bells of concern, however the family had visited their doctor and an x-ray of the knee had been done which was clear and blood tests were clear. I still had concerns regarding hip pathology (as this can refer pain to the knee) until I had a look at the child's back...

Now I am not sure if it is obvious to everyone, but if you look at the left hand photo, (which was taken on initial examination, before any treatment), you may be able to see some asymmetries. The left shoulder and shoulder blade are higher and the right hip is higher. You can see a reddish mark on the back due to a recent fall onto a tree branch.

Without getting complicated , this child has a scoliosis (which is an 'S' or 'C' shaped curve to their spine). The most common type is called idiopathic, which means the cause is unknown.

In my experience all the children I have treated over the years with idiopathic scoliosis have had a considerable cranial base strain (which can start in-utero, during birth, or from trauma to the head as a child). This cranial base strain can cause strain in the spine and shoulders and ribs due to the extensive muscle attachments between these structures.

 The right knee pain was being caused by extreme tightness of the right thigh muscles, due to the pelvic unleveling and cranial base (head) unleveling. The parents had been massaging the right thigh muscles daily for months to try to help the knee but had not been able to make them relax. This is because these muscles were not the cause of the problem but were responding to the strains higher up.

A very gentle osteopathic treatment with the patient lying on their back, using cranial, balanced ligamentous and biodynamic osteopathic technique approaches was used to treat the head, neck, back and pelvis. There was immediate  improvement as you can see from the middle photo. The right thigh muscles eased immediately which started to take the pressure off the right knee.

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Before first treatment
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Reassessing immediately after the first treatment
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Reassessing before the follow up treatment ten days later.
Ten days later was the follow up appointment and I hope you can see in the right hand photo, that the spine is now much better aligned, the shoulders are level and the scapulae are now even. Also the pelvis is no longer higher on the right side. The knee pain has much improved and despite there being some pains at times in the back as the body was realigning itself, the child and parents are very happy with the changes.

What I think is interesting about this case is:

1) The scoliotic pattern ('s' curve) of the back and pelvis were causing the knee pain. It was not the knee itself. (Osteopaths really do look at the whole body!)

2) There was no structural (ie boney) leg length difference, so there was no need for a heel lift.

3) Only one very gentle osteopathic treatment was required to enable the body to realign itself. (This was helped because the child is still young and the soft tissues were able to change)
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4) The body kept on improving for a time after the treatment. Which shows that given the right input, the body has the ability to heal itself

In an ideal world, all scoliosis would be caught at this age or earlier, the key being to find it and ideally sort it out before the child starts to grow into their adult body (from around age 11 to 18 years of age).

Please note that some types of scoliosis may need surgery and it is important to get diagnosed correctly early on. If a scoliosis like this one was found in an adult, it may need more treatment combined with specific exercises such as Rehab Pilates to achieve long lasting improvements in the alignment of the spine.

Note: Following up six months down the track and the scoliosis has not returned. Thanks for reading. I hope you found it helpful.
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Melanie Young
Reg Osteopath 
​B.A., B.App.Sc.(Clin. Sc.), B.Osteo.Sc. MONZ
​Director City Osteopaths

​www.cityosteopaths.co.nz
​#osteopathyawarenessweek



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