One of the main purposes of osteopathy is pain relief. Osteopaths help people of all ages who suffer from pain, tackling complaints ranging from sports and work-related injuries to arthritis and sciatica. The osteopath’s role is to alleviate pain and improve the patient’s mobility in order to make life more comfortable.
What is pain?
Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. It is often caused by swelling of tissue, which creates pressure on nerves and leads to discomfort. Pain is a useful mechanism to alert you to a problem, and stops you from damaging your body further. It should always, therefore, be taken seriously.
Pain can affect many areas of the body, but particularly the lower back, head, neck, joints and legs. It can result from injuries and arthritis, and can also manifest itself in the form of rheumatic pain and period pain.
Osteopathy and the treatment of pain
Osteopaths can diagnose the cause of pain and help to ease it by reducing tissue inflammation.
Methods of management range from massage of muscles and connective tissues to manipulation and stretching of joints. This helps to reduce muscle spasm, to increase mobility and to create a healthier state in which damaged tissues can heal.
Much long-term, recurrent pain is caused by degenerative changes to the body’s framework. Nobody can reverse this process of ageing, but osteopathic treatment may still ease pain. Pain control is an important part of helping the patient and osteopaths give guidance on simple self-help methods to use at home.
The skilled techniques of osteopathy can often allow you a speedy return to normal activity. If you have had a pain for a long time, and other professionals have not been able to help, osteopathy can be beneficial.