Chiropractic and Functional Rehabilitation
Chiropractic and Osteopath Sessions
Chiropractic adjustment principally consists of manual manipulation of the peripheral joints (ankle, knee, shoulder, jaw etc.).
The techniques used in chiropractic sessions are selected specifically for each patient and take place only after careful consideration of imaging studies (typically X-rays & MRI’s) as well as physical examinations.
Chiropractic techniques can be used to overcome locked joints (subluxations), therefore restoring natural movement to the affected area.
For example, vertebral subluxation is an alteration to the normal, dynamic function of the spine which can impede nerve impulses, thus causing intense pain. Through chiropractic manual manipulation, the anatomical relationship between two or more vertebrae can be changed back to its normal state.
In UK Osteopathy is used within Isokinetic rehabilitation method.
In the UK osteopathy is a primary healthcare profession with statutory recognition. Osteopathy takes a holistic, whole-body approach to healthcare.
The first and important point to make is that these two forms of treatment complement one another. Each of us has a skill set that allows the other to work more effectively and ultimately give the best outcome to the patient.
Rehabilitation physiotherapy is, as it says, a form of rehabilitation that allows the patient to start using their muscles and joints in a specific, targeted manner, allowing the patient to go beyond their expectations.
Osteopathy is very much a manual therapy, using various techniques to alleviate pain, increase the range of motion in joints and muscles and physically alter the state of tissues involved. To an osteopath, the principle is that for the body to work optimally, structure and function must work in harmony.
Osteopathy is a system of diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of medical conditions. It works with the structure and function of the body and is based on the principle that the well-being of an individual depends on the skeleton, muscles, ligaments and connective tissues functioning smoothly together.
To an osteopath, for your body to work well, its structure and function depend on one another. Using that principle, osteopaths work to restore your body to a state of balance, where possible without the use of drugs or surgery. Osteopaths use palpation, physical manipulation, stretching and soft tissue techniques to increase the mobility of joints, to relieve muscle tension, to enhance the blood and nerve supply to tissues, and to help your body’s own healing mechanisms. We may also provide advice on posture and exercise to aid recovery, promote health and prevent symptoms recurring.
When a patient has an injury, often the actual tissues injured recover relatively quickly, but what is hard to recover from is all those tissues that had switched off in order to prevent you further injuring yourself. Osteopaths can really help with that acute pain and to calm the tissues down, manually guiding the joints to move more freely. The Rehabilitation Physiotherapist switches those muscles back on and teaches the patient how they can use it. This combined involvement allows the patient to see they can do more than they think and push themselves harder than they thought.
Whilst as osteopaths can achieve a great deal, the recovery process is limited if we do not have the rehabilitation physiotherapist. They can then get the patient moving dynamically and functionally as they would in real life. At every stage of rehabilitation, the body reacts to the changes, physiologically. This is often manifested as pain/tightness/restriction. Each barrier must be overcome in the correct way, tailored to the patient, to ensure the best result. The combination of osteopathy and physiotherapy at each stage is essential to allow the patient to achieve their maximum functional recovery. Osteopathy will allow the joints and muscles to increase in length and improve their range of motion, then in the gym, green room and field, this new ability is put to the test and pushed to the limit.
What can Osteophats treat?
Osteopaths can treat a wide range of conditions, including:
• Neck pain, cervical
• Repetitive strain
• Trapped nerves
• Arthritic pains
• Sporting injuries
• Peripheral joint pain
• Shoulder problems or trauma
• Back pain, discopaties, discal ernies, sciatic pain
• Problem to legs, knee, ankles..
• Problems to arms, elbow, wrists…
We treat every single joint within the body, no matter how small or large.
We use a very wide range of osteopathic techniques, as well as combining treatments with medical acupuncture/dry needling and many other treatment modalities to compliment the treatment received.
Even if the presenting problem is at one joint or one region of the spine, our approach is very global. We consider all the tissues surrounding it, the joints above and below to ensure that the whole region is working as it should.
People often forget how connected the whole body is and how dependent on each region our body is. For example, someone presenting with a shoulder problem will have compensatory changes that take place in the whole arm, as well as the shoulder girdle (shoulder blade/clavicle) and also the upper back (thoracic spine) and the neck (cervical spine) on the effected side. The level of involvement can vary, often depending on how acute the problem is and also how long the problem has been there. The longer the problem has been left, untreated, the more the body tries to compensate. This can also affect the length of time of recovery, however with the right determination from the patient and the right team approach, the patient can overcome almost anything!
