Your have finally reached retirement and now is the time for you to enjoy yourself. You might want to play more tennis or golf, travel to far off lands, or spend quality time playing with your grandchildren. However sometimes your body has other ideas!
One of the main complaints as we get older is osteoarthritis, or ‘wear and tear’. It can be a painful condition and often people feel the only help available is medication. Pain can stop you moving a joint comfortably which can lead you into a vicious circle – you stop using the joint, or use it awkwardly, which in turn can cause you to overuse or strain other parts of your body resulting in more areas of pain!
Keeping your joints moving is important when it comes to reducing the pain in a joint. Osteopathy can help you remain mobile by:
- reducing or eliminating muscle spasm
- improving joint mobility and decreasing stiffness
- preventing neighbouring joints from stiffening up
- improving circulation which in turn can reduce inflammation and swelling within a joint
Osteopathy cannot cure arthritis but it can often help ease the symptoms associated with the condition, which in turn can result in a significant reduction in the actual pain.
Apart from help with your general mobility, Osteopathy can assist with:
- muscle strains or ligament sprains perhaps after a fall or after activity
- nerve pain
- symptoms associated with the inability to relax
- cramp
We of course take into account any existing or past medical conditions to ensure it is safe to undertake any Osteopathic treatment and tailor the care accordingly.
Our Podiatrist can also help with your mobility by ensuring your feet are fit and healthy – see under ‘Foot Conditions’ for more information.
CASE HISTORY
Patient: 80-year-old retired male
Presenting symptoms: pain in his left shoulder radiating to his neck, thumbs and fingers and decreased power in the left hand. Patient has self-administered ultrasound and TENS machine at home.
Previous History: symptoms had started 2½ years previously and he had experienced little relief since. No history of similar symptoms and had not had a corticosteroid injection. He was due to see an Orthopaedic Consultant to discuss surgery.
Treatment: 6 treatments over a three month period which included soft tissue (massage) and muscle energy techniques, as well as articulation of the left shoulder joint and neck. The patient saw the Consultant after 4 treatments and she agreed that due to the excellent improvement of symptoms surgery was no longer necessary.
Please feel free to contact us if you wish to discuss further whether we can help you.