Welcome to YourOsteopath Newsletter

Every two months we will bring you the latest news from the osteopathic profession as well as up-to-date advice on health topics relating to osteopathy. It won't be too technical; it will be straightforward, informative and - we trust - useful. If you have questions about any of the treatments mentioned below, then just contact us (see our details on the right). We hope you enjoy it.

Top Story

If parents' chief worry about the popular Nintendo Wii game is the amount of time their kids are spending playing it, perhaps they should look a bit closer to home after reports that parents are injuring themselves after competing too energetically with their offspring.

The Telegraph reported in January that one osteopath, Martin Davies, who has four clinics in Cheshire, had seen a flood of parents with neck and shoulder strains resulting from playing the Wii. "In the first fortnight after Christmas I saw 20 parents with the same problem", Mr Davies told the newspaper, "It is predominantly neck and shoulder strains caused by middle-aged people playing these games for excessive periods."

For those of you who don't have a Wii in the house, players have a console in the hand that translates actual arm movements into actions on the screen, allowing you to play 'virtual' games of tennis, boxing or golf. The temptation, as in the real game, is to compete as hard as you can.

For those of you who are victims of the 'competitive dad' syndrome - mums too for that matter - there is no shortage of sensible advice. Nintendo itself, for example, gave Sky News some basic guidelines: use the wrist strap so the console doesn't get thrown across the room; don't be tempted to swing your arms about widely because the console responds to even minor movements; and make sure that people and objects are out of the way before launching yourself into action.

As with any exercise, it's sensible to do some warm up exercises before you start, rotating your shoulders, flexing your wrists etc. Your children, however, may think that you are taking things a little seriously, but that's an occupational hazard of being a parent. If you do hurt yourself, your osteopath will be on hand to help.

Health clinic

It is a mistake to think that arthritis is untreatable: osteopaths can help considerably, offering pain relief and lifestyle management advice to improve the quality of life of sufferers.

Arthritis can be split into two broad types: degenerative/osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the commonest form, and is usually found at heavy-wearing joints such as the hips, knees or spine. Its classic symptoms - pain, stiffness and restricted mobility - may often be eased with skilful osteopathic treatment.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis and, says the General Osteopathic Council's (GOsC) Arthritis fact sheet, "is generally a systemic disease affecting not just joints but the whole body. Like osteoarthritis it produces severe pain, stiffness and often deformity." Osteopathy may be helpful in addition to medication.

The GOsC says; "There are many popular misconceptions about arthritis. For example: 'Degenerative change on x-rays means that nothing can be done. Pain killers or anti-inflammatory drugs are the only answer'. In fact, joint wear and tear is normal after the age of 35 and does not necessarily mean you will have any symptoms. The osteopath may well require x-rays, blood tests or even MRI scans to assess the extent of your condition. Treatment is not painful and often, symptom relief begins immediately."

Osteopathic treatment can do a great deal to reduce pain, ease swelling and improve mobility and range of joint movement. "Treatment is aimed at improving mobility and reducing inflammation by using gentle, manual osteopathic techniques on joints, muscles and ligaments", says the GOsC fact sheet, "You will be given positive advice related to your lifestyle about how you use your body. Age is no barrier to osteopathy since each patient is considered individually and treatment is gentle."

More information: You can download the GOsC arthritis fact sheet at http://www.osteopathy.org.uk/.

Other organisations providing useful advice include the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society - http://www.rheumatoid.org.uk/ - and the Arthritis care organisation - http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/.

Case Study

The Case: Irene a 32 year old carer has suffered recurrent headaches for several years. They have gradually become more frequent and are now lasting longer. The pain is mostly around the base of her skull and radiates upward and over her head, giving pain in her forehead and into her right eye. The headaches can start at any time, but are often worse after work. They started for no apparent reason and there is no history of any trauma or injury to the area.

She consulted her Doctor, who suggested stress may be the cause and prescribed some medication. She started the medication, but there was little or no change in her symptoms. She discovered that a friend's mother had suffered similar symptoms before attending a local osteopath.

The Diagnosis: The osteopath takes a case history before carrying out a full examination. The osteopath explains that headaches and head pain can come from many different parts of the body, but that neck problems are often found to be a major source of these symptoms. Her osteopath finds that the upper part of her neck is stiff and sore to palpitation. The associated muscle tension around the area radiates up the right side of her neck to the base of her skull. This is likely to be the source of her symptoms. There are many possible causes of the stiffness, but it is often found to be from lifting or carrying, and transferring the pressure from the arms into the neck. Other causes could be sleeping awkwardly, DIY, stress, studying, computer use; all situations where the neck is maintained in a position that is not in the normal head above neck, looking straight forward posture.

The Treatment: The osteopath uses gentle soft tissue and stretching techniques to ease the tension in the neck muscles. Once these muscles start to show improvement Irene's osteopath uses a minimal manipulation technique to restore greater movement to the cervical (neck) joints.

The Outcome: Irene has weekly treatment for a month and her headaches immediately lessen in frequency and start to be less severe in nature. Within a further six weeks her symptoms have gone.

Body Talk

Lumbago: Simply means low back ache, from any cause or description. The word is derived from the words lumbo, meaning low back or loins, and "ago" meaning ache. So the next time you hear lumbago as a diagnosis, understand it's just a way of describing low back pain, and is a symptom, not a diagnosis.

Degeneration: Describes the gradual deterioration, of a joint, tissue or organ. Usually this is through the natural ageing process, and is often just referred to as wear and tear or simple 'old age'.

Arthritis: There are several different types of arthritis. But the term "arthritis" is mainly used to refer to osteoarthritis, which is when the natural wear (degeneration) that takes place in all of our joints' cartilage becomes excessive, and is therefore most likely to be diagnosed in people as they get older. Any joint can be affected, but is most common in the ones bearing most of the body's weight, including the hips, knees and spine.

Rheumatism: A general term that describes any disorder in which aches and pains affect the muscles and joints. As with lumbago this is not a diagnosis. Maybe your great aunt's rheumatic simply means she's got an ache in her shoulder or hip.

Spondylosis: A degenerative condition of the discs in the spine. It can happen to any part of the spine, with cervical (neck) and lumbar (low back) spondylosis being the most common. It often results in pain and restricted movement of the affected area.

Sciatica: Simply means pain down the sciatic nerve. The pain can be felt down the back and outer side of the thigh, lower leg and foot. There may be numbness and weakness in the leg. It is mainly caused by a problem in the low back and therefore treatment is usually focused on the lower spine from where the nerve arises.

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