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It is unfortunate that most people, who consult an
osteopath, only come when they are having a physical crisis. It is
interesting, that whilst most of us have our cars serviced regularly,
whether there is a fault or not, few seem to consider having our
physical bodies treated or even checked out. A low back dysfunction is
actually a lot easier to treat when not in pain or spasm and even makes
more economical sense. Although most of us seem to prefer to take the
gamble and assume that, if there’s no pain, there’s no problem.
An osteopath may use a variety of approaches for low
back pain and dysfunction, including that of the well known ‘click’
of manipulation. The ‘click’ is the separation of the small ‘facet’
joints at the rear of the spine and is similar to clicking one's
knuckles. This has the effect of directly improving the mobility of a
stiff, ‘locked’ or painful joint and, through a reflex reaction,
relaxes the local muscles that were holding or ‘locking’ the joint.
The muscles can then be treated to reduce the likelihood of the
tension/spasm returning.
If any joint has been stiff over a long period time,
then muscles across the joint will have physically shorten. When you
consider that the body does its’ utmost to avoid wasting energy, then
it’s easy to see that a permanently contracted (tensed) muscle is a
drain on the system, whilst a shorter more fibrous structure will do the
job with less energy.
Irritation or ‘locking’ of these facet joints is
by far the most common cause of neck & low back pain and not the
infamous ‘slipped disc’ (to be the subject of a later article). E.g.
The sensation of a ‘pulled muscle’ is usually due to a facet joint
irritation and an actual ‘pulled muscle’ in the back is very rare,
as is, the proverbial - ‘bone out of place’. Spinal joints, with few
exceptions, cannot go ‘out of place. If you ever get the opportunity
to study a real or model spine you could see that this is a mechanical
impossibility, in the absence of a fracture and this is only likely to
be present if there has been a severe physical trauma to the area or if
there is osteoporosis (thinning of the bones) present.
Areas around the lesion are usually treated to
breakdown the postural pattern that may have led to, or are as a result
of the problem. For more ingrained patterns a Cranio-Sacral osteopathic
approach maybe used. (N.B. Not all osteopaths use this approach, so
please check if this approach is preferred.) This works with the
inherent , very gentle, subtle movement patterns, that occur throughout
the body.
Osteopathic treatment is not necessarily a quick fix,
although treatment usually gives good immediate symptom relief. Quite
often specific exercises are given to improve and maintain the greater
mobility gained from treatment, improving the long term outcome. More
general exercise may also be advised, such as, swimming, Hatha Yoga or
Tai Chi. In short, the more regularly these are practised, the less
frequently you will need treatment.
Posture and various other influences are also usually
discussed and advised on, as appropriate.
©Andrew
C. Woodhouse
BSc (Hons) Ost
Osteopath,
Western Acupuncturist,
NAET Practitioner &
Meditation
Teacher for
British Meditation Society
7 Town Lane
Little Neston
NESTON
Wirral Cheshire
CH64 4DE UK Tel: 0151-336-6222
Neston is within the
borough of Ellesmere Port & Neston, on the Cheshire side of the Cheshire/ Merseyside border
that divides the Wirral. It is near to and mid way (10 miles) between Liverpool (Merseyside) & Chester (Cheshire).
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