Commonly Asked Questions and adviceWill treatment hurt?
In my opinion treatment should NOT be painful. Occasionally you may suffer some soreness after treatment but this should be mild and short lived. Treatment should be safe and effective and any risks of aggravating your condition should be discussed. For example, if you are travelling on holiday the next day it is important to discuss this.
Do I need to tell my Doctor that I am receiving treatment?
To make an appointment you only need to pick up the phone and call us. You don’t need a referral from your Doctor. However, I do get many referrals from local GPs and I will normally write to them to keep them up to date as to the progress of treatment and of course I am happy that you talk to your GP if you do have any concerns about treatment .
Why do Osteopaths manipulate?
I use manipulation as part of a range of methods to try and re-establish normal joint mobility. It is NOT appropriate for everyone but it can be a way of getting quick and dramatic results.
Can treatment help arthritis?
Arthritis will affect joint mobility and stability and with over twenty years experience I can access joint mobility accurately and tell you whether treatment will help. I commonly find someone has been given the label of arthritis due to lack of thorough investigation and it may in fact be incorrect!
What if I have a more serious condition?
Back or joint pain due to a sprain or strain will be aggravated by movement or particular posture. If your symptom picture doesn’t ‘add up’ I will organise a referral for you to your GP.
Will I have to keep coming back for more treatment?
Normally you will see progress within three or four sessions. If you are not, I will offer you a reassessment and we will discuss the options. Thereafter some patients take the attitude they want to stay out of pain and they return for maintenance treatments once a month or less frequently as desired.
Advice
When you are in acute pain with a neck or low back injury it is very scary. With twenty years experience I am used to advising people in these situations.
With low back pain a policy of ‘active rest’ is best. By this I mean try to find a comfortable position in which to rest. Most people are NOT comfortable lying on a hard board. Try either lying on your side with a pillow between your knees OR on your back with knees bent fairly high and supported by cushions.
However, you also need a little movement to stop things stiffening up and to overcome the natural fear of movement itself. Lying on your back with knees bent up try allowing your knees to drop gently from side to side. Alternatively try flexing one knee at a time up to your chest. If you can stand upright, move gently around the house for twenty minutes and then lie down again. It is quite common to find sitting is more painful than either standing up or lying down. Gradually build up the amount of movement you do day by day.
The use of hot OR cold packs is a matter of debate. Personally, for lower back pain I suggest you use a hot water bottle wrapped in a thin towel or a heat pad on your lower back for twenty minutes every two hours.
For acute neck problems in the first twenty four hours I suggest you use a cold pack (do NOT use ice directly on the skin) for periods of ten minutes every hour and thereafter alternate hot and cold.
You need to discuss the use of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs with a pharmacist or your Doctor. Remember you must take anti-inflammatory drugs with food and make sure you don’t mix prescriptions e.g. diclofenac with ibuprofen without the knowledge of your GP
