Osteopathy is a long established system of diagnosis and treatment designed to identify the causes of pain and dysfunction within the musculoskeletal system and related areas. By finding areas of dysfunction and injury within the muscles, ligaments, joints and soft tissues we can then improve upon these and help our patients recover their full potential. We use traditional osteopathic assessments in combination with some medical tests (e.g. blood pressure measurements, arm and leg reflexes etc) to diagnose the cause of the condition and more importantly, the reasons why it arose in the first instance. These may relate to past injuries, working practices, bad posture, sports or wear and tear to name a few. When seeing a patient for the first time we start by taking a thorough case history covering not only their current problem but any past episodes, injuries or accidents. We also need a good understanding of your general health (including any medications) in order to assess any impact they may have. The next stage is to examine and assess the patient while they are going through a range of simple movements. This is followed by a gentle hands on assessment of the muscles and joints while they are resting either sitting or laying.
