Avoidance or Remedy?

It’s always interesting to hear the stories patients have to tell to give the back ground of the problems they present on their first consultation. We will often find out that the problem that is causing enough pain to prompt the visit to see an osteopath is the tip of the iceberg.  The other thing that can initiate that first visit is an inability to do something enjoyable or important such as a sporting activity.

Of course rather than trying to rectify the problem another possible option is avoidance.  If a particular movement, activity or task causes pain then just avoid that particular action. If you develop Repetitive Strain problems in the arms or wrists through working at a desk and computer then just change the job to avoid the computer. If running causes recurrent groin strain then stop running.

Avoidance certainly is one option but the underlying problem hasn’t gone away and you run the risk of being able to do less and less. Is that really the best option?

I’ve been treating a patient recently who had to stop cycling because it kept triggering pain and spasm in his left thigh. During the consultation he also told me about his history of hand and wrist pain associated with computer work. Luckily he found himself a better job which doesn’t involve as much use of a computer. So that’s computer work off the list and cycling off the list . . . . . what next?

Essentially aches and pains are your bodies way of telling you it’s not happy but more often than not osteopaths can not only ease the aches and pains but we can help your body return to the activity that it wasn’t particularly happy with.

As well as the hands on osteopathic treatment advice relating to changing your technique, using your body more efficiently, or introducing a more balanced exercise routine may also be included.

Now surely that’s a better option than avoidance and simply giving up the activity even though it may involve a bit more work to get you back on track.

Looking Beyond Disease

A patient came to see me recently that I hadn’t seen for well over a year.  She came in with a flare up of the ‘old low back problem’ which we’ve successfully treated in the past.

Obviously we got to talking about what had been happening since her last visit. It turns out that a chronic cough she’d had that was put down as being an allergic reaction to something was now confirmed as being an autoimmune problem that has led to damage to the lung tissue in places.

As she described how the ‘very nice consultant’ had explained things and put her on long term steroids to help control the symptoms it raised the all to common issue whereby medics often don’t see beyond the disease.

As an osteopath I expect to help patients reach their potential and hopefully exceed goals. That might be something as ‘simplistic’ as lifting an arm above shoulder level or bending down to reach the toes. Simplistic achievements they maybe but of huge significance if you’ve been struggling to dress yourself or simply put on your own shoes and socks. 

Usually these sort of things resolve with a bit of help but there are some more chronic conditions where the stakes are even higher and it’s useful to look beyond the apparent doom and gloom presented by the doctors.

Breathing isn’t just about the lungs, there’s an entire breathing mechanism involved which also includes the diaphragm, the rib cage, the upper back and even the nerve supply to the relevant muscles

Just because the tissues of the lung have been damaged in some way doesn’t mean that the overall breathing mechanism can’t be made to function more effectively.

With any chronic breathing problem osteopathic input backed up with the right sort of exercise can improve the breathing capacity overall. Of course if you can breath more easily you can do more which in turn means that it’s easier to maintain your fitness and simply enjoy life a little more.

Don’t just accept the ‘keep taking the tablets and live with it’ attitude.