| Q.1 Why do I still have the pain after the treatment? A. Be aware of quick fixes, they are usually short lived. Recovery following an injury with or without an inflammatory process occurs via a cascade effect. This may take several days to resolve but when your body responds, the changes will be more permanent. |
| Q.2 What do you feel when you put your hands on the body? A. Like tuning the radio to different frequencies, different rates of movement of different tissues. With experience and skill one is able to diagnose and treat all sorts of imbalances, chemical, emotional, neurological, etc. As soon as contact is made, we are assessing the rate, rhythm, quality, tone, texture, vitality, and potency. |
| Q.3 What is it that you do? A. I treat using a combination of structural and cranial osteopathy. Structural osteopathy is what all osteopaths should be familiar with. Cranial osteopathy is taught as a post-graduate subject. Before you learn it you need to know how the body works, its mechanics, how it can go wrong and disease or pain sets in. Osteopaths study anatomy, pathology, biomechanics and of course, osteopathic techniques. |
| Q.4 How does it work? A. The cranial treatment work with the primordial forces that creates the body, the embryological forces that are still active in repairing the body. These forces can be engaged with a light/sensitive and respectful touch. Your body knows best, and is trying to do the best possible at all times so that you can carry on with your activities. The job of the osteopath is to allow ‘Health’ to express itself by removing the barriers that are stopping it from fixing the injury/disease process. The osteopath works as a facilitator letting the innate wisdom of your body to determine the treatment plan.Cranial osteopathy works by balancing both sides of the autonomic nervous system, namely the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. It brings them to a neutral place where the body can regenerate and heal. It is a very therapeutic space as a reboot so your body can start repairing. My job as an Osteopath is to allow the innate wisdom of the body to work. I am a facilitator of the healing process so the body can reorganise around a central axis or midline = primary or true core stability. It would take years of yoga training to reach the deep meditative state that we can reach during the treatment. |
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Q5 What is the difference between cranial osteopathy and cranio-sacral? A. In one word, the amount of training. Osteopaths have to go through the degree course before learning cranial osteopathy. |
| Q.6 What is the difference between osteopathy and cranial osteopathy? A. The difference is that with cranial osteopathy the treatment becomes ever more subtle, like the difference between a car mechanic and a watchmaker. |
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Q.7 I was told I have a scoliosis and/or a short leg. Can you help? A. Scoliosis is a side curve of the spine. It is present because of an imbalance and/or restriction of movement within the joints of the spinal column. Most people will have a mild form which is not permanent and responds well to osteopathic treatment. These are called functional scoliosis, in other words, they are present because the spine has to do that in order for you to carry on working and moving. If you ask your body to do more than it is doing by reaching for that tennis ball, falling or running for the bus when you are cold, your back muscles will go into spasm to protect the area of restriction in your spine. The pain may go after a few weeks but it will come back as soon as you irritate the area again. Prevention is best than cure and a few sessions a year with the osteopath will prevent the onset of pain and resolve the scoliosis. The short leg, unless you had a fracture or hip replaced, is functional, not permanent. We can correct it easily by looking at pelvis mechanics. Osteopaths study joint mechanics in depth and are able to diagnose the cause of the short leg and use techniques to restore your body to health. |
| Q.8 How often should I come for treatment?A – How often you should come for osteopathic sessions will depend on:a) Your condition. If you come for treatment for an uncomplicated back ache, most of my patients report an 80 to 90% improvement after 3 sessions. If on the other hand, it is something more complex like an injured disc, a few further sessions to get to the cause of the problem may be necessary. If it is from a recent traumatic episode (see osteopathy and trauma) it can resolve quickly and avoid more serious complications later. If the condition has been there for longer, say more than 6 months, then your body physiology has started to change to compensate for the original injury. The longer it has been present, the more changes there will be so it may take a bit longer to remove the layers of compensation.b) Your age and health. The younger and fitter you are the quicker your body responds to the treatment. With age, tissues start to break down and so don’t respond as well as when we are young. That said, the body has an amazing capacity to heal and given the right circumstances it will recover. It may take a little longer but it can respond.If you are older but keep yourself fit, you have a better chance of recovering quicker. Cranial osteopathy can be very effective in keeping the structural integrity of the body and therefore help avoid degeneration and wear and tear. My job as an osteopath is to keep you able to exercise and stay fit and active for longer |