Osteopathy and trauma
Physical trauma in the form of impact can disrupt the normal functioning of the body. Your normal alignment can change and with that the structure will start to change to accommodate the trauma. Your body physiology will change, muscles will modify shape and tone, ligaments will be under extra pressure to stabilise the area, and joints can lock to prevent further damage to the nervous tissue. Your body will try to do the best it can in the given circumstances by adapting to a new pattern of movement and the injury becomes chronic, which means, it has not resolved completely but your body is coping well so the pain is reduced or almost completely gone. It can come back on occasion, when you do an movement (even an ordinary one) or task and the area flares up again because it could not cope with the extra demand on it . With time, this displacement of your centre of gravity can eventually bring about a malfunctioning somewhere else in the body because of the pressure on arteries, vein, nerves and lymphatic system, bringing dis-ease through poor tissue nutrition and drainage. So the sooner after your incident you look for help, the quicker your body can return to a state of health. All types of trauma, including falls, broken bones, car accidents as well as bereavement, separation, post-traumatic stress conditions may displace your functional midline and place your body under strain.
Each individual person responds differently to the same impact because of their previous history; some may have had lots of falls, others have a stressful job, others do a lot of exercise and may be more affected because they put their body under more pressure. Osteopaths spend many years studying anatomy, physiology and biomechanics in depth to be able to diagnose and treat dysfunction and help your body recover in an organic and effective way. Osteopathic treatment will be specific to your needs, it is patient-centred.