New Ross Osteopath

Frozen Shoulder Syndrome is an extremely painful condition. It can often start with a niggling ache followed by extreme pain. Over time the shoulder becomes severely restricted making normal everyday activities very difficult, if not impossible. It can cause problems sleeping and is particularly painful when lying on the impacted side. Osteopathic treatment can be very successful in easing the symptoms of frozen shoulder and can assist with a faster return to mobility and activity.

"It's just one of those things when you've had a baby."
This is what many of my female patients have been told when they experience painful and distressing symptoms in pregnancy or after childbirth. Awareness and knowledge are vitally important when it comes to women's health and I want to highlight that this International Women's Day. Many pregnancy and post-natal conditions can be helped, even years after childbirth, but it can sometimes be hard to know where to go to access treatment. I've treated many female patients who have experienced urinary incontinence, pelvic floor problems, back pain, sacro-iliac joint pain, symphysis p***s dysfunction, and prolapse issues.

Patient testimonial - fibromyalgia.
I've been treating Susan for her fibromyalgia for a couple of years. Treatment has helped her to manage her pain, alleviate physical symptoms and continue to work part time. Fibromyalgia patients often struggle to have their symptoms recognised, which can have a major impact mentally and emotionally.

What osteopathy is and what I do. Over the last few weeks I've shared information on the wide range of conditions that osteopathy can help. Today I want to tell you a bit about myself and what I do as an osteopath. Osteopathy is a gentle, hands-on, non-invasive method of diagnosing, treating and preventing health problems. Osteopathy is based on the principle that the body has the inherent ability to heal itself. The body is designed and can cope and adapt well to the strain of daily living. However, once the strain becomes too much the body will start to go out of balance. This imbalance will often manifest as pain or other forms of dysfunction. Osteopathic treatment strives to bring balance back to the body. Once this balance is restored the body can start to heal itself. With 14 years experience, I treat adults, children and babies using a combination of structural, visceral and cranial osteopathic techniques. I also use the NAT (Niel Asher technique) approach to frozen shoulder. I don't look at an issue in isolation, rather I base my treatment on the consideration and understanding of the mental, emotional and physical stresses that modern living places on us.

Like with most long-term conditions, people who have fibromyalgia will experience good days and bad days. I treat a number of people who have fibromyalgia and here are some of my top tips to help manage it:

1. Focus on getting good quality and restful sleep. Fibromyalgia causes pain all over the body and this can impact sleep, which leads to increased fatigue and worsening pain. Last week I shared my top tips for a good night's sleep.
2. Exercise but pace yourself. Staying active is important and has multiple health benefits, including increased energy. Pace yourself, even on good days when energy levels are high, so that you have some reserves if the following day is harder.
3. Identify triggers that aggravate your condition, such as changes to diet, schedule, temperature and sleep conditions. Being aware of triggers can help you to plan ahead and manage or remove things that cause you stress.
4. Eat healthily. Fibromyalgia symptoms may be exacerbated by processed foods, sugar, certain carbohydrates and alcohol. Keep a food diary to see if certain foods impact you. Eating healthily can help to increase energy levels and reduce inflammation.

I've treated a number of people who have fibromyalgia, which is a long-term condition that causes pain all over body. It's often described as, "Everything hurts", and can also cause fatigue, muscle stiffness, difficulty sleeping and issues with mental processes. The exact cause is unknown and there's no cure, but treatment can help with the symptoms, including osteopathy. Osteopathic treatment can help to reduce pain and helps to address mechanical dysfunction that impedes normal motion. Studies have shown that osteopathic manipulative treatment in conjunction with medication relieves pain associated with fibromyalgia syndrome: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/12090649/

If you think you might have fibromyalgia speak to your doctor or osteopath.

Small lifestyle changes can make a big difference to sleep quality. In this world of smartphones and devices, it's important to have some screen-free time. It'll help your posture and your sleep, too! Here are my top tips for getting a better night's sleep:

1. Limit screens before bed. Blue light impacts melatonin production, which we need for sleep.
2. Curb your caffeine intake. No caffeine after 2pm is a good cut-off time, but everyone is different. Some people can tolerate only one cup of coffee a day.
3. Keep your bedroom for sleep. Try to avoid working on a laptop, or doing paperwork in the bedroom. This will help to build a positive sleep association.
4. Regular exercise but not near bedtime. I'm a big advocate of regular, gentle exercise. Everyone's ability and fitness levels are different but it has so many benefits, with sleep being one. Avoid exercising before bed, as it'll make you more alert.
5. Try not to fret about falling asleep. Worrying and overthinking has the opposite effect. Focus on feeling calm and comfortable.
6. Avoid heavy meals or spicy food late at night. These can cause digestive discomfort which prevents sleep.
7. Keep your bedroom cool. About 17°C is a beneficial temperature. Opening a window at night may help.

If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep then osteopathy may have the solution for you. Osteopathic treatment can help a number of issues that affect the quality of your sleep, such as stress/tension, an overactive mind, digestive issues, arthritis, injuries, jet lag, pregnancy-related aches and pains, and postural problems. Treatment can also help with sleep cycles and the nervous, circulatory and lymphatic systems.

Finding out you have arthritis can be overwhelming, even if your symptoms are very mild. Earlier this week I shared how osteopathic treatment can help you to have greater mobility and comfort. Here are some of my top tips to help you to manage your symptoms.

1. Stay active. Don't overdo it or strain yourself but appropriate physical activity can reduce pain and fatigue. Talk to your doctor or osteopath to work out what's the best exercise for you.

2. Eat a healthy diet. Studies have shown that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables can help to reduce inflammation.

3. Maintain a healthy weight. Losing weight if needed or maintaining a healthy weight can help to reduce pressure on joints.

4. Check your footwear. The right footwear can make a big difference to arthritic joints. Get advice on what shoes are best for your needs.

Osteopathic treatment can greatly help to reduce pain and swelling, as well as improve joint movement and mobility. Arthritis can cause a number of symptoms that make daily life difficult; neck pain, joint pain, swelling and inflammation, stiffness, back pain, hip and knee pain, and reduced mobility and moment. Osteopathy can help to provide gentle relief from these symptoms and restore daily function and activities. Studies show that osteopathic manipulative treatment improves function and relieves pain in knee osteoarthritis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6657763/

Cranial Osteopathy is a gentle way of easing a baby's discomfort resulting from irritability, colic, poor sleep, reflux and birth trauma. You can read more about it in this article from the Huffington Post: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/10/19/cranial-osteopathy-can-it-help-your-child-sleep_n_7382028.html

Sinead came to see me after a difficult labour and childbirth when she was experiencing a number of painful issues. Osteopathy can help to ease the symptoms of a number of pregnancy and childbirth-related conditions, even years later.

***sdysfunction

Osteopathy can help to ease the symptoms and conditions that many women experience during pregnancy and after labour and childbirth. I've helped many clients with back pain, pelvic girdle pain, pelvic floor issues, incontinence, rib pain and symphysis p***s dysfunction. Treatment can be effective during pregnancy and even years after childbirth. A study by German researchers showed that back pain decreased and function improved in women who underwent osteopathic treatment. The full study can be seen here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26111129/

***sdysfunction

If you have health and fitness goals for 2020 but feel like your body needs some physical support, or have an old injury you're concerned about, then osteopathy can help. Osteopathy helps to treat a range of conditions, including injuries, strains, aches and pains, arthritis and digestive issues. Find out more at www.osteopathnewross.ie or call 087 629 6069.

Ignoring the plug for the book at the end , this is an interesting animation on how cranial osteopathy can help babies.

WHY IS MY BABY CRYING? - ANIMATED BOOK REVIEW | HOW OSTEOPATHY CAN RELIEVE YOUR BABY'S TENSION Get the book: http://amzn.to/27k1FDg

The joys of the smart phone.....

Imagen: Text Neck – The Charger Times Se encontró en Google desde chargertimes.com

This is a humourous video on how osteopathy can help with back pain.

Osteopathy can help with Back pain Ontario EN Ontario Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners http://osteopathyontario.org/ Research on Low Back Pain: * Cassidy JD, Carroll LJ, Côté P., The Saska...

Osteopathic treatment is very effective in resolving sports injuries. A recurrent hamstring strain could be the result of problem in the sacro-iliac joint or poor low back mechanics. Correcting these primary problems should help prevent the hamstring strain from recurring. Osteopaths treat the whole body reducing strain patterns aiming to keep the body in optimum condition for sporting activities.

Common Sports Injuries: Hamstring Pull In this week's Common Sports Injuries, Dr. Luga Podesta teaches us everything we need to know about hamstring pulls. Luga Podesta, M.D. specializes in non-su...

This video shows how important it is to keep active and this is the reason I advocate gentle exercise in helping to manage back pain. Also for those of you who are interested you will find a link to a research paper on same. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3963038/

10 facts about exercise and back pain This video shows you the 10 more important facts about the way you should approach exercise when you get back pain. This information is based on research pro...

Prolonged sitting. Important to get up and move around at regular intervals.

Prolonged sitting and back pain Learn more: http://www.muscleandmotion.com/free-trials/

Osteopathic treatment can help reduce your stress levels by re-balancing the autonomic nervous system. This is achieved by improving the mobility of the spinal joints in the areas where the autonomic nervous system emerges. Also by reducing muscle tension and improving the flow of the digestive and respiratory systems.

How stress affects your body - Sharon Horesh Bergquist View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-stress-affects-your-body-sharon-horesh-bergquist Our hard-wired stress response is designed to gives us the q...

Interesting article on sleep which answers some of the questions I get asked regularly

Putting sleep myths to bed: experts answer the questions that keep you awake at night Does cheese give you nightmares, is insomnia bad for your health, and can you sleep too much? We put these and other questions to doctors and scientists who specialise in treating insomnia

Adopting the correct sitting posture in front of a computer should help reduce back and neck pain. Have a look at this fun video to help illustrate:

How to sit correctly in front of the computer You have a backache or any other injury due to long work with the computer? This video is for you.

Have had great results with this technique

What is the Niel-Asher Technique? The Niel Asher Technique™ is an incredibly effective treatment that has been used to treat over 100,000 frozen shoulder patients since it was first discovere...

Very good description on how Osteopathic treatment can help with colic symptoms

Osteopathy & Colic - Moore Osteopathy, Nottingham A brief video to explain how we approach babies suffering from colic. We've found that osteopathy can really help reduce symptoms and discomfort in many babi...

CHRONIC BACK PAIN AND EMOTIONAL PROCESSING Background and purpose of study: Chronic back pain is a complex and poorly understood condition incorporating sensory, cognitive and emotional elements. Research demonstrates a strong association between chronic back pain and cognitive and non-cognitive factors such as anxiety, depression, fear-avoi…

Very interesting article on how Cranial Osteopathy can help babies.

Cranial Osteopathy: How It Can Help Your Baby Is your baby crying non-stop but the doctor can’t find a problem? It may be time to give cranial osteopathy a shot

A very good explanation of how Osteopathic treatment can help with pain and dysfunction.

an overview of osteopathic therapy What do Osteopaths do, and how might we be able to help you? A short video by Francine Tseng, Osteopathic Therapist at Intrinsi http://www.intrinsi.ca ... mu...