Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket When It Comes To Back Pain!

Although this article is written by an osteopath, there was no intended pun between the headline and the fact that we are often associated with cracking, joints that is - not eggs!

The mobilisation and cavitation of joints which you often hear people talking about when you mention treatment by an osteopath is a very effective approach to help someone to recover from their back or neck problem, but it can induce a cold sweat for people who’s primal urges about someone inducing a quick movement to their neck. The reality is that any risks are very small, the benefits are fast and improve range of motion almost instantly. However, we do not just ‘crack’ joints! Our repertoire of techniques is actually substantial, including a range of massage levels, inhibition, muscle energy and active release techniques to name a few soft tissue approaches, but we also mobilise joints and effect ligaments, trigger points and blood perfusion as well.

We do not help everybody though, as not everyone needs the same treatment, and with all types of treatment, your practitioner and the approach they use will determine how well you do. So there are times when a person will need a more active participation in their recovery, in which case sports therapy is an excellent choice. During a sports therapy session, you will not only receive soft tissue treatment using a wide range of techniques such as those listed above, but also a rehab plan including exercises and stretches which will aid in your recovery. And this is very helpful for people whether they are involved in sports or not – as a lot of our musculoskeletal problems these days come from our sedentary lifestyle and poor habits which cause more physical and emotional strain on the body.

So how do we come to combat some of these negative habits we all have to some degree? With posture problems, the issue generally lies with a weak core and supporting muscles. We have muscles which are for moving our bodies and muscles which are made for holding us upright – they are different from a physiological perspective although they may look similar in composition because they use energy in different ways. Posture muscles are needed to exert a steady long-term energy supply and moving muscles higher energy bursts for shorter periods of time. The thing is, our posture muscles get switched off – by our bad posture! This leads to overreliance on the wrong muscles – hence burning shoulders and achy lower back, as well as ligaments and bones holding us up – not necessarily what they are designed to do. And this is why I often recommend Pilates to my clients. They idea behind Pilates is that you get all your supporting muscles such as your core switched on and working properly, and this takes pressure off the spine and other joints – which you learn to mobilise yourself during a class too. This means less trips to see your osteopath, sports therapist or massage therapist – which is a good thing. However, taking some time for a treatment is still extremely beneficial to help keep you functioning optimally as well.

To conclude, when it comes to treatment for your bad back or neck – choose somewhere you are not putting all your eggs in one basket – choice of practitioner is important. And we can certainly offer this at Back to Balance.