Osteopaths at Hollingdean Osteopaths are happy to help patients with any treatment listed above.

Tension headaches

The symptoms are easy to recognise - pain behind the eyes and a throbbing head. Although often triggered by stress or emotional events, an important causal factor is often a constriction of the blood supply as a result of the the muscles at the back of the neck and the base of the skull over-contracting. In addition to neck pain, this may frequently be the cause of a headache. In the immediate terms occasional use of analgesics may help as will a cold towel or compress. However, in the longer term, it is recommended that two actions be taken. First, an investigation of the upper neck area which may need to be manipulated or mobilised in order to promote sufficient blood flow. Secondly, it is important to understand the sources of emotional stress and try to deflect it using a variety of techniques such as yoga, meditation or even regular exercise.

Spitting up

Spitting-up is a fairly common condition for babies during their first 6-12 months. Milk or food is reguritated fairly gently by the child in an involuntary fashion; by contrast vomiting is a more violent expulsion of food or liquid. The medical term is "gastroesophageal reflux". The most common cause of this reflux is the relatively small size of the baby's stomach relative to the amount of milk drunk or food ingested and is exacerbated if the baby takes in too much air whilst feeding. Osteopaths recommend to try to slow feeding and to hold the baby upright whilst drinking and for as long as possible - at least a quarter of an hour - after feeds. Osteopaths frequently treat this condition which can be helped by gentle massage of the stomach and release of tension in the soft tissues around the blood vessels feeding the liver, lungs , diaphragm and the small intestine. In addition the release of tension around the umbilical scar has been found beneficial in treating spitting up.