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

Fibromyalgia

Acute joint pain is often associated with fibromyalgia which is a disease of the central nervous system where normal, non-painful, neural messages are interpreted by the nerve receptors as pain. This leads to intense localised pain where there should be none. The symptoms of fibromyalgia include headaches, sleeping difficulties, poor concentration, stiff muscles and enervating tiredness. Some patients suffer occasional attacks allowing them to lead fairly normal lives. However, for chronic sufferers, this disease can gravely affect quality of life. There is no single cure, however much research is being done into various therapies to help ameliorate the disability associated with the condition. Osteopathic treatment is, of course, often used to treat the associated muscle pain and many practitioners combine this wiith acupressure or acupuncture to further relieve muscular pain.

Lower Back pain

Lower back pain is common, difficult to diagnose and often mis-treated. The causes are also complex ranging from traumatic accidents to degeneration of discs, or damage to tendons; frequently reported are episodes caused by performing unusual movements to which one is not accustomed such as lifting especially heavy items. The result can be excruciatingly painful and debilitating causing loss of productivity and difficulty sleeping due to discomfort even lying down. It is widely accepted across all forms of medical practice that, in most cases, left to themselves most bad back will recover slowly on their own. However, many are not content to wait for nature to run its course as the pain is too bad. Hence visits to osteopaths are often intended to speed the healing process. More importantly, in some cases the condition will not naturally resolve itself and may degenerate into a chronic condition which can dramatically impede quality of life. That is why most osteopaths would recommend early treatment so that the likelihood of developing a more serious condition is reduced.