How can I help you? I don’t know, my wife sent me!

Men, for some reason, do not seem to look after their health as well as women and I often hear reports from wives frustrated with their husbands because they prolong seeing their osteopath or other health care professional.  They put up with the pain! They often seek help reactively to pain rather than trying to prevent it.  I therefore wanted to write an article about osteopathy and how early intervention with aches and pains can help in the long run. 

Osteopathy is not just about healing.  It is also a preventative treatment which aims to prolong the life of joints and improve overall health of the body.  Many more women seem to visit me saying that they feel out of alignment than men.  Did you know? Men visit the GP half as often as women. Is it because they don’t want to admit that they feel ill, is it because they want to appear strong, do they dislike being told what to do?  Why is it that women seek much more preventative care than men?  They seem to be more in tune with their bodies but obviously this is a bit of an over generalisation! Some men really take care of their health. 

I can’t answer all these questions today but what I can do is explain how we can help!

 When we assess a patient we look at the symmetry of the whole body and our aim is to put it back into alignment.  We also look at the overall health of the body and don’t just advise on musculoskeletal health but also look at diet, exercise, psychology etc in order to understand the overall health of the body.  We then advise the patient on how to manage his/her health as well as treating the musculoskeletal system. 

Firstly, when men push through the pain when playing sport, it can help occasionally but forcing physical activity when the body is telling you to stop may be causing damage to joints and tissues and the need for more invasive treatment and longer recovery times is more likely.  Pain killers can mask the pain but osteopathy gets to the underlying cause of the pain.  We aim to heal for pain relief and improve the function of the body so that you can get back to your game as quickly as possible.  You should seek help as soon as you feel pain, before major injury or acute pain occurs.  Listen to your body!

Common injuries that we treat in men include the following:

·      Repetitive strain injuries

·      Joint injuries (spine, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, wrist

·      Back and hip injury (especially in office or manual workers)

·      Groin pin

·      Neck and shoulder pain

·      Tennis and golfers elbow

·      Muscle and ligament pain.

In order to get well as quickly as possible you should follow these tips:

·      Attend the full scheduled treatment plan that the osteopath prescribes for you.

·      Complete the exercises at home prescribed by the osteopath

·      Rest as much as the osteopath suggests so that your body has the chance to heal.

·      Never press through the pain but listen to what your body is telling you

·      Drink water and eat healthily

·      Progress back to activity within your limits rather than trying to push yourself too much. 

Following this advice will help you to achieve optimal results and get back to activity as quickly as possible!

My main message in this article is to try not to put off treatment.  Come in and see us early because you’ll recover more quickly and avoid hospital invasive treatment.  Osteopaths are trained to improve the musculoskeletal health of the body quickly and safely and we want to help. 

If you want any help or advice please feel free to call into clinic.  I am happy to explain how treatment works on the telephone or by email if you want any more information. 

Nicola Rist.  Registered Osteopath.