At Clayhall Osteopaths we offer a wealth of experience, treatment options, and specialist therapy equipment for dealing with back pain disorders within our clinics.
Whenever possible and appropriate we will offer the highest quality hands-on treatment but just in case we can’t help you in-house we will likely know the right specialist or center to recommend/refer to if you need a specialist opinion or scan.
This is made possible under the close working relationships we have established with several of London’s leading pain doctors, radiologists, and surgeons.
BACK PAIN TREATMENT
Back pain is arguably the most common and most costly musculoskeletal condition society faces today. Not only can it be extremely debilitating for sufferers but it can be one of the most complex conditions for clinicians to understand and manage. The human spine with its numerous muscles, ligaments, joints, discs, and nerves, all integrating and interplaying with each other, is an amazingly complex mechanical structure. Little wonder that a “one size fits all” approach so often fails when it comes to dealing with back pain. At Clayhall Osteopath we pride ourselves on succeeding where other organizations fail. We offer a multi-modality approach that may include hands-on treatment consisting of bespoke deep massage, stretching, and manipulation, alongside medical acupuncture, electrotherapy & mechanical treatments, as well as corrective exercise advice.
NECK PAIN TREATMENT
Sources of neck pain can range from simple muscular strains requiring remedial massage to more degenerative conditions such as Facet joint and ligament problems that require additional treatment and advice. Common causes are trauma from whiplash injuries or problems that arise due to poor posture such as “text neck”. The key to successful treatment is identifying and treating the pain source, as well as the factors that have led to its formation, so once the pain is
treated it will not return.
FACET JOINT PAIN
The Facet joints are the small knuckle-sized joints that occur on the left and right of each intervertebral segment of the spine. Just like the knuckle joints, these can become inflamed, painful, arthritic, and even locked and jammed into a fixed position (this is referred to as Facet lock, subluxation, or misalignment). Although it’s not exclusive to facet joint pain common signs include pain to one side of the spine that is felt when bending backward and to the side since this movement tends to maximally approximate the surfaces of the facet joint. Manual therapy treatment techniques will include gapping techniques to help open up the joints, manipulation where required, as well deep massage, and dry needling as necessary to release associated muscle knots causing pain and tension in and around the facet joint(s).
SCIATICA TREATMENT
‘Sciatica’ refers to pain usually felt down the back of the leg due to entrapment of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the largest in the body, it is formed by nerve roots in the lower back which joins to form the sciatic nerve in the buttock or gluteal region, there are branches of the sciatic nerve, that extend into the leg as far as the toes. Sciatica can be due to pinching at any branch of the nerve or nerve roots. The most common cause of sciatica is a protruding disc (alternatively referred to as a bulging, herniated, or prolapsed disc) pressing on one of the nerve roots in the lower back. Sciatica can also be caused by entrapment of the sciatic nerve in the buttocks between or within the muscles of the buttock.