01727 400425 admin@hertsosteopathy.co.uk
Herts Osteopathy & Pilates Clinic
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Pregnancy
  • Postnatal
  • Pilates On Demand
  • Gallery
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • FAQs
  • Contact/Book online
Select Page
SCIATICA is NOT a diagnosis, it is a symptom

SCIATICA is NOT a diagnosis, it is a symptom

by Jo Day | Jan 11, 2019 | Biomechanics, Pain

So I have felt compelled to write a short blog post on this overused term “sciatica” and how frustrating it is when patients have been told this is what they have. As a patient it gives you no information other than telling you that your sciatic nerve is inflamed (at some point along its very long journey!!). And it absolutely tells you nothing about why it got there, and therefore you are completely disempowered to be able to do anything about it.

Unless you know the cause of your pain or issue, you will never be able to fix it, and escape from your “diagnosis”.

Often when people come to me in acute debilitating pain, they have been given the diagnosis of sciatica, often with a prescription for some high strength painkillers or anti-inflammatories and told to rest. Obviously you don’t want to be running any marathons at this time, but gentle mobility, movement, walking is needed.

 

Spinal and pelvic assessment Osteopathy

So, what is it?

Hayley our senior osteopath has written a nice succinct article on sciatica in one of our other blogs so do take a quick read of this. But sciatica is when the sciatic nerve becomes inflamed, compressed, pinched, irritated or annoyed at some point along its journey. It exits the spine right at the bottom in the lumbar and sacral area at the base of the spine, so can get irritated at its point of exit, or along its path, through the buttock and down the leg. However, unless we know why the nerve has become irritated we cannot get rid of it.

It is mostly caused by a change in load through the spine and pelvis, and often over a period of time, so the altered mechanics place pressure through the nerve or the spinal segments repetitively, and over time they become inflamed. Sometimes we are able to withstand quite a lot of compensation for a long time until a very small event tips us over the edge “the straw that broke the camel’s back”…. Something small like a sneeze, or something more significant like the growing bump through pregnancy.

 

Pelvis realignment techniques Osteopathy Pre and Postnatal

So we look at how you move, how you walk, how your spine moves, how your feet bare load. We assess how you sit, work position, how you carry your children, breathing, exercising….. We strive to find your own individual cause of the pain, in order to understand your body, and get rid of the cause, and therefore stay pain free for longer.

We look at the mechanical causes to the sciatic nerve becoming irritated so we can remove these and give you the information about your body, and why it happened, to give you the knowledge of what to do to prevent it coming back.

 

As osteopaths we use hands on treatment involving massage, stretching, articulations, mobilisations, acupuncture when needed/desired, and taping. We give you advice and exercises to do to prevent it coming back. Our aim is to empower you with the knowledge of your body, not just to get rid of the symptoms (although we do this too!!).

 

 

Sciatica is often present with PGP in pregnancy too, so you can experience Pelvic Girdle Pain in pregnancy and again, this can coincide with sciatic pain. This can often be because your body is trying to adapt to the pregnancy, but things are a little off balance. Your spine and pelvis may not quite be adapting to the mechanical changes needed with the growing bump, so we will address this too, and we work with women throughout their pregnancy, so you can come at any time. There’s no need to be in pain when you are pregnant. Please don’t just accept it as ‘normal’.

 

Acute pain?

We treat a lot of people at the acute “agonising” point of sciatica and can make huge differences within one appointment for many people who walk (or hobble/crawl) through our door. It really does work, and the NHS and NICE also support this. We are recommended especially for treatment of sciatica. Having hands on treatment, particularly at these early acute stages of the pain, where often you are completely locked and are unable to move very much, can stop the pain turning into a chronic back pain which is then far more complex and deeply woven into your whole body’s mechanics. Whilst you are waiting for your osteopathy appointment, getting on your hands and knees can be relieving in these acute spams. You can also try using frozen peas on the buttocks, or lower back, five to ten minutes at a time, as this can be really useful for reducing inflammation in these acute phases too.

Regular spasms?

People can sometimes have these acute spams every few months, or perhaps once or twice a year, then they forget about them, but they keep coming back. If this is you, then find out why you are getting them, there will always be an underlying reason, which we can get to and address, so that we prevent another one from occurring. So please come to us, even if you are not currently in pain. If you get these acute episodes regularly, then your body is trying to tell you something. Pilates can also help long term to help prevent the pain coming back.

We are here. We will find out the root cause of your pain, and help you to get rid of it. 

Come see an osteopath here and get to the crux of your pain. You will learn about your body, and what to do to prevent it coming back. We are on your side, and we absolutely love what we do.

Email admin@hertsosteopathy.co.uk

Book online https://hertsosteopathy.co.uk

 

www.hertsosteopathy.co.uk

Online bookings available 24/7

“Rib popped out??”

“Rib popped out??”

by Jo Day | Aug 12, 2018 | Pain

Do you have a rib head subluxation?? 

Oooh sounds a lot worse than it is.. Honestly!

Do you have pain at the base of the neck coming into the shoulder, by the upper spine, or even described as being behind the shoulder blade, worse with particular positions and neck movements? These are often signs that a rib is “out”. This can then develop into headaches or radiating symptoms down the arm and around to the sternum depending on how long they have had it for.

This must be something that I “adjust” or “put back in” on a daily basis. But many don’t even realise they have it.

Here is a great little article about it and a useful picture below taken from :
https://myrosevillechiropractor.com/5-things-to-do-when-a-rib-goes-out/

I

People come in with pain at the points circled in red, but often slightly higher in the shoulder too. This can come on from daily activities which may put it at a vulnerable position in some, but also through trauma for example a RTA or a fall. More often than not these areas of pain are indicative of a rib head out of place (popped out, or subluxed). See in this picture below of the rib head and how it connects to the spine :

Once found, these can be relatively easy for us to adjust back to where they should be, but quite often hard to keep there from a patient’s perspective. We would always address the issues that have caused it in the first place which can involve the mechanics of the entire rib cage, shoulder position and mobility, restrictions in the neck and upper back are common features and causes. These will help but there are a number of activities that may predispose us to pop our ribs back out again whilst they are still healing:

~Carrying a child or heavy bag on one side

~Sitting over a computer with rounded shoulders and head forward for long periods

~restrictions through the upper back and neck (place altered forces through the joints with the ribs)

~Walking around typing on a phone in one hand.

~Overstretching

~Poor or uncomfortable feeding positions in new mums

Interestingly I have found this to be most common in postnatal mums due to the change in ligamentous laxity but also due to the altered mechanical demands on the body, feeding for hours on end in the early days, along with increased weight of breast tissue. So advice on the correct feeding position is always part of the after care advice here, along with ice and mobilisation exercises.

Healing can take up to six weeks due to the ligament strain associated with the rib subluxation. So although the initial acute pain can be reduced significantly after one appointment  you need to follow advice in the following weeks to prevent it from coming back to often.

So great advice as per the linked article above. Use frozen peas, think about not sitting for too long in one position, avoid spending too much time with your phone in one hand, and stay mobile!

Come and see us if and when you need us.

www.hertsosteopathy.cliniko.com/bookings

SCIATICA

SCIATICA

by Jo Day | Mar 8, 2018 | Pain

 

Sciatica

Written by Hayley Robinson Senior Associate Osteopath at Herts Osteopathy, St. Albans.



What is it?

Sciatica is the term used to identify pain in a specific region of the body. The sciatic nerve is a large nerve that exits the base of the spine and supplies the sensation and function of the back of the leg starting from the buttock/thigh/calf and ending at the bottom of the foot. The symptoms can present as pain, weakness, altered sensation or a combination of all three in any of the above areas. It is often described as sharp, shooting, electric shock, deep, unremitting and wave like pain that cannot be reproduced in the area it is felt (most commonly the leg). 

What can it be caused by?

• Disc bulge/prolapse The most common cause of sciatica is from a disc bulge or prolapse causing compression of the nerve as it exits the spine. 
• Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) 
• Compression secondary to lumbar spine joint facet irritation and associated local muscle spasm
• Piriformis syndrome- caused by a muscles that sits deep within the buttock spasming which in some cases can cause irritation of the nearby sciatic nerve.

What do we do?

Often when we see patients with sciatica they are in a great deal of pain. Depending on the cause of the nerve irritation is how we determine how to approach and treat the symptoms.
My personal port of call is to calm the area down and provide some relief for the patient. Particularly in acute (early) situations. This will include reducing muscle spasm, gently stretching and articulating the surrounding structures and giving reassurance and home exercise advice that the patient can take away with them.

Areas I look at: I asses the pelvis to ensure it’s aligned, assess the function of the spine as a whole rather then just the symptomatic area. The surrounding soft tissues and what they doing to the symptomatic area. The lower limb (feet/knee/hip positioning) and how they are affecting the function leading up to the spine. Not only this but I also take into consideration predisposing factors such as your job, how you drive, your hobbies, your shoes, your desk set up and even how you carry your bag!

Spinal and pelvic assessment
Osteopathy

 

Too much I hear you ask?
Not at all!! All of this enables me to see you/your life in a bigger picture which will then allow me to tailor a management plan that suits you best. So not only do I take into consideration your physical presentation I consider factor around had in your life that will enable the best approach to managing your symptoms.

Osteopathy



Evidence?


The NICE guidelines ( the National Institute for Care and Guidance) recommends the following under recommendations for non invasive treatment and management of sciatica (1.2.7)

“Consider manual therapy (spinal manipulation, mobilisation or soft tissue techniques such as massage) for managing low back pain with or without sciatica, but only as part of a treatment package including exercise, with or without psychological therapy”
(Nice guidelines taken from www.nice.org.uk )


All of which an Osteopath can offer! 

 

Here is another article illustrating how Osteopathy can treat Sciatica can be found below:
Osteopathy and Sciatica in the news

Feel free to contact us:

admin@hertsosteopathy.co.uk

Tel 01727 400425

Or book online through our website www.hertsosteopathy.co.uk or Facebook page www.facebook.com/hertsosteopathy

TMJ dysfunction?? Pain in the jaw?? #osteopathyworks

TMJ dysfunction?? Pain in the jaw?? #osteopathyworks

by Jo Day | Nov 11, 2017 | Pain

TMJ dysfunction?? Pain in the jaw?? #osteopathyworks

The TMJ (temporomandibular joint) is your jaw joint, and it connects myofascially through to the top for your cervical spine (neck), and to the base of your cranium (skull). Therefore we see many headaches which in fact are a culmination of jaw dysfunction, neck and upper back issues all in one.

With headaches we look at the whole picture as to what is causing the headache. If the TMJ is the main culprit, then this usually relates to periods of stress (where we may be clenching or grinding our teeth without realising), also recent dental surgery or a history of considerable dental work. We also have patients visiting us specifically for jaw pain, sometimes this feels like deep pain by the ear, or an inability to open the jaw properly, or an excessive clicking.

Often the jaw can become misaligned, and disproportionate amounts of tension through the muscles which work on the jaw, as well as interconnecting muscles and soft tissue. This can be exacerbated with hypermobility syndrome.

Osteopaths have a variety of techniques which can be used to release tension and to help realign the jaw, as well as the associated structures. We have found it responds incredibly well, most people have reported a significant improvement in symptoms and pain in just one treatment.
This article “The efficacy of musculoskeletal manual approach in the treatment of temporomandibular joint disorder” also helps to provide increasing evidence to support the use of osteopathy and manual techniques for jaw pain and dysfunction, and concluded that musculoskeletal approaches can be effectively used for TMJ dysfunction and pain, which reflects the outcomes in our clinic.

“The efficacy of musculoskeletal manual approach in the treatment of temporomandibular joint disorder”

Any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Thanks for reading ? ?

Recent Posts

  • Nutrition for Optimal Postnatal Healing – Guest Blog from Michele Kingston
  • Antenatal Education – Guest Blog by Midwife team – PBB Events
  • Encouraging Optimal Foetal Positioning By Grace Lillywhite
  • What chair do I get?
  • It’s all about the big toe!!

Categories

  • Antenatal and Postnatal
  • Biomechanics
  • Health
  • Injury Prevention
  • MummaStrong
  • Pain
  • Pilates
  • pregnancy

Social

  • View facebook’s profile on Facebook
  • View twitter’s profile on Twitter
  • View instagram’s profile on Instagram
  • View pinterest’s profile on Pinterest
  • View linkedin’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View youtube’s profile on YouTube
  • View Google+’s profile on Google+

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 768 other subscribers

Herts Osteopathy

1 day ago

Herts Osteopathy
Happy sunshiney day everyone. ☀️☀️Little post from Jo:💜💜I just thought I'd come on to say how awesome you are all doing!!This post is an EXACT conversation had with my eldest daughter as she woke up. First thing she said.. Literally beaming.I cannot put into words how awesome this felt, to hear this...And actually made me think long and hard about how we all feel, and the struggle we may all be feeling right now. Everyone seems to be finding this part of our 'pandemic journey' the hardest to deal with. So here's just a little uplift, in the words of my 9 year old!Just keep saying it...It's true 💜💜💜💜💜#imamazing #amazing #goodmorning #happiness #toughtimes #love #life #family #justdoyou #beyou #osteopathyworks #stalbanslove #Holidays #sunshine #positive #positivevibes #womensupportingwomen #mumofgirls #clinicowner ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Herts Osteopathy

2 days ago

Herts Osteopathy
#testimonialthursdayWe are so so very happy to receive this review all about Osteopathy post surgery. 💜🙏🏻We spend a lot of time working with people in the build up to surgery but particularly afterwards. Over the last year we have found this to be a crucial part of the process for our patients. Not only have they been unable to have the appointments they need at the hospital, but also there just isn't the hands on post surgery after care that is needed.Surgery is needed for so many reasons, but sadly we are finding that it doesn't stop there. The days and weeks after surgery are crucial to the healing process and this is where we really like to be able to help. Bodies have to work really hard to adapt to the surgery and the actual work that has been done, the internal scars are very different from the external scars... Especially with surgery that involves laproscopic procedures, because the outside only tells a tiny percentage of the picture.Often areas are pumped full of air to allow the surgeons to see better and access areas with more precision, this creates huge changes in the diaphragm and ribs that can take a long time to resolve.We work on releasing scar tissue, allowing the rest of the body to heal better, slowly helping the body get rid of the anaesthetic and the inflammation, allowing the body to heal optimally... But then also working on the cause of pain, and rehabilitation.We do all of this, and it is a really important job for us to do. 💜So if you have had surgery, do come and see us as soon as you are able... We see many just one week after surgery depending on what they have had done.We will help you to understand the need for surgery, and how we can help you to recover optimally. The combination of hands on treatment and rehab, looking at how your whole body has adapted to the surgery, and perhaps what even caused the issue which required surgery in the first place. We are here, and osteopathy really works beautifully with this.#osteopathyworks #surgery #postsurgery #PostSurgeryRecovery #hipreplacement #hippain #operation #osteopathy #stalbans #rehab #rehab #chronicpain #kneepain #scars #scarwork #laproscopicsurgery #pain ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Herts Osteopathy

1 week ago

Herts Osteopathy
Another week, and another AWESOME guest blog, on my #IWD2021 theme of women supporting women!!Today I have been lucky enough to have a guest blog written by Michele Kingston from TNM Clinic, St. Albans, all about postnatal healing through nutrition.We spend a lot of time with women working on optimal healing post birth, including overcoming birth trauma, PGP, Urinary and Bowel issues, rebalancing the pelvis and pelvic floor, abdominal muscles, addressing episiotomy and cesarean section scars and much more. But all of this can be hugely optimised by eating right. Michele has some simple tips on what is needed, and easy to implement into your diet.She can also put together an individualised plan for helping you with your individual issues. She also has tons of knowledge on rebalancing hormones and peri and post menopause too. So feel grew to click on the link below, have a read, and contact Michele with any questions.Happy Easter 🐇🐣🐰💜#nutrition #optimalhealing #fourthtrimester #loveyourbody #loveyourgut #guthealth #heal #recover #postnatal #mums #stalbansmums #osteopathyandnutrition #easter #healingjourney #postsurgery hertsosteopathy.co.uk/health/postnatal-nutrition/ ... See MoreSee Less

Nutrition for Optimal Postnatal Healing - Guest Blog from Michele Kingston - Herts Osteopathy & Pilates Clinic

hertsosteopathy.co.uk

Michele works in functional medicine and lets us know what to eat for postnatal healing, and how to recover and heal optimally.
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Herts Osteopathy

3 weeks ago

Herts Osteopathy
To all our pregnant mummas.Are you nearly due??Well then, get your bags packed, and get your meals cooked, get squatting, keep walking, do your ball bouncing...All ready for Sunday. Our next full moon is on Sunday, the Worm Moon, and this means that your baby may well arrive then 💜💜Exciting times.And for everyone else.... We just lose an hour in bed...But, on the MAJOR PLUS SIDE.... Spring is here, clocks go forward, the daffodils are blooming, and the world appears to be turning an optimistic happier corner for sure. 🌍💜😊#spring #happy #fullmoon #wormmoon #springforwards #moon #lunar #clocks #baby #watersbreak #Labour #labourday #thirdtrimester ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Herts Osteopathy

3 weeks ago

Herts Osteopathy
Thank you so much to Emma 💕 from PBB Events for writing this blog for us:Antenatal Education - Starts from the moment you find out you are pregnant.In light of #IWD2021 I have joined forces with some local awesome women who are out there supporting women just like us, and I've asked them to do a special Guest Blog. This is for all of our pregnant mums out there, with some fab advice on antenatal care, and how it can be accessed during covid, and beyond.Emma and her mum (who is also a midwife) run the Pregnancy Birth and Beyond Events Company – PBB Events.... With a monthly pregnancy club, postnatal clubs, webinars, antenatal classes and support.Please see the link to the blog below, and many more blogs on there too 💜💜hertsosteopathy.co.uk/pregnancy/antenatal-education/#Pregnancy #bump #pregnancyclub #online #blogs #antenatal #PBB #antenatalclasses #womensupportingwomen #stalbans #stalbansmums #shoplocal ... See MoreSee Less

Antenatal Education - Guest Blog by Midwife team - PBB Events - Herts Osteopathy & Pilates Clinic

hertsosteopathy.co.uk

Guest blog written by PBB Events, all about antenatal education in St Albans, written by midwives for pregnant women.
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Follow Us

  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Herts Osteopathy is a trading name of Herts Osteopathy Limited (CRN: 11279043) a company incorporated in England and Wales with a registered office address at S10, 16-18 Chequer Street, St. Albans, Herts. AL1 3YD.

Your osteopaths here at Herts Osteopathy Ltd are registered and regulated by the General Osteopathic Council.

  • Privacy Policy
  • FAQs
  • Login
  • Account

Designed by JJ | Copyright 2016 Herts Osteopathy