Our osteopaths work with the soft tissues of your body to facilitate healing, release tension, improve functionality, re-align joints and bones, release stress and restore balance. We recommend that you use osteopathy to find relief from a range of conditions including musculoskeletal pain, imbalance and limited range of motion (e.g. frozen shoulder) as well as headaches, migraine, sleep complaints, stress, jaw problems, breathing difficulty and more.
When osteopaths refer to soft tissues, this includes the muscles, ligaments, organs, etc. but most important to osteopaths is the fascia. The fascia is a connective tissue that wraps, connects and/or interacts with all elements of the body: muscles, bones, ligaments, joints and even the organs. It is the framework around which all tissue exists – it is considered to be the architecture of the body. Treating the fascia assists the body in releasing / letting go of tension, protective or traumatic patterns held in muscles and connective tissue which cause pain, limited range of motion and other imbalances.
Our osteopaths apply gentle, targeted treatments that are intensely relaxing – you can often literally feel your body unwinding. Some bony manipulation may be used but unlike chiropractors, osteopaths do not focus on this as a primary therapeutic tool. Strangely while the term ‘osteo’ relates to bones, bones are often the last thing directly treated by an Osteopath. Bones only go where they are told to go. The muscles and fascia tell the bones what to do so the treatment is has to do with everything around the bones.
This is a very subtle and gentle approach to the treatment of the whole body. Cranial osteopathy is not different to osteopathy for general health, rather it is a key tool used in osteopathic treatment. It simply recognises the importance of the subtle mechanics at work within the head, pelvis, nervous system and diaphragms and their profound influence on the delicate balance and health of the whole body. Osteopaths who practice cranial techniques undergo extensive post-graduate training in order to do so.