We’d like them to be! But long standing, painful problems may take time to change
As wonderful as osteopathic treatment can be, osteopaths are not magicians or miracle workers. The physiological processes that are under way in the body when you have been recently injured, or the patterns that have been established in longer standing painful problems, will take time to change.
The number of treatments necessary to effectively create change depends on a number of factors, including: how long you have been experiencing the problem (acute vs chronic), the nature of the problem (e.g. sprain, strain, tear, history of similar problems), your general health (nutrition, physical fitness, emotional and mental health), age, work responsibilities and demands (e.g. physical, mental), and the experience and skill of your practitioner.
An osteopath’s role is to assist your body to change and heal as best as is possible by optimising blood and lymphatic flow to and from an injured area, and to lessen mechanical strain at the area by making sure that associated areas in the body are moving well.
Scenario 1 (ficticious): Branford, a 26 year old labourer arrives at our clinic complaining of severe low back pain. The pain began the previous day, after lifting a heavy plank of wood, and had worsened overnight. Branford stated that he had experienced occasional mild low back pain since his teens, but nothing like this. Outside of work he plays touch football socially, and admits to regularly having a few too many beers on the weekends, and that his diet ‘is probably not the best’.
Scenario 2 (ficticious): Gladys, a 68 year old retiree presents to the clinic complaining of ongoing neck pain of about 10 years duration, which seems to have worsened lately. Her daughter has recently separated from her husband, and Gladys is looking after her two grandkids 3-4 days per week. She is health-conscious, but is finding that her sleep is being disrupted due to her neck pain, which leaves her feeling tired and low on energy.
In these two scenarios pain is the common thread, but the age and lifestyle demands of each individual vary dramatically. The osteopath will assess both individuals in a similar way, and will provide hands-on-treatment to assist both to regain pain free functioning. The number of treatments required to achieve this outcome will vary, and may require some temporary (or more permanent) changes to lifestyle to minimise factors that may be preventing the body from healing.
