Osteopathy is not just for backs!!

We are often seen as “back people” and it is not rare that during our consultation some patient ask: "Do you do knees?” Although when feeling cheeky we might say:

• No sorry that was a week I was off unwell during my training!
• Actually we do not treat below the waist!
• Or even Yes but only the right ones!

As a matter of fact we do treat knees and ankle, hips, shoulder etc...

Osteopathy normally means the pain of bones. It really means that we treat the musculo-skeletal system. It is made up of the bones, joints and their support (ligaments, capsule, bursae,) and the whole muscular support of balance and motion.

We are in a way the human mechanics. Maintenance Osteopathic Treatment = MOT. Even though you have a bad back or a bad knee we will assess your whole body to see

• How you body compensate?
• Where it originated?
• If there was predisposing factors (normal for you or previous injuries not yet causing pain)
• What tissues are involved?

This allows us to predict you recovery, plan an action of rehabilitation if necessary, what technique to use and if referral to someone else is necessary.

So during your treatment we will perform an assessment of your quantity and quality of movement both in joints and muscle (ligaments and tendon) around the area of pain, to search for the site of origin of that pain (no always the same area!), your posture, your medical history and all sort of question which are relevant to your case.

Of course a marathon runner doesn’t need the same mechanic as new mum after caesarean section, or a hockey player, a retired bus driver or a roofer. But we all hate to wake up feeling 100 year old, unable to do our shoe laces, run down the stairs, lift our children, and do the one thing we like the most.... (Whatever that is!).

Don’t worry if it’s not broken we won’t try to fix it!

In fact, we try to keep you, pain free and flexible (younger) for longer.

I must last add something one tutor during my training wrote in big:

All patients who forget to mention something which is relevant and all practitioners who forget to ask for that both run the risk of the wrong diagnosis and the wrong treatment.

Christophe Becquereau

(B.Sc Hons – Registered Osteopath – Principal at the Maple Tree Clinic)

Constant International Training

At the clinic often when booked in with an osteopath you will be asked if you do mind if a colleague sits in during your consultation. At the clinic, we believe that knowledge and experience is key to a successful outcome for all patients. By observing one another we keep on top of our skills, exchange knowledge and reflect on our own practice. We also believe that communication and exchanging with other professional (Chiropractor, Massage Therapist, Acupuncturist etc) enhance the chances for all patient to get the best treatment for their condition and better communication between their therapist (from the clinic or not).

This is giving everyone a chance to further their training, learn from interesting cases which results in saving our patients money as the treatment more accurate, effective. Practitioners not working at the clinic are also invited (your massage therapist, your midwife, health visitor, any health practitioners) as it allows them for free to learn more about your condition or what can be done and help in return more of their costumer to find the right treatment straight away for their conditions.

We also feel the need to call in a colleague for a second opinion during your treatment. Do not feel alarmed it is for your benefit and it is to make sure that nothing is neglected.

We hope to always offer you the best treatment and the fastest recovery.

Christophe Becquereau

(B.Sc Hons – Registered Osteopath – Principal at the Maple Tree Clinic)

Osteopathy & Concentration

In the last 14 years I have seen many children with various levels of concentration problems, as part of a diagnosis (ADHD, Asperger’s, Autism...) but also without any other diagnosis. There are so many reasons for theses and so many of them can be helped/improved by osteopathic treatment at the clinic (we are not talking about cures here!).

• Imagine yourself with a head cold! Yes congestion in the sinuses and tension in the bones of the face after birth strain or regular infections can slow down the circulation and therefore the way the brain works.
• Now after a couple of sleepless night, how do you feel? Breathing restrictions due to mechanical restriction or injury, or even more as side effect of asthma (muscle shortening, spinal restriction, ribs mechanic restriction, posture) can also slow the general functioning. As much as an adult not sleeping, a child will also affect his/her growth and healing (capacity to adapt to strain and aggression in a sufficient way). The brain requires a lot of energy to function properly, think, memorise so deprivation can be the cause of lack of concentration.
• Otis Media/Glue ear: Blocked ears of course delay your understanding and over time make you tired and therefore unable to learn as much or as fast as the others in the class.
• How do you feel after you banged yours head? Yes concussion (not the one that you would need to go to the hospital) can affect the way the circulation around the brain works!!!!!

The previously mentioned diagnosis (Asperger’s, Autism) and various classified illnesses which also affect the smooth functioning of the growing body .In a growing child (and leaning child) the most minute alteration of their mechanisms could play havoc and worsen the symptoms already recognised and classified in their diagnosis, which mean very often it is taken for granted when it could be improved.

What can osteopathy do? Our aim is to improve functioning and restore it to its original. How does it work? We have various techniques we can use in order to

• Improve respiration mechanic (ribs, spine, head position, partial or total posture),
• Balance muscular tension around the chest, neck and jaw which in turn improve a mechanical drainage of lymph and blood,
• Reduce tension in part or all facial bone (sometime we may have to treat directly in the mouth to release the pallet and the sinuses). It can also the child’s teething process and in turn improve circulation around the jaw and the rest of the face,
• Improve general blood circulation around the neck and the brain and sometime all the way down the spine.

I remember the case of a 17 year old young man who had left school early and had major concentration problems. When he came to me in 2004 (I think) he was getting frustrated and almost violent with only the computer. On observation, he presented some reminisces of a major birth trauma which was affected natural breathing, blood circulation around the frontal lobe (behaviour and social interaction) and at the back of the head, drainage of the sinuses.

At the end of the first treatment I advise both him and his parents on what to expect as changes over the next 4 weeks. He returned very happy to claim that all I had predicted had improved and that he could now work out the computer and I seem to remember he was trying a jigsaw or a model plane. After another 3 treatments the change was so great that he decided to return to evening classes and try to catch up his education. Although it is so invigorating to be able to affect and improve one’s life like that one can only wander in frustration what would his education be if only I had seen him before 6 year of age.

 

Of course all treatments are on a case basis! Some of my past case noticed major improvement straight away with school teachers and other noticing changes too, other case more complex have improved less but also relapse or required maintenance.

But if you are interested to see if I could help you then why not booked an appointment and in the day we can discuss and assess if we can help. If I consider than you are not a case we can assist you will not be charged

Christophe Becquereau

(B.Sc Hons – Registered Osteopath – Principal at the Maple Tree Clinic)

Foundation for Paediatric Osteopathy

Over the weekend of the 13th and 14^th of October Christophe, Pierre and myself (Claire) attended the first conference held by the Foundation for Paediatric Osteopathy. It was a very stimulating weekend which we all felt we got lots from and as a result all felt quite exhausted by the end.

One of the themes that ran through the various lectures was the concept of us, as Osteopaths, always looking for our patient’s health, no matter the age. This might sound strange but in essence no matter the illness/condition that our patients present to us with we are looking to promote their health and through strengthening this aspect we help our patients heal.

One of the founding principles of Osteopathy is “the rule of the artery is supreme”. If the body has a good blood supply then it can heal. This can be disrupted by increased muscle tone or by an area of the body functioning poorly. Also disease is a process which displays a body’s health. If we didn’t show signs of illness then our bodies wouldn’t be trying to get better!

The developing human. X week old embryo.

For the younger patients unfortunately things can go wrong at a very early stage, before they are even born. The conference gave us some very good reminders of how we develop in the uterus and how delicate this process actually is. If anything disrupts the development of the foetus during the first few months a change can be seen in their physical development. This is the reason that we question parents about the pregnancy of the infants they bring to us. We need to know what happened during those nine months, including any mental or emotional strains (ie: the death of a close friend or relative). All the cells that will form the foetus are dividing and migrating at an incredible rate to form the child. The heart is the first functioning organ and it begins beating at day 21. That is at three weeks, before most women know they are pregnant! The formation of the foetus is controlled by the cells migrating to where they should be and then changing into what is needed. This can be disrupted by any change in chemical levels within the mother’s blood, artificial or natural.

http://virtualhumanembryo.lsuhsc.edu/videos/morph1.html

The complexity of how a human is formed is amazing to watch and the opportunity to be reminded of that is always a good thing; seeing how the heart and face form next to each other and then move apart with the concept being the heart stays in its position and the face moves away creating the great blood vessels that start to move blood away from the heart to the rest of the body. It is amazing things don’t go wrong far more often. However to listen to my peers reminding me and my fellow colleagues what an important role we have in allowing the body to navigate past any of these growth phases that have gone wrong, appreciating that from the beginning the body is finding its own way past any road blocks, renews my enjoyment of the job and the challenges that wait for me in my treatment room.

Each human being is a unique set of building blocks and with our patients as our partners we Osteopaths want to improve that human quality of life by finding their health, their ability to function, despite the structural challenges that lie in their way.

Claire Cousins

(BSc (Hons) Ost. - Registered Osteopath)

A little exercise for a better health

It is believed that Mark Twain said "Golf is a good walk spoilt" but at least you are walking. On Breakfast television last week there was a discussion that not enough people are attaining 150 minutes of exercise a week and this is increasing people’s risk of chronic disease. It doesn't sound like much over the course of a week but how many of us drive to work, sit all day and then collapse on the couch in the evening. It's not all about going to the gym. Take the stairs instead of the lift, walk up the escalator, anything that gets the heart pumping. A brisk walk is as good as a bicycle ride as long as you increase your heart rate. Whatever you do remember to include a few simple stretches before and after to reduce the chance of injury and if you do play golf walk between your swings, remember to do some simple stretches for your back and just spending 30 minutes at the driving range doesn't count! If you would like more advice about stretching please ask at your next appointment

Claire Cousins

(BSc (Hons) Ost. - Registered Osteopath)

What is the difference between Chiropractic & Osteoapthy ?

Christophe Becquereau

Often we are asked the same question and everyone will give you a different answer but over the years I have worked on my answer a little.

I usually start by saying "Same God - Different Religion!" Yes we are both Manipulative therapies and like my collegue say we use very similar techniques in general as there is only so much a hand can do!
They both came for the USA in 1870.
Although there may be a copyright story about one being a student in the class of the other before he went back home to do his own little receipe... but that's not so relevant.

The main difference could be summed up as one is an electrician and the other a plumber human with the human mechanic. Andrew Taylor Still created osteopathy in 1870 (Kirksville, Missouri). In short he dissected animal and indian cadavers and noticed many things but he thought that if the blood flow around an area is good the health is good. So we are the plumbers using manipulation to restore function, soft tissue for fuid-dynamic and various other techniques to restort the inherent health equilibrium. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Taylor_Still

D.D. Palmer in turn, founded chiropractic in the 1890s he was working with X-ray and notice a correlation between a good health and a straight spine hence the health of the nerve flow. (Electrician). There is difference between McTimoney Chiropractic and Chiropractic, one using more or less force and the duration of the treatments.

I worked in various multi-disciplinary Clinics since my qualification in 1998 and I can tell you: we are all different! Some stick to one technique (HVT - cracking, Cranial, etc) others combine all the tools necessary as and when required. It depends of our background (previous job, work, sport, interest, influence of some teachers, etc) so each practitioner kind of practice his interpretation of the discipline. And when I was going on holiday I decided who I would send my patient to depending on the treatment I was giving them.

The next question is often no asked: Who should I see?

In that case I always say that people tend to go to the person they have heard about via two different referring groups (two different groups of friends not link to one another). Word of mouth is the best recommendation even for that. At the clinic we have 7 osteopaths and although we are all different, as I started the business and I have over the year seen many of you I made sure my team work in a similar way as I would hate my patient to see them and feel that they didn't have the treatment they were hoping for.

To find out more about our osteopath please look our webpage www.themapletreeclinic.com

(Anand Aggarwal will be covering Suzie Burgess Maternity leave from September 2012 and will be added to the website very soon)

There is a growing issue of BUPA patients being unable to use osteopaths through their BUPA health insurance. Osteopaths are continuing to successfully treat patients privately and on the NHS but have now come up against the problem where BUPA is capping fees of £40 (without treatment)for an initial assessment and then £30 for follow up treatment, with no room for negotiation. This issue of capping is putting BUPA patients in a situation where they will be unable to continue to have osteopathic treatment in, for example, central London as no osteopath can afford to treat at these prices. BUPA itself charges considerably more than this for osteopathic treatment in its centre at Canary Wharf.

This issue is reducing the amount of choice available to patients under BUPA and needs to be addressed urgently.’