City Osteopaths News and Articles

Back to Blog

How to help yourself out of pain:

1 in 6 New Zealanders are living with chronic pain 1 in 4 New Zealanders are living with a chronic diseaseHere are some handy general tips to help maintain health and reduce pain: DIET:  Food has the potential to be anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory. When you are in pain reducing inflammation is a key to feeling better.  Sugar, alcohol, processed foods and dairy are all highly inflammatory  The Mediterranean diet is recognised as having the best health benefits in protecting against...

What is Pain?

“an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage” – International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), 2020 Defining pain has been and continues to be a topic of debate within the scientific community, this is because it is so subjective. Whilst almost everyone has experienced pain, reasons how and why it presents vary widely.  An important note made alongside the current definition is...

New Baby Gentle Osteopathic Treatment

At City Osteopaths we have treated thousands of new babies over the last 25 years. Our practitioners are experienced and have done extra post graduate training. We love to help babies feel better to help the whole family....

PELVIC HEALTH INTERNAL

For many years Pelvic disorders weren’t discussed much in our society and many women, and also men, have suffered in silence. In the last decade, Pelvic Health has become a point of interest for many people and therapists as well. The scientific studies related to Pelvic disorders and Pelvic treatment are increasing every day and finally, we are proud to confirm that specifically trained healthcare professionals can support and improve your Pelvic Health.&nbs...

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF SCAR TISSUE AND OSTEOPATHIC MANUAL TREATMENT

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF SCAR TISSUE What is a scar?​Scar is a formation of tissue that occurs as a result of an inaccurate healing process. What are the causes of scar tissue?All lesions secondary to wounds, burns, acne, insect bites, piercings, tattoos, lacerations, surgeries, including Cesarean section, produce scar tissue. A zoom into the healing process After any trauma, the great work of tissue repair is assigned to the “Healing Process” which consists of  4 s...

WHIPLASH INJURY AND OSTEOPATHIC MANUAL TREATMENT.

Whiplash is defined as an “acceleration-deceleration mechanism of energy transfer to the neck”. It could be divided into two parts. First, the impact on the neck creates hyperextension (excessive motion that creates a locking of the facet joints and stretching of the anterior/front of the neck soft tissues), then, there is a too-fast reversal motion called hyperflexion.   ​Have you ever had a whiplash injury? Have you ever wondered what its impact on the cervical spine is?&n...

MOOD DISORDERS, YOUR DIAPHRAGM MUSCLE OF BREATHING AND OSTEOPATHIC MANUAL TREATMENT

According to New Zealand based research by Kovanur and Roy (2015), most practising osteopaths in Aotearoa come across patients with a history of mood disorders.As the New Zealand mental health 2020/2021 survey has shown, psychological distress in adults, and also in children, has increased from 7.5% the previous year possibly due to the pandemic and lockdowns. According to the same research, 100% of manual therapists perceived the need to manage and support clients with mood disorders during the...

HOW TO BREATHE WELL USING YOUR THORACIC DIAPHRAGM AND BELLY.

THE DIAPHRAGM The diaphragm is the primary muscle of breathing and it creates a physical barrier that separates the thorax from the abdomen.Function:During quiet inspiration, the upward dome shape of the diaphragm changes very little. When taking a large breath, the diaphragm contracts and pushes downwards 7-8 cm, while the rib cage expands outwards. The atmospheric pressure in the lungs decreases, so to fill what is a larger space with less pressure, air enters into the lung...

What happens to your body when you get an injury

There are four phases which overlap and may last varying lengths of time depending on the type and severity of the injury.Healing begins when you get a wound or injury which typically involves the breaking or laceration of a membrane which causes damage to the tissues. HemostasisThis is the first stage which happens immediately. Your body will initiate mechanisms to control bleeding which you might not be able to see because it's internal. During this phase you may experience swelling, heat, red...

WHAT IS CONCUSSION? HOW CAN I RECOVER FROM A CONCUSSION?

Hi Wellingtonians!​This is Registered Osteopath Diego here, and today I am writing ​about Concussion, which can be one of the most limiting injuries affecting a persons quality of life.Currently, it is one of the most researched subjects in the scientific world. What we understand about it has been changing in the last few years and the approach for assessment and treatment is constantly being updated.One of the most common misunderstandings regarding concussion is its cause.We use...

Osteopathy in Sport

OSTEOPATHY IN SPORT FOR PEAK ATHLETIC PERFORMANCEA well-balanced and injury-free body is the dream of every athlete. Unfortunately, this is not always the reality. Osteopathy in sport has been used in different countries to prevent and treat injuries, giving the athletes a better quality of life, and helping them to achieve better results, no matter which kind of sport we are talking about.There are a great number of top athletes that benefit from osteopathic treatment. In 1998, just after winni...

Cycling Injuries

CYCLING INJURIES, CYCLING OPTIMALLY AND HOW OSTEOPATHIC MANUAL TREATMENT CAN HELP YOUHi Wellingtonians! Reg Osteopath Diego Polo here, if you’ve had a moment to read my profile on the City Osteopaths’ website, you will see that I’m from Rio, Brazil and that I moved to live in Wellington very recently!​I would like to share two things with you that have really caught my attention in a positive way around here. The first one is the high percentage of people in Wellington, who regularly exe...

BROKEN ARM OR LEG - WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP MY RECOVERY?

BROKEN ARM OR LEGIf you suspect you have broken your arm or leg, you need to seek medical attention immediately and follow all medical advice, including immobilisation of the bone so it can heal. Forearm bones take around six weeks in a cast, then it can be 12 weeks or even a year before the bones are back to full strength. The femur (thigh bone) takes the longest time to heal as it is the largest bone in your body.​The five stages of fracture healing:​Hematoma Formation (Days 1 to 5)Fibroca...

PTSD AND OSTEOPATHIC TREATMENT - A RESEARCH-BASED ARTICLE

Traumatic experiences can result in an autonomic response consistently maintained in the defensive state, which over time becomes a stressor. There can be long term health repercussions. Imbalances between the sympathetic and parasympathetic aspects of the autonomic nervous system can lead to alterations in the normal homeostatic function of the body (1).​Organ dysfunction from a hyper-aroused, sympathetic dominant state may include the speeding up of the digestive tract, altered respiratory ...

OSTEOPATHIC TREATMENT OF HIP PAIN IN A CHILD - A BRIEF CASE STUDY

An eight year old boy presented to our practice with recurrent lung infections for most of the year for the past three years and also pain in the right front hip area which came and went but was annoying him daily. He had difficulty with running as put the same arm and leg forwards instead of using ‘cross patterning’. He had a difficult birth, so had seen an osteopath when he was a baby in another country who had recommended to ‘keep an eye on his back’. He mouth breathed and was genera...

Severe Reflux and Idiopathic Oral Aversion

Severe Reflux and Idiopathic Oral Aversion in a Premature baby treated with Osteopathy at 8 months after the birth The baby was one of a set of twins, born three months early at 27 weeks. There were feeding issues from the start so the baby was fed with a nasogastric tube till 37 weeks gestational age, then tried on breast/bottle, however the baby refused to take food or bottle into the mouth. The mother thought it was due to severe reflux. The other twin did not have reflux, was able to eat and...

HYPERBARIC OXYGEN AND OSTEOPATHY FOR TREATMENT OF CONCUSSION IN A SEVEN YEAR OLD CHILD. A BRIEF CASE STUDY.

This is an unusual case study as the child who fell is my daughter. I was able to assess and treat her immediately. If your child falls and hits their head it is important to go immediately to your GP or Accident and Emergency for concussion/TBI assessment. Then once their condition is stable you may like to look at complementary treatment options.​A Brief Case Study: Seven-year-old girl fell 3.5 metres vertically onto her head in the April school holidaysSaid she felt ‘sleepy’ at first (...

A CASE STUDY OF CONCUSSION TREATMENT FOR CHILDREN AT CITY OSTEOPATHS AND WELLINGTON HYPERBARIC.

Climbing trees is a fantastic part of life for kids in New Zealand. It teaches them balance, coordination and bravery. However sometimes they can and do fall.​What do you do if your child falls out of a tree and suffers from a concussion or Mild Traumatic Brain Injury?You need to go straight to accident and emergency for assessment or to your GP if the initial symptoms are less severe. Then come as quickly as possible to see our Concussion Recovery Team at City Osteopaths. We have ex...

How to keep mobile and supple as you get older

People around fifty years of age or earlier will usually notice their joints getting stiffer and muscles tighter.As a Registered Osteopath, I hear this a lot in practice, “Oh it's just getting older” is usually the phrase. However, have you stopped to think if that is really the case? It is true that our tissues lose some elasticity with the reduction in collagen as we head beyond fifty, however research has shown it is a case of “use it or lose it” rather than the passing years that det...

Osteopathic Treatment for Pregnancy and Birth

At City Osteopaths, all our Osteopaths are Registered with the Osteopathic Council of New Zealand and four of us are trained to assess and treat pregnant women. This includes specific medical history considerations, treatment positioning for comfort and the most helpful, gentle treatment approaches to ease pregnancy pains and prepare for birth. We can usually help reduce or eliminate back pain, neck pain, pelvic pain, headaches, sinus, rib pain and/or reflux during any stage of pregnancy. W...

Gentle Osteopathic Treatment of Breast Feeding Difficulties and Posterior Tongue Tie

Babies were born to breastfeed. However there are many instances when breastfeeding is very difficult and painful for mother and baby. There can be a range of reasons for this and may be due to problems with the nerves that supply the tongue of the baby, affecting how it can move forwards and upwards to cup the nipple.This may be due to compression of sensitive areas of the baby’s soft skull when they are in the uterus or during childbirth. The passage down through the birth canal is estimated...

What to do for a concussion or mild head injury/ traumatic brain injury?

A concussion is a brain injury. It may involve loss of consciousness. However, a concussion most often occurs without a loss of consciousness.Concussions happen when bumps, blows, or jolts to the head or body cause the brain to move around inside the skull. It may also result from a whiplash effect on the head and neck. The brain injury that results can be mild or more severe and can disrupt how the brain normally works by causing bruising and swelling inside the skull which presses on sensitive...

OSTEOPATHIC MANUAL TREATMENT FOR NEWBORN BABIES AT CITY OSTEOPATHS.

The wellbeing of newborn babies is important not only to caring parents, but to the whole of New Zealand, as healthy babies become healthy children and have the best start in life.At City Osteopaths, our practitioners are skilled in supporting families during the initial phases of the baby’s life, enhancing this magical and peaceful pathway.Through an osteopathic consultation focusing on the pregnancy and labour history and a gentle physical examination of the baby, we can help provide an opti...

WHEN CAN A SOOTHER/PACIFIER/DUMMY BE A GOOD THING FOR A NEW BABY?

Parents are often scared away from using a soother with their baby, due to images of seeing a toddler with the plug stoppering their mouth when they are out and about each day. They have concerns it is silencing the child, plus damaging their dentition (how their teeth are aligned) along with getting disapproving looks from well meaning adults around them. Using a soother from a young age may reduce the amount of milk a baby takes in each day and affect the amount of nutrition they receive right...