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Good research from bone and joint

I had an older patient in the practice last week with a full thickness supraspinatus tear (top of the shoulder and shoulder tip) which has been causing pain when sleeping on that shoulder and pain on driving. Good to read this research from Bone and Joint, that conservative treatment outcomes are so positive, as many people are understandably not keen on surgery. http://www.bjj.boneandjoint.org.uk/cgi/content/short/96-B/1/75...

Headache and Migraine Treatment Options and Recovery Tips Wellington

HEADACHES CAN TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE. IT CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT TO THINK AND HARD TO FUNCTION. ​At City Osteopaths Healthcare, we have been treating people with headaches and migraine for over 25 years and have helped thousands of Wellingtonians out of pain and on the path back to better health.​We have had patients with a constant severe headache for two years, have it resolved fully to a pain free status, with one gentle treatment.There are many ways skilled hands-on treatment can help wi...

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PELVIC FLOOR WITH THE RIGHT EXERCISES

THE PELVIC FLOOR The pelvic floor is formed by tissues such as ligaments and pelvic muscles (iliococcygeus, puborectalis, pubococcygeus, coccygeus, ischiocavernosus, superficial and deep transverse perineal muscles). These soft tissues attach to your pelvis, and more specifically, to the bones at the bottom of the pelvis. ​In all people, the pelvic organs include the urethra, bladder, intestines, and rectum. If you have a vagina, the pelvic floor also consists of ...

How to self treat your bunion

Do you or does someone you know have a bunion?This video is by our Registered Osteopath Melanie Young, who has a very strong history of bunions in her family and was starting to develop her own. She decided she wanted to see if she could reduce the bunion she was developing and enable her foot to function normally again.So she studied and practiced on herself for a few years and worked out a method that really helped reduce and remove the pain, stiffness, and even the deformity. She goes over ho...

Daily Foot Care Exercises

This is a short video by Dr Melanie Young Reg Osteopath with general exercises for your feet - doing this regularly will really help your feet work well for you. It is important to look after your feet as you get older to maintain good connection with the ground and balance to help reduce the risk of falls. It also can help reduce the risk of developing foot pain and plantar fasciitis. If you have problems with any of these exercises then come and see one of our Registered Osteopaths, we all do ...

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 in Wellington

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...