The December headache!

Only 2% of the population never get headaches and 1 in 7 of us suffer from migraines so headaches are a problem for many people, particularly when under pressure at this time of year.

Trying to fit in too much can result in the most common simple tension headache, which can start in the forehead or back of the head and can develop into a band-like pressure and fortunately this is the easiest to resolve. Relaxing the shoulders, which is a contributing factor, is important - a simple ‘rolling action to ease is an effective habit to get into. Massage is excellent and allows shoulders and neck to release which allows us to feel more relaxed in ourselves. Ofcourse, intelligent  time management is a preventative factor; everyone benefits from avoiding over-booking ourselves -  simply write the word ‘Nothing’ in the diary for a regular slot to get off the treadmill and allow time to breathe!

Other headaches can arise from a ‘crick in the neck’ which is probably a result of muscle tension and fatigue combines with a posture which allows the neck to ‘lock up’. This includes sleeping postures and ensuring your pillows are the correct height is important as many people wake with a ‘crick’ (see wwwaboutbacksandbones.com for more info). Cervicogenic headaches also arise from joints in the neck causing head pain and as with tension headaches or a ‘crick’ which doesn’t resolve in a few days, osteopathy, physiotherapy or chiropractic can all give relief without the ‘rebound headache’ from taking too many painkillers!

Migraines are more complex and anyone with regular pounding headaches or gastic ‘upset’ on a regular basis may benefit from investigations. There doesn’t need to be the classic ‘aura’ and the onset can be associated with stress, hormones, diet or tiredness.

Fortunately, less common are cluster headaches behind the eye which are also very intense, can cause the eye to water and occur in clusters. It is also good to be aware that headaches are a feature of meningitis (with photophobia), encephalitis and also the symptoms of a stroke (followed by being unable to raise arms or smile equally and speech can be affected).  However, look at the obvious before panicking… and slow down and relax!

Merry Christmas!

How's your bump?

It’s a common question, directed at your babies wellbeing and often ignores the ‘Minor Disorders of Pregnancy’ which you may be struggling with. There may not be answers forthcoming from the medical profession as to what can be done about nausea, breathlessness, backache, sciatica, pelvic pain to the point where you may even struggle to walk. And you may be thinking “If my body is suffering now – what on earth will it be like after the delivery!”

Paula at ‘About Backs & Bones’ is well equipped to help relieve pain and discomfort, reduce anxiety and literally help you and your baby prepare for birth. As a trained midwife, nurse, osteopath (who also studied chiropractor techniques) and someone who has done post-graduate study, including physiotherapy courses, which specialise in maternity, and a mother herself, she understands the problems as well as the joy of being pregnant.

To help you she will encourage the joints of the lower back and pelvis to move correctly to accommodate the changes in your body during pregnancy and birth, which reduces the strain and therefore reduces pain. Pregnant women are more vulnerable to injury, thanks to pregnancy hormones, especially in the back, pelvis, leg hips or groin. At a time when painkillers need to be kept to a minimum, specialised obstetric osteopathy is a good option.

When balancing the pelvis and enabling joints to move freely, more space is created which enables your baby to find the optimal position for birth, which then means your baby is ready to descend, without having to do extra movements which can delay labour. Space is tight, and every millimetre can make a difference!

Back pain after delivery is common, usually easily treated and can prevent a lifetime of ongoing discomfort, so an osteopathic session post-delivery makes sense. For your baby, being born is a traumatic journey too –even the most beautiful bundle of joy can become a fractious, irritable bundle of stress –unable to sleep or feed effectively and becoming colicky and unhappy. If the birth is more traumatic, for example with forceps or ventouse delivery, the likelihood of problems increases, often resulting in headaches or shoulder pain – for babies and parents!

Therefore, when you attend for your post-natal visit, Paula offers a complimentary session for your baby – a check to minimise problems. Parents generally report that babies appear more settled and calm post treatment which facilitates those early days when you want to get to know your baby.
For more information, call us on 01332 553332 or email paula@aboutbacksandbones.com

On yer 'ead son!

The chances are, if you are still reading this, you may be interested in football-since this phrase isn't generally used anywhere else-and it also goes to show how football can abuse the body! Testament to this is the number of injuries sustained in the game and the early retirement of players (which has nothing to do with the whopping salaries of course!). Even amateur players tend to often give up due to repeated injuries which is a shame as so many of these are preventable- and many of the following tips apply to most sports. So if you like sport and want to continue, read on…

Good warm up and cool down are so important and you may be saying "Yes I do that and still get injured" but are you really being effective? GOOD warm up is starting the game warm and ensuring muscles are perfused with blood ready for action. This may be gentle jogging at 50% effort , speeding up to 80%, then slow to 50% and using this template for dynamic stretching of all major muscle groups (see www.aboutbacksandbones for more detail) Similarly GOOD cool down involves stretches of at least 30 seconds each- not many people can honestly say they do this and by the time you have stretched out all the major muscle groups you will have been stretching for at least 5 minutes. Allowing enough time is so important and is time well spent when you consider the time spent out with injuries. 

Many people who play football or other sports as a hobby may be quite sedentary during the week and the demand on the body from stationary postures in the week to hugely dynamic expectations on the field can take it's toll. Keeping joints mobile in the week can be as simple as walking up the stairs instead of taking the lift, parking further from work so you can have a walk in, or try a gentle 10 min jog to wind down at the end of the working day. Even when lying down to sleep, hugging your knees and rocking will help articulate the back joints and stretch the back muscles.

 

So minimising injury caused by inadequate preparation should not be too difficult- all you have to do now is still to it as a habit... Oh and avoid those harsh tackles!

 

Call 01332 553 332

What do you want..Blood?

We are conjuring up a picture, in this phrase, of someone wanting the extreme: something so precious to us, it is inconceivable that we give it. That is, of course exactly what blood is; a precious constant delivery of nutrients and oxygen and removal of waste products- rather like a superior meal-on-wheels and dustbin man at your disposal 24/7. Without it, we perish and the NHS spends a huge amount of money on heart medications and operations as wells stroke prevention and diabetes-all of which can compromise blood supply to tissues.

But what do we do to help ourselves? We may exercise, which the best way to encourage blood flow, but even that can cause problems if our choice of exercise tightens muscles making it difficult for blood to flow freely. Ongoing aching in between  exercise sessions may give a clue that muscles are not recovering well from the micro-trauma which we induce with most forms of exercise and the waste products of lactic acid may be hanging around rather than being excreated.

Effective warm-ups and cool-downs all help to prevent this, as does massage which encourages blood flow and literally feeds your tissues and encourages their good health. There are many types and variations of massage, but a good sports massage ticks most boxes, except perhaps comfort! However, a good therapist can gauge your reaction to treatment and moderate the depth of massage, as you need to feel relatively relaxed- tense muscles will limit the effect of treatment.

Of course any massage will help and especially if tension, eg at work or relationships is a feature, then a relaxing massage will be of benefit by loosening muscles which mean they stop feeding back messages to the brain saying that there is tension and therefore there must be a problem - further causing involuntary tension in the muscles. Breaking this cycle involves dealing with the initial problem, but reducing the effect and simply "giving yourself a break" is important psychologically and for your comfort.

Endophine release, helping us to feel happier and more positive, is a well-documented feature of massage and is much cheaper than a shopping spree also reputed to have the same effect!

So whether you are a sports person, a hard worker at home or at work, or would simply like to feel better, then consider a massage, which humans throughout the ages have recognised as important: In fact in many cultures you may be asked, not "Do you have massage?" But "WHO  does your massage?"

Come on Britain-keep up!

 
Therapies @ About Backs & Bones

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Golf and Back Pain

 

Golfers tend to suffer back pain for a number of reasons: There are the usual reasons for back pain, such a joint in the back becoming 'locked', or a muscle or ligament strain, or worse still, a disc bulge or prolapse. If you have maturity on your side then degeneration of the spine doesn't help, or artheritis or another diesase process. The space for your spinal cord can become narrowed causing leg weakness, and fractures are not unheard of.

However, amongst the doom and gloom, there is the hope of golf related pain being due to the imbalance of the back and pelvis due to the activity being one-sided causing an unequal strain, often in the sacro-iliac joints. Osteopathy and physiotherapy (and chiropractic) can help with a number of the causes of back pain listed and two or  three sessions can often help relieve the symptoms, with some exercises thrown in to help you, should  the niggles re-appear at a later date.

But let’s try to avoid the pain in the first place – or minimise any re-injury. What can you do to help prevent back pain?

Warm ups and cool downs are essential in any sport. If you are taking it seriously and want to avoid injury, see it as important as remembering your clubs. Warm –up can be taught by any good Pro, but need to involve warming up the muscles you will be using in a safe way –ie dynamic stretching:

Pre Game, and pre,pre game!

Rotation is an important part of a good swing, and many of us, who may be in front of computers, or driving as part of our job, may be stiff inbetween the shoulder blades. This is a good exercise before you even leave the car! Stay seated and look over your right shoulder, then continue rotating so your right shoulder is also rotating backwards. KEEP YOUR SITTING BONES FIRMLY PLANTED or you can hurt your back! Repeat the exercise the other side and hold and relax into the stretch for 30 second – holding onto the back of the chair is a good way to do this. Next, gently repeat but swing and ‘pulse’ –not bouncing to increase the stretch –but just within a comfortable range of movement to keep the vertebrae mobile –NOT to increase the range of movement (you have already done this when holding the stretch).

Another seated stretch is to put your left ankle on your right knee, then hinge forward from the hips –the stretch should be felt in the buttocks- but if hamstrings (back of upper leg) are tight –you may feel it there first.

Also in the car –put your hands on the top of the steering wheel and chin to chest – and reach for the windscreen – curl your back for a good stretch down your spine and between your shoulder blades.

You have rotated your neck as part of the first stretch – now, keeping your nose facing forward, tilt your head to the right- whilst your left hand holds onto the underside of the seat, if you can, or put your hand behind in the small of your back. Use the right hand to add some weight onto the top of your head –don’t pull though, and hold for 30 sec and repeat opposite side.

Finally, imagine your pelvis is a bowl of water –tip the water out of the back of the bowl towards the back rest of the seat, then forward towards the steering wheel- do 10 each way.

You can do all the above throughout the week whenever your car is stationary, or on your office chair – then immediately pre-march –you can do them all in a standing position, using a club for support, which makes limbering easy!  You will feel better for it generally as well.

Throughout the Game

 Be careful when you pick up your bag – bend knees – toes facing forward, keep as close to the bag as possible. Even picking up the ball, remember to squat as much as possible – you are more vulnerable after using those muscles to carry your bag and repeatedly doing a one-sided activity.

Larry Foster,an orthopedic surgeon who calls himself "a bad golfer, but a good golf orthopedist." wrote "Dr. Divot's Guide to golf injuries” and also suggests:

“• Consider switching to a putter with a longer shaft.

• Slow down the backswing to minimize rotational stress on the lower back at the top of the backswing.

• Adopt a big shoulder and hip turn on the backswing (classic swing technique).

• Make sure body weight is properly shifted to the right foot during the backswing, and that the arms and shoulders are kept within the plane of the swing at the top of the backswing.”

Also, he says don’t:

“• Place the feet too far apart at the address phase (this limits the hip turn later in the swing and increases stress on the lower back).

• Hyperextend the spine on the follow-through, but rather utilize the relaxed upright "I" position (classic swing technique).”

Post Game

Golf is a one-sided activity which causes an unequal strain on the body, so it makes sense to ‘swing the other way’. For those who are unsure, this means, in this case, after you have been swinging to thwe right throughout the game – you cool down by swinging to the left –to balance out your body. Similarly –rotate your head more to the right –or simply, swap hands and do a reverse golf swing a few times.

 Injuries Common to Golfers

As well as back pain there a number of injuries common to golfers. These include: Shoulder pain, hand, wrist and thumb problems including carpal tunnel and knee pain.

For Treatment

For an individual assessment and treatment, please call 01332 553332 where we can treat you and discuss some of the ways you can minimise injury further.

How does a Golfer differ from an Athlete?

The Olympics has been a fantastic testiment to human endurance and achievement with world records being broken and personal best's being smashed. Unlike the seemingly unlimited boundaries of IT, for instance, sports also highlights physical limits and the Olympics was no exception in demonstrating the body's reaction to injury.

 Whether you are a professional athelete or an amateur, injury will occur if the body is not capable of what you are asking of it and apart from accidents, it commonly this means 'too much too soon', so effective, patient warm-ups and cool downs are paramount in all sports.

 Another cause of injury is repetitive strain - golf is a good examples of this. Repetative actions especially coupled with poor technique, can overcome the bodies ability to compensate and can mean the difference between being able to continue or not. A good golf pro is essential if you are prone to injury, as is a good osteopath, physiotherapist or chiropractor who, as well as patching you up, will help your body cope with the demands of repeated postures, especially if you are striving to improve.

 Common golfing injuries are back pain- often in the pelvic joints as they try to absorb the rotation from the swing but also from bad habits such as not bending the knees when picking up the ball repeatedly or poor lifting technique when lifting a heavy bag or standing too hunched up when putting.

Shoulder, wrist and hand pain can also occur as can knee pain and there are various goog golfing tips which can help- just look on our website in the Blog section. Exercises which can help prevent golf, or other sporting injuries are also available from physical therapists who specialise in treat sporting injuries and are tailor made to you.

 So with one similarity highlighted, golfers-feel free to call yourselves athletes! At least you can justify your training!

 For more information call About Backs & Bones - Tel 01332 553 332

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Manual work needs manual medicine!

How often do you say to yourself “I shouldn’t have done that” It may apply to many aspects of life, but where manual work applies, it can have more serious implications. So often we think “ I’ll just finish this gardening” then injure ourselves because our muscles are physically tired, but this becomes even more problematic when we really need to carry on. You can’t move house and stop in the middle because you are tired and if your work is manual, you simply have to continue.

To keep injuries to a minimum, there are a few rules to keep in mind, especially if you are more vulnerable eg a builder, electrician, plumber or gardener for instance.

The best rule is to think about your FEET.

F- Fit –are you fit to do the job or is someone else better suited? Does it need to be done at all? Or is there a tool you can use to make things easier?

E- Environment – Are you in an awkward space? Can anything be moved to make your job easier? Are there dangers which need to be considered first?

E- Effort – Consider what you are moving, carrying or working with and the strain on your body in a particular position. Can it be made easier?

T – Time – Are you in a hurry? Rushing a job puts pressure on us making muscles work harder than they need to and we tend to take risks when we are short of time.Spreading the load by taking breaks gives muscles time to recover and reduces injuries.

And if you are moving things – think FEET again – they need to be pointing in the direction you are going, to avoid twisting which is one of the high risk factors for back and rib injuries – but don’t look at them –look where you are going too!

www.aboutbacksandbones.com

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Just an update,

..from our Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Firstly, thanks to everyone that came along and to all the people that made the delicious cakes -we had plenty!
The weather stayed dry for us, though quite windy. But that didn't stop people coming along and enjoying themselves, having a cup of tea and chit chat with other people. Racheal Frost brought a very large bear for us to use as a raffle prize, and he turned out to be very popular - everyone wanted him! Chloe, our physiotherapist, was the lucky winner!



Today I opened up our donations box and counted up.

We raised a total of .   .     . *Drumroll please*  .      .      .   £257.94!

So again, thanks to everyone that turned up to support us, and Target Ovarian Cancer. & Thanks for all the donations you made! You were all very generous!

Keep up to date with the latest offers & goings on at our facebook page , website and twitter!

Mad Hatter's Tea Party!

The day’s are flying by & soon it’ll be our Mad Hatter’s Tea Party! Make sure your diary is clear for Sunday 24th June @ 3pm! -Everyone’s Welcome!There's going to be;

• Cake - and lots of it!
• Refreshments
• A Raffle!
• Saxophonist - to keep you entertained!
• A magician - for the children, or the child inside you!
• A stall for Forever Living Products.

Also.. a FREE 15 minute spine / muscle / joint assesment with either Andy - our Osteopath or Chloe - our Physiotherapist. If you have the assesment, you will then be presented with a voucher for money off further treatment, if you need/want it!
Diane - our Kineseologist will be around on the day if it is her you wish to speak to.


All we're asking for is a small donation for Cake and Refreshments. All the money raised will be donated to Target Ovarian Caner. If you cannot make it to our event, but would still like to donate to this amazing charity, then please visit our Just Giving Page, and make your donation via that. www.justgiving.com/aboutbacksandbones

For more information, and to keep up to date, visit our Facebook Page which is updated daily! www.facebook.com/osteopathyderby           www.aboutbacksandbones.com

When it IS a Good Idea to Complain about Feeling Fat.

 

Many women may prefer to have a slimmer tummy and we usually know the cause of one that bulges a little too much. But what if we genuinely have no idea why we have developed a belly bulge? What if it just gradually appeared, and rather than bloating up one day then down the next-which may suggest irritable bowel syndrome- it seems more of a constant fullness? You may be considering going up a size in clothes, or feel generally bloated and your face may be fuller than it was.

In most cases, it is simply more calories or less activity, or both, but if you really analyse your lifestyle and cannot see a change, and if you have noticed other symptoms too, it may be worth investigating a little further.

One diseases whose symptoms can easily be ignored is ovarian cancer. It is non-specific and signs can easily be brushed aside. As well as bloating, symptoms include pelvic, abdominal or back pain and feeling full quickly. Sometimes there are urinary symptoms or bowel changes and extreme fatigue. It is easy to look on the internet and worry yourself, but an experienced clinician eg a good GP or nurse, can determine if your symptoms warrant further investigation. However, if symptoms persist despite reassurance, you need to return for a second opinion- you know your body best.

The charity 'Target Ovarian Cancer' is one which helps raise awareness and helps clinicians to be more alert. 'The Eve Appeal' is another which raises money to further research and raise awareness, into gynaecological cancers generally. With 1:50 women of all ages contracting ovarian cancer, that’s the 5th most common cancer, it cannot be ignored and because it is so vague, it has often progressed further than other cancers before help is sought, making treatment difficult.

At ‘About Backs &Bones’ we are having a Mad Hatters Tea Party to raise money and particularly, to raise awareness about this disease. Not only that, we are offering a free 20 min consultation with an osteopath or physiotherapist for anyone who has aches and pains and a £15 voucher for those new to the clinic, with £5 being donated to 'Target Ovarian Cancer'.

So keep Sun 24th June free at 3pm and come and support us at 506 Duffield Rd, Allestree, DE22 2 DL. Come and have a chat about your health, especially muscle and joint problems or questions about Ovarian Cancer –or at least come and have some afternoon tea!

See more details on Facebook! www.facebook.com/osteopathyderby






www.aboutbacksandbones.com

Planting a few thoughts...

Welcome sunny weather, gardening and...back pain!

Sound familiar? It's the wonderful combination of the relief of being outside and full of the joys of spring, and the contrast of a body that hasn't done this kind of activity for months on end, perhaps is more used to sitting at a desk, in a car, or on a sofa ... and is complaining!

 

But it need not be this way. Just a few simple precautions can reduce the likelihood of our Derbyshire clay soil getting the better of us and help us feel confident in gardening throughout the summer without repercussion.

First of all-see it as the exercise that it is- and warm up. That doesn't necessarily mean jogging down the street and stretching (though it may help) but simply avoid the harsh transition between relaxing Sunday morning papers and digging trenches!

For instance, start with the lighter tasks which don't involve prolonged bending or heavy lifting and progress to the heavier tasks. Even then, avoid hours flexed in one position weeding or planting and intersperse it with carrying around tools and clearing rubbish, as wells regular tea breaks- after all, it is supposed to be a leisurely activity isn't it?

Regularly straighten, stretch and walk around and try to avoid positions with one leg forwards whilst stooping, as this often strains the sacro-iliac joint giving rise to low back pain. If you have to do this, then make sure you put the opposite foot forwards for a while: you are using opposite muscles, giving one half of your body a well-earned break and creating more muscular balance in your body. This in turn helps prevent strain on joints and it is often the small simple actions which avoid injuries.

Plan when to finish and stick to it! That way you can wind down rather than doing heavy tasks when you are tired, which is increasing your chance of injury. Stretching afterwards will promote a good blood flow, rejeuvanating tired muscles and reducing lactic acid build-up and subsequent aches.

So a few simple steps can make a real difference. In contrast, someone who says they only bent to put on their socks, but is now in agony, often has done the damage previously - for example, the preceding day...gardening!

What’s in a name?

Names define us as individuals, they explain the origin of our towns and villages and can create illusions which sometimes need digesting to understand.

Take, for instance the name seen on the back of a vehicle recently, which ended in ‘thermologistics’ – it took a moment to realise it was an impressive name for a refrigerated lorry!

Similarly, the public are often confused by the term ‘osteomyologist’; ‘osteo’ meaning ‘bone’ and ‘myo’ being ‘muscle’ –‘logist’ in this case referring to the person performing the afore mentioned bone/muscle treatments. In other words, that would be an osteopath, or a chiropractor...or a physiotherapist...Right?

Wrong! “What is the difference between them” is probably the question I am asked most. I worked for over 20 years with physio’s, trained for 4 years as a chiropractor and qualified as an osteopath, so I am probably in a good position to answer this. The difference between them and an osteomyologist is that the former are all statutory regulated by law whereas the latter, although may be well trained, does  not have the title protected, which means someone without training could also call themselves this name.

Physiotherapists are best known for working in hospitals in rehabilitation. They need a further short course to become specialised musculoskeletal practitioners, and often then work in private clinics. Their training focuses on providing rehabilitation through massage and exercise, although some will also train in manipulation (cracking joints).

Osteopaths and chiropractors are more similar. Their 4/5 training is virtually identical, although manipulation techniques vary. Many modules follow that of a medical student (as do physiotherapists) eg differential diagnosis or radiology. Chiropractic treatments tend to include more manipulation than osteopathic treatment and focus on aligning the joints, especially the spine. Osteopathic treatment focuses on mobilising joints to improve the way they function and as well as including manipulation, generally have more massage which tends to make the treatment little longer.

However, once qualified, the training boundaries dissolve; eg osteopaths may use more  manipulation, and some chiropractors may prefer to include massage. For example, I have been on osteopathic, chiropractic  AND physiotherapy courses to treat pregnant mothers and babies in order to expand my knowledge and have done other courses eg acupuncture, with GP’s and dentists...

Is that any clearer??

Into New Year – New You? Or have those intentions faded?

So with Christmas and New Year well and truly over , New Year’s resolutions may be fading fast. But just think again what they were and why you chose them.  Some resolutions may be health-driven, perhaps spurred by news of friends or relatives taken ill. Plans then form to eat healthily, start exercising, have a better work/life balance.

These aims for a healthy lifestyle are important and reduce the risks of cardiac arrest and stroke for example, but would you actually be able to recognise someone who is suffering from one of these conditions?

Medicine has moved on and in the case of stroke, in particular, the symptoms may be vague and may delay the call for emergency services- and as time is the essence, this may be the difference between full recovery, or serious disability at least.

You may be aware of the recent campaign, but if not, cut out the text box below and stick it onto your fridge/inside of a cupboard, so you can act quickly if you need to.

Face - can they smile equally, or does one side of their mouth seem lopsided? Arms – can they raise both arms equally above their head? Check they could do this normally and don’t just have a shoulder injury! Speech – can they say their name and address? This also tests for any confusion which may occur with a stroke Time – of the essence These symptoms may be preceeded by a fleeting loss of vision or leg weakness/giving way and THIS IS THE TIME TO SEEK HELP

Of course, prevention is better than cure, so rather than think – “It won’t happen to me”, how about introducing some fun exercise? Think about what you actually like doing – it may be dancing, walking the dog an extra mile, a little more quickly, or taking up a hobby you used to enjoy, but now feel you don’t have time for.

Having a stroke will take much more time out of your schedule!

And how empowering it is , to know you can actually do something about it, and have a justified excuse to have fun – and that better balance in life you may also need!

At About Backs and Bones in Derby, Derbyshire, we are trained to recognise signs of ill or sub-optimal health and help you boost your wellbeing and create a better balance  so you can enjoy the things you want to do in life.  We are easily accessible being on the A6, Allestree and  we are centrally placed near the A38, A50 and M1.

So if you would like some support or feel you don’t have the confidence to start, just give us a call. We will show you how capable you are, and support you all the way!

About Backs & Bones, 506 Duffield rd, Allestree, Derby, Derbyshire, DE22 2DL    Tel 01332 553

First Blooming Pregnancy- next Blooming Baby!

Pregnancy is normally a time of anticipation, hope, anxiety or happiness and a wealth of other emotions, often exacerbated by hormones. This may continue in the first few weeks after birth and then, perhaps naively, we expect a less restless, less irritable baby. We may hope for some sort of a routine or at least a little more sleep and may hope to have some confidence in feeling that we are doing a good job of parenting.

There are as many pieces of advice of parenting as there are parents and having the confidence to identify and follow your instincts can be difficult. The overwhelming concern is often that there may be a problem with the baby, particularly if he or she has had just a difficult a time of the birth as you may have done. It is reassuring that clinical medical problems are rare, but there may be ways you can help your baby adjust to the outside world especially if they are particularly unsettled.

Any of the following symptoms can indicate that some help may be beneficial:

-difficulty feeding, pulling off the breast or bottle soon after starting to feed

-projectile vomiting or excessive possiting

-constipation or diarrhoea

-crying when being picked up or when put down

-head always to one side, especially if they also seem to be looking upwards

-distressed crying when moving legs to change nappy

-lack of movement of a limb or on one side of their body

- unable to settle lying down

-crying and knees being pulled to tummy repeatedly with no apparent relief

-repeatedly crying and pulling at ears

-head particularly asymmetrical, especially if eyes/ears not level

-not meeting centiles or developmental milestones

Every baby is an individual and what is a problem to one may not be to another, but it is important to have faith in your own intuition and if you feel your baby is not content then it is sensible to seek advice.

An osteopath or chiropractor who has a special interest and experience in treating babies should be able to test baby reflexes (testing the nervous system), test muscles and joints throughout the body to confirm they are functioning well and can identify baby birth syndromes which are easily remedied. If the cause of your baby's unsettled behaviour is physical, then physical treatment can often be very useful. Treatment can help alleviate colic or headaches as well as joint problems and is gentle and safe. Together with exercises for you to do with your baby at home a resolution is often found so your early days with your baby bloom in the nicest sense.

At About Backs and Bones, Paula is our specialist paediatric osteopath. She has a special interest in babies having been a midwife and nurse and her post-graduate courses in baby treatment reflect this. Based in Derby, Derbyshire, About Backs and Bones is centrally placed and easily accessible being on the main A6, with A38. A50 and M1 all close by.

About Backs and Bones,
506 Duffield Rd
Allestree
Derby
Derbyshire

 Tel 01332 553332