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

Counting sheep not working?

Top tips for sleeping well:
1 - Have a consistant bed-time routine. Just as babies settle well with a routine, so your body benefits from the countdown to bedtime -creating a conditioning response of which sleep is the expected end-result. A REGULAR relaxing wind-down, letting go of the days events, ending with a bath/shower can work well.
2- Avoiding stimulation- Settling down with a nice book can seem like a good idea, but the chose of book is important -thrillers won't help you sleep -neither will computer games, stimulating TV or working late.
3 - Eating late- going to bed feeling uncomfortably full isn't usually helpful.
4 - Dehydration - many people avoid drinking late to avoid a midnight jaunt to the loo -but lack of water contributes to sleeplesness
5 -Hot in bed? - Falling asleep after sex can produce a good night's sleep. Being too hot doesn't -your body needs to reduce about 1 degree at night for quality sleep and to enable your immune system to function well. 
6- Partner snoring? Check if it is simple snoring or sleep apnea -a potential dangerous condition.
7- Stress? -Try lavendar oil - the pure stuf -a few drops on your pillow. It is said to calm emotions -and works for many people.

The String Theory

The Guardian recently had an article which described a novel way of, not only toning your tummy, but supporting your back too. Although we regularly give stomach exercises to balance the back muscles, this struck me as interesting!

It works on the principle that for maximum effect, we need to have these muscles regularly contracted and it is very easy to forget once we step onto the ‘merry-go-round’ that comprises many of our days!

In the article, physiotherapist Sammy Margo suggested “In the morning, stand in front of the mirror, suck your tummy muscles in as far as you can, then release by 50%. Tie a piece of string in a reef knot snugly round the narrowest point, then put your clothes on."

There are no prizes for guessing what happens next, suffice to say that if you don’t feel rather uncomfortable shortly afterwards, you probably don’t need this exercise!

The advantage of this unconventional stunt is that it helps train your abdominal muscles –by nagging us each time we relax and the string feels uncomfortable, which in turn supports our backs. The muscle imbalance many people exhibit is a direct cause of many back pains. If I have a niggling back –as opposed to more severe pain -  I first hug my knees to stretch the back muscles and follow this by controlled sit-ups. Usually this resolves the pain –if not, I see my osteopath!

The disadvantage is that you may end up with stomach ache or rope burn! It is a very basic method of firming tummy muscles and there are more focused exercises available. Also, if we are holding in our stomach for long periods of time, we restrict movement: of other muscles, of our bowels and even our breathing can change. 

So, if you are feeling adventurous or desparate –give it a go! Alternatively – wait for our next blog where we will go through some more conventional exercises. Or try pilates or yoga -both of which can be useful for backs. And if you are still struggling with back pain – well…need I say more…

http://www.aboutbacksandbones.com/ or Call 01332 553332



About osteopathy relieving your pain