Managing Aches & Pains: Part 1 Of A Series

Everyday aches and pains. Most people have them, to a greater or lesser degree. But every now and then something comes along that needs a little bit of help that a couple of Ibuprofen doesn’t fix.

You know - that sore back from lifting something you shouldn’t, an overstretched muscle from too much running, a twisted knee…

So which health professional do you go and see?

You’re likely to turn to one of three experts - an osteopath, chiropractor or physiotherapist.

Although all of them can treat similar problems such as injury management, back and neck pain and other joint or muscle disorders, it’s important to understand their difference in their approach, before deciding which treatment suits your needs.

As part of the primary healthcare sector, all three practices require their practitioners to undergo 4-5 years of training to a degree or master level. They’re qualified to assess and diagnose patients, treat their cases through a hands-on method, and are trained to recognise conditions which require further medical referral.

In New Zealand, osteopaths, chiropractors and physios are required to register with their respective regulatory council- this ensures all practitioners are competent and fit to practice.

Although many people are referred by their doctor or a healthcare specialist, you can also make appointments directly with your chosen clinic and they can lodge ACC claims for you if you’re eligible.

Osteopathy is not always the first cab off the rank for many people.

Why? Local Osteopath Joss Moore is pretty blunt in response. “Osteopaths are generally pretty hopeless at promoting themselves, both at a practice and at a national level. All of our patients tend to come to us by word of mouth. And because of the nature of what we do we see all types of people. In the last few months I’ve seen an eighty-year-old who wants to still do 9 holes of golf regularly, a professional soccer player, a lovely triathlete couple and a professional race car driver - all these people who haven’t had resolution in other areas seem to find their way to osteopathy.”

So, is osteopathy (by nature of its name, Osteo, inferring bone related) just treating the skeletal frame or is it musculoskeletal? Joss again “It’s definitely musculoskeletal, with a dose of holism.”

This meaning how the patient - you- see your body, see your health, even see your mental outlook.

Joss herself came to osteopathyas a young person. She had seen a doctor, a physio and a chiropractor to deal with a bad back that she had been plagued with through her teens. The combination of those never quite satright, to give her the whole picture - and that’s how she discovered Osteopathy.

“Being introduced to osteopathy and learning its modalities helped me and enabled me to understand why I had a ‘bad back’.”

She now understood what caused her pain - how she had done it, where it came from (all to do with growing pains, growing fast and her height - 185cm).

Osteopathy seemed to be the right treatment for her, and it worked.

I say to Joss that in my experience osteopathy seems to encompass elements of chiropractic therapy, physiotherapy, even acupressure and zen yoga-like relaxation.

Joss responds with a smile. “Yes, that’s what I say. We’re jacks of all trades. We are like human body engineers -working with moving living dynamic tissuesrebalancing the body’s levers, angles, torques and strains”.

But it’s not a “hit and miss” treatment. Besides the 5 years of training Joss and her practice partner Ross Payn are qualified to read X-rays, refer back to GP and specialists and are approved ACC providers.

Joss did her 5 years training at Unitec, and completed her studies for an M.Ost at Unitec, Auckland in 2003. She then worked in private practice in Mt Eden, Grey Lynn and Devonport, then took a hiatus to focus her energies into raising her family.

It was when she moved into the area north of Auckland and was ready to get back into work that she contacted Ross at The Osteopaths, Matakana.

‘I aligned with Ross’ practice style “Joss states.

“If there was a large population of Osteopaths (there is currently around 560 Osteopaths registered in NZ), like the number of GPs, we’d have osteo-specialists - people that specialised in certain fields.

If you see different osteopaths you’ll see quite a bit of variety. Some may end up more like physios, as they’ve gone the sportsmed way, some are more like chiropractors as they enjoy manual adjustment therapy…and then there’s the holistic stuff as well.”

The holistic stuff. In my opinion this is the biggest difference I personally have experienced with the different types of physical therapists.

It’s called “cranial osteopathy”.

Ross Payn, Joss’s practice partner, has been studying and practicing cranial osteopathy for 19 years. He’s a bit of a guru in the field.

Let’s backup the bus for a second. In traditional Chinese medicine, Chi was thought to be the life force and ultimate measure of one’s vitality. This comes down to vital fluids and the energy itself that flows through our bodies.

Continued over….

In ayurvedic or yogic tradition it’s known as Prana Western cultures don’t seem to have a name for this essential life force phenomenon but it is well recognised in many circles.

Cranial osteopathy involves the balances and restoring this natural energy balance.

“There’s two different modalities of Cranial Osteopathy. One is Bio-mechanical, and the other Bio-dynamic. If you’re looking at Bio-dynamic work you’re working with the health side of things. You’re trying to remind the body how to function in a healthy way rather than a compromised way.”

Ross continues “the Bio-mechanic method is hands onfinding restrictions and trying to release those by manipulation. Bio-dynamic works in reminding the body how it was before it got into a lesion pattern and the body unwinds itself.“

One injured person I know said, ”Oh that didn’t work at all. I won’t be going back.” But in their case, I think I understand why. They’re the type of person that feels there should be a strong physical component to repair physical problems.

Cranial therapy requires a certain amount of “buy-in“both from the patient and the practitioner. It’s a very passive experience from the patients’ point of viewthat’s why cranial is often used on babies.

The patient (in this case me) lies flat on their back and lets the practitioner do their thing. Duration, time wise is about 40 minutes.

At the end I was, to put it in sheep-like terms,“cast”. Totally inert and relaxed, almost in a sleep like state. I took my time sitting up, and ease myself into standing. The pain I had experienced for quite some time had simply gone.

The night after my first cranial I slept pain free for the first time. I wasn’t fully cured, but I’d found a modality that worked for me. I now know what works and with regular maintenance and exercise how to improve.

Osteopathy may not be for everyone, but it is definitely worth a visit to see if it works for you.

The Osteopaths, 20 Quintal Road, Matakana 0985 https://www.theosteopaths.co.nz Joss Moore/Ross Payn