Posts belonging to Category 'blogs'

Everyone knows that osteopaths are experts in treating back pain but fewer realise that we can treat headaches too. Especially those that arise from stiffness or muscular tightness around the neck or shoulders.

These so-called tension headaches are extremely common and often respond really well to osteopathic treatment.

We begin with a detailed medical history and a discussion of your current pain and discomfort. This is followed by a thorough examination to identify the causes of your particular headache. From there we’ll use a variety of effective, safe techniques to improve movement, reduce muscle tension and ultimately reduce your pain.

We’ll also give you plenty of advice about how to keep the pain at bay, such as stretches and exercises to do at home, changes to your workstation or car seat setup and even how to choose the right pillow!

If you’re suffering with headaches and would like to talk to one of our team, give us a call on 0115 981 5134 or email us on info@mooreosteopathy.co.uk.

As some of you probably know, I’ve agreed to do a public speaking event in a few weeks time and am knee-deep in all the research and preparation at the moment. Of course, I’m a little (!) nervous but apart from the usual fears of embarrassment and making mistakes etc, my biggest fear is not being able to put across the really important message that I want to convey, in an engaging way.

I’m talking at the Public Health and Primary Care Event at the NEC on the 21st May about the work that we do at the clinic with unsettled babies  to a group of GPs, midwives, consultants etc. They estimate about 800 in the audience!

It’s a subject that I know well and that I’m passionate about but how do I convey that? Part of my research has been watching a variety of TED talks, which I love. They show the best public speakers at the top of their game, talking about subjects that are diverse and often abstract, but always extremely interesting.

I found this one the other week and I think it’s my favourite so far – absolutely brilliant. Ken Robinson talks about creativity in schools – you won’t regret taking 20 mins to watch this 🙂

After the event I’ll be sharing my talk and my research, so watch this space. If I can be 10% as interesting as the above video, I’ll be a happy man 🙂

Richard

So Saturday 28th June 2014 will go down as the day that I tried my first Obstacle Course Race courtesy of The Suffering Race at Rockingham Castle… and it was great! Not sure that ‘enjoy’ is the right word but really glad that I entered and turned up on the day 😉

I came away tired, sore, muddy and thoroughly drained but such a sense of achievement!

Billed as a 5k course, it actually measured somewhere around 8 or 9k and featured obstacles ranging from jumping over piles of tyres to wading through dirty, smelly ponds and streams to clambering under cargo nets and climbing over high walls. Not to mention sliding down a huge water slide into hay bales and, at the very end, charging through a wall of rugby players with crash pads doing their best to slow you down. All good fun!

Probably the hardest part of the course was climbing up a very steep slope on hands and knees and then sliding down to the bottom… and repeat.. and repeat! In fact I think it was 5 times in total but my brain gave up counting after a few! And to top it off, after the last set was a longer climb up and down carrying a tyre over each arm – lovely!

But you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs and alongside my medal I came away with an extremely swollen, sore ankle following not one but two slips that saw my ankle turn underneath me accompanied by a large crack! Thankfully not broken but a sprain that’ll slow me down for a few weeks. Oh yeah and I’m deaf in my right ear now too from hitting the hay bales headfirst at high speed!

Pardon? What was that? Never mind… See you next year 😉

As osteopaths, it’s really important that we continue to develop our skills, learn new approaches, experience alternative  ideas and stay abreast of research. It’s also important that we continually refine our techniques to maximise the effects of our treatments.

Richard recently attended a ‘Masterclass’ taught by pioneering osteopath Laurie Hartman, widely regarded as being one of the leading teachers of osteopathic technique, with over 50 years of teaching experience around the world!

Here’s what Richard had to say about the course:

Although his Handbook of Osteopathic Technique can probably be found in every osteopath’s library, it pales in comparison to instruction by the man himself!

The day absolutely flew by as we quickly moved from methods of assessment to refining our techniques to learning new approaches to common problems. His technique is absolutely flawless – quick, easy, effective and minimally invasive for the patient.

I can only hope that I’ll have a fraction of his ability as I develop over my osteopathic career!

So, a day very well spent! Expect to see a few tweaks to Richard’s treatments as he puts some of these new techniques into practice 🙂

Came across this video today from the same guys who did the fantastic video “23 and a half hours” about the importance of exercise for health. This time they’re looking at Low Back Pain, talking about the best way to approach it.

I must say that this is one of the best videos I’ve ever seen on the subject. It talks about the causes of and approaches to the treatment of acute and chronic low back pain in a really engaging and logical way and reinforces everything that we say in our clinic.

It’s well worth ten minutes of your time:

The clinic is open as normal until Saturday 21st December, then:

• Monday 23rd – OPEN – 9am to 5pm (Richard)
• Tuesday 24th – CLOSED
• Wednesday 25th – CLOSED
• Thursday 26th – CLOSED
• Friday 27th – CLOSED
• Saturday 28th – OPEN – 10am to 2pm (Sarah)
• Sunday 29th – CLOSED
• Monday 30th – OPEN – 11am to 5pm (Richard)
• Tuesday 31st – CLOSED
• Wednesday 1st January – CLOSED

Then from Thursday 2nd January onwards we are open as usual.

Happy Christmas everyone 🙂

We’ve upped sticks and moved to a new permanent base in West Bridgford!

The clinic is at 39-41 Loughborough Road which is at the corner of Millicent Road, a stone’s throw from West Bridgford centre but easily accessed from the main roads. We have our own parking space (number 8) but there’s loads of on-street parking around the area including Henry Road and Millicent Road itself.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

After appearing in the Daily Mail the other week, the Nottingham Evening Post asked me to take part in a bigger article focussing on the effects of bra wearing on back pain and posture.

Osteopath Richard Moore, of Moore Osteopathy in West Bridgford and Ruddington, says he regularly sees women who are experiencing a catalogue of health problems due to wearing the wrong sized bra.

“I see a lot of people that have neck, shoulder and back pain from an ill-fitting bra. You can definitely draw a connect between the two,” says Richard.

He says that a badly-fitting bra, especially one that’s too tight on the back, can cause a women to slouch and stoop. This can cause aches and pains in the neck and back and even problems with digestion and breathing.

“Often what happens is that the chest width – so the number part – is too tight. It compresses the lower ribs and stops them moving when you breathe,” says Richard.

“The opening and closing of the ribs when you breathe helps to improve flood flow to the area of digestion.

“Also, if it’s too tight in terms of the shoulder straps, it tends to pull you forward and that affects the mobility of your stomach contents flowing through quite so well. It makes you more prone to constipation and a slow digestive tract which are often symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).”

You can read the full article on the Evening Post website.

I’ve found myself talking about fascia a LOT recently and increasingly I’m thinking of its importance when looking at both new injuries and long term postural changes – for example the dreaded “laptop posture” that I tell people off about!! So I thought I’d put some of my ideas down on paper..

Basically, fascia is a clingfilm-like substance that is wrapped around every muscle fibre, every muscle, each organ and underneath the skin. It’s designed to slide and move as we move but if it’s held in the same position for a long time it can begin to stick together. This ‘sticking’ can restrict movement, and along with shortened, tight muscles can exacerbate poor posture and increase your changes of suffering with long term pain and stiffness.

Here’s an absolutely fantastic video illustrating what fascia is and how it turns into ‘fuzz’. Be warned, this video does use real dissections to illustrate certain points. Don’t worry its not too gruesome, but if you’re sensitive maybe give the video part a miss and just listen to the voiceover:

So how can we stop becoming ‘fuzzed’ up:

• Move! Avoid sitting for long periods or holding the same position for hours on end. Get up, have regular breaks and keep moving.
• Exercise! Yep, you’ve heard this one before 🙂 But, it’s a great excuse for getting out there and using your body for what it’s meant to do. Find a sport or exercise that you enjoy or just go out for a walk – your body will thank you.
• Treatment! As the video says, regular physical treatment whether massage or osteopathy can help to restore movement and keep the muscles and fascia moving. Prevention is better than cure!

So, I hope that this is interesting for you. If you’d like to know more, please get in touch and I’d be happy to talk it all through with you. There’s a fantastic book called ‘Anatomy Trains‘ which goes into a lot of detail too. It really is fascianating stuff 😉

As you will no doubt have seen and felt, the weather has taken a turn over the past few days with snow, ice and freezing temperatures in most parts of the country. This is a time when we see a lot of back pain and injuries so it pays to be mindful of your body as the cold weather hits.

One thing that I always recommend people to do is to wear gloves – but what’s that got to do with your back, I hear you ask!?

It sounds silly, but wearing gloves rather than having your hands in your pockets can make a big difference to your back. On a basic level, having your hands and arms free to help your balance on icy pavements cannot be overstated. This could help prevent or lessen a serious fall. However, gloves can also help HOW you walk.

Think about your normal walking stride, imagine how your legs swing through as you move along, carrying your weight forward propelling you along. Now, see what happens when you put your hands in your pockets… your stride shortens, you take smaller steps. This has an effect on your lower back and pelvis and restricts their natural rocking movement as you walk.

Add to that some ice. Icy pavements mean that you’re walking along, looking downwards, watching your step to make sure you don’t slip. You’re now slightly bent forwards in the lower back, between your shoulder blades and with your neck.

Imagine all these things happening together – not quite the normal walking pattern that you’d imagine! This can lead to lower back pain, an ache between your shoulder blades, around your neck or deep into your buttocks. Having osteopathic treatment can obviously help with the pain but, really, you want to avoid it in the first place.

So some advice:

• Wear gloves! Don’t walk with your hands in your pockets!
• Where possible, try to walk with as natural a stride pattern as possible
• Avoid looking down as you walk – plan a few steps ahead
• If another route or pavement is less icy, walk over there, even if it is a bit out of your way

Of course, if you do find yourself with lower back, mid back or neck pain, just give me a call 🙂 I’m always happy to help!