Ever wondered if you should see an osteopath? 6 signs to look out for…

Have you got some sort of pain that you’re struggling with? Is it always there and getting you down? There are a range of things that you may have tried – seeing the doctor, rest, painkillers, physio and stretching. You may have been online to try and get some help and answers. But whatever your circumstances, weeks, months or even years on, symptoms can still be there and be affecting all areas of your life. You may be none the wiser about where to turn next and started to think that there is no solution.

Does this sound familiar? If it does, then the chances are that an osteopath can help you but if you’re still not certain, here’s our 6 point guide to when you should see an osteopath:

1. You have chronic and on-going pain, whether it’s low level with occasional flare ups or more acute. Perhaps it’s an old injury that wasn’t that bad at the time so you didn’t get any treatment or perhaps you have no idea how it started, you just know it’s there and somehow pain is now dominating your life.

2. You just wake up feeling stiff and achy and your body feels tight. You can’t pin point any particular cause or problem but you feel a whole lot older than you are and it’s affecting what you can do and achieve.

3. No-one seems able to provide you with a clear diagnosis or effective treatment. Your GP’s appointment only offers limited time to assess and diagnose you and it’s difficult to ensure you see the same GP every time. If you’ve been referred for physio, it can several months to get an appointment and, when you finally see them, you may find that their prescribed exercises help but don’t totally resolve the problem. And the bottom line is that your injury hasn’t healed with either rest or time.

4. You’ve been on the internet or to various professionals but all you get is information overload or conflicting advice. This can leave you confused, fed up and utterly frustrated.

5. Learning to manage the pain yourself is hard as you may be unsure about what to do or where to start. Pain killers may help but you may be worried about using them over the long term. You probably want something more natural that treats the cause, not just the pain and you’d like some straight forward information about what else you could do to help yourself.

6. Pain is beginning to affect all areas of your life, whether that’s exercise, spending time with your family, work or how you relax. It all starts to dominate your life and you may be thinking that you’re going to have to put up with pain for the rest of your life.

If any of that sounds familiar, then an osteopath can probably help you. Pain doesn’t have to run your life and with one phone call you’ll be on your way to a diagnosis, a clear treatment plan and information about self-management.