Therapies

Osteopathy

At Inverclyde osteopaths we use both structural and cranial osteopathic techniques to help change peoples lives.
Osteopathy is a system of diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of medical conditions. It works with structure and function of the body and is based on the principle that the well-being of an individual depends on the skeleton, muscle, ligaments and connective tissue functioning smoothly together.

Benefits of Osteopathy

You will have a better quality of life, reduced levels of pain and increased mobility. You will be able to exercise, pick up the children, play golf, and go on holiday. Pain will no longer curtail your lifestyle.

Who Can Benefit From Osteopathy

All age groups from babies to the elderly. Patients seek treatment for a wide variety of conditions including back pain, repetitive strain injury, changes to posture in pregnancies, babies with colic or sleeplessness, postural problems caused by driving or work strain, the pain of arthritis and sport injuries of all kinds.

Cranial Osteopathy

What is it?

Cranial osteopathy is a type of osteopathy that is very gentle and safe. Cranial osteopaths do postgraduate training to become proficient in this system of treatment. They learn to feel a very subtle, rhythmical shape change that is present in all body tissues. Tension in the body will disrupt this rhythm. Cranial treatment attempts to correct and release this tension. By gently releasing tension and stress throughout the body it is possible to treat a variety of conditions.

What can cranial osteopathy treat?

Because cranial osteopathy is a very gentle treatment, it is suitable for most people. The aim of the treatment is to treat the whole person. A pain or dysfunction in one area is going to impact on the rest of the body. Consequently, it is necessary to get to the root cause of the problem rather that just treating the symptoms.

Adults: when treating adults a mixture of traditional and cranial osteopathy is used, as these work well together. Conditions that can respond especially well to cranial treatment include:

* headaches
* sinus problems
* vertigo
* migraines
* stress and
* chronic ongoing musculoskeletal pain

Babies: Cranial osteopathy is often used to treat babies. Because it is such a gentle form of treatment, it is very safe and comfortable for the baby to receive. The stress and strain of emerging into the world can have a profound impact on the baby. Cranial osteopathy can help to release this tension and restore normal function. Conditions that can often be helped include:

* excessive crying
* colic
* sleeping problems and
* feeding difficulties

What to expect when consulting a cranial osteopath

As with conventional structural osteopathy, a full case history will be taken. This will include enquiry into past medical conditions, past injuries and the history of the current problem. When treating babies it is important to know as much as possible about the pregnancy and the delivery. The more information provided the better. Therefore, it is often good to consider this aspect of the history prior to attending the consultation.

The examination will include the whole body framework. Therefore, it is often necessary to get partially undressed. If you have any concerns about this, you can always discuss this with the osteopath and an appropriate solution will be found.

Cranial treatment is very gentle and will often involve you lying down while the osteopath holds different parts of your body. The examination and treatment will often start with the osteopath holding your head.

What to expect after treatment

As cranial treatment is so gentle it should not cause discomfort. Most people find such gentle treatment very relaxing. Occasionally some patients feel slight soreness after the treatment. This is similar to that experienced after unaccustomed exercise. Usually it only lasts for one to two days.

After cranial osteopathic treatment a baby will be very relaxed. Often a baby sleeps more on the day of treatment. Sometimes the opposite is also possible where the baby will have a burst of energy. On rare occasion babies are unsettled after treatment. This is temporary and usually resolves in one to two days.

Acupuncture

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a holistic form of healing developed over several thousands of years as part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Acupuncture treatment aims to balance the body's energy called Qi (chee) by inserting very fine needles into specific points on the body called Acupoints. TCM has described and mapped these acupoints. Acupoints are found along fourteen meridians. These are pathways for energy flow in the body.

There are more than 2000 Acupoints, each able to regulate, restore or correct different functions of the body. When the human body's energy flow is unbalanced or depleted, a person may feel ill.

By stimulating acupoints the imbalance of energy can be treated. Acupoints are the places where the energy flow is at its most superficial level and therefore accessible to treatment. If you have ever been tempted to massage your temples to try to ease a headache you may inadvertedly be stimulating an important acupoint that is used in treating head pain.

Conventional medicine's explanation of how Acupuncture treatment works

Acupuncture treatment is acknowledged to work by conventional medical science. Many medical practitioners now learn some basic acupuncture points and offer a limited form of acupuncture treatment to their patients. Western medical science has different explanations of how acupuncture works.

* Meridians (or energy flow pathways) lie very close to the main nerve branches. Therefore, when acupoints are stimulated, the nerves are also stimulated, which produces noticeable pain relief.
* Each organ has its own specific nerve supply. By stimulating each organ's nerve supply, acupuncture can also have an effect on major organs and body systems.
* In musculoskeletal problems, stimulation of acupoints increases blood flow to the damaged area, supplying it with extra oxygen and nutrients, hence aiding and speeding up the healing process.
* Acupuncture releases endorphins, the body's natural pain killing chemicals.

Acupuncture available now.