For some of us getting older definitely has its drawbacks. We are not as agile as we were in our 20s and those occasional aches and pains seem to be creeping in a bit more frequently than we would like. Sometimes injury, reduced mobility or even a frustration over the dependance of pills and medication to keep us moving can have an impact on our quality of life.
But it doesn’t have to be that way! Making physical therapy, such as osteopathy, part of your routine can help remove that frustration and help you to lead a better life whether you are in work, participating in sport and exercise or even just playing with your children or grandchildren.
1. Improve mobility
Physical therapy, such as osteopathy, can help if you are having issues with standing, moving and walking. Individual plans of care are tailored to a persons needs, but may include direct hands on treatment such as soft tissue massage, joint mobilisation, stretching, strengthening exercise and rehabilitation. The overall results will help you gain back lost mobility from injury or even improve mobility by an extra 10-30% enabling you to achieve daily activities that would have been a problem before.
2. Improve balance and prevent falls
Physical therapy can help improve co-ordination through rehabilitation exercises helping you to become more stable when standing and walking. Improving injuries through direct treatment can also help to achieve this as well. Dizziness and more specifically vertigo can be helped through using manoeuvre to help restore proper vestibular function. Falls themselves can have a severe knock on confidence making future activity a difficult challenge. Therapists can also help to restore confidence by advising walking aids and lifestyle changes.
3. Recover from or prevent a sports injury
Different sports can produce different injuries and osteopaths are well equipped to address these (such as muscle strains and joint sprains). Getting you back to your sport as quickly as possible will allow you to continue a healthy and mobile lifestyle.
4. Reduce or eliminate pain
Osteopaths use many modalities such as joint mobilisation, soft tissue massage, exercise rehabilitation, taping and medical acupuncture to help restore function to joints and muscles which are causing pain and immobility. Reduced or eliminated pain can help you maintain everyday activities and your osteopath can also help to prevent pain from returning by improving, mobility, strength, balance and confidence.
5. Avoid surgery
Some injuries and conditions may need surgery. However if osteopathy and physical therapy can help you to improve mobility, improve balance, prevent falls, improve and prevent sports injuries and reduce or eliminate pain then surgery may not be needed. If surgery is unavoidable, being stronger and fitter can help you to recover quicker post surgery. Therefore pre-surgery physical therapy focusing on exercise may also be beneficial.
The team of osteopaths at Bodytonic Clinic are on hand to answer any questions that you may have regarding the pain of care that you require.
Each plan of care is tailored to individual needs focusing on the goals and outcomes that each individual is looking for. Whether its being able to play with your grandchildren, getting back into the sport you love or even improving the quality of life that a low back problem is reducing then your local osteopath is on hand and able to help.
bodytonic clinic
10-11 Dock Offices
Surrey Quays Road
SE16 2XU
and other clinics in Stratford and Wapping
t: 0203 606 0490
w: bodytonicclinic.co.uk
