Osteopathy as a discipline has been established for over 150 years. The UK Parliament endorsed the profession by passing in to law the 1993 Osteopaths Act.
This act set up the Governing body of osteopathy in Birmingham, The General Osteopathic Council, which maintains the register of osteopaths and oversees the training and professional conduct of osteopaths.
It is illegal to call yourself an osteopath, if you are not on the General Councils Register. Bruce Bodle is registered to provide osteopathy in Birmingham.
The core of the work is back ache, followed by neck/shoulder/arms. Back ache is, after stress, the most common reason for being off work, and many backache sufferers are also stressed, it is therefore a major public health issue, poorly understood, even by some medical professionals and certainly by the public at large.
It is more often than not ignored, often dismissed as having to be lived with, but backache can be treated successfully.
If you would like to discuss any symptoms you have please don't hesitate to call.
Musculo Skeletal problems occur because normal postural stability is disturbed. Osteopaths assess the underlying cause and degree of divergence from the norm by observation and non-invasive tests, backed up by a case history of what may have triggered the disturbance e.g. heavy lifting, falling down, road traffic collisions; and the pain levels.
The major presenting symptom is usually back ache, followed by necks, shoulders, hip and pelvic areas (including sciatica and headaches) but all general joint and muscle problems can respond well to proper diagnosis and treatment.
The assessment is carried out against the back drop of what normal postural stability should be, with everything level and straight and all joints having a normal range of mobility.
From the ground up:
If the pelvis is misaligned then nothing else will be right. Most crucial of all is the configuration of the pelvis. This is the primary centre of postural stability and is the key area for the correct diagnosis and treatment of many neuro musculo skeletal problems.
The osteopath's task is to develop a treatment plan to correct levels, improve mobility and thereby reduce pain.
Diagnosis begins with a comprehensive case history followed by examination, including diagnostic tests, especially to the pelvis. The tests are simple, painless and non-invasive.
On diagnosis a treatment plan will be made, in discussion with and agreement of the patient. All techniques will be tailored to the patient and by and large cause little discomfort.
