Barnes is an osteopath working in Ham Green, Pill, and Clifton. It can be hard to tell if a practitioner will suit you before your first appointment, so we’ve put this post together to give you a bit more information on Barnes’ areas of expertise and treatment style.
What Problems Does Barnes Treat?
Osteopaths can treat any joint or muscle, but we all have our areas of expertise. Barnes particularly enjoys working with patients who need help with neck, shoulder, back, or hip problems. He is a runner, so can offer solid advice for aches and pains associated with running.
Neck and Back Pain
Simple neck pain often puts a strain on the surrounding tissues. This can cause headaches that radiate from the back of the head and over the top. These headaches are different to migraines, but through the history and examination it will be clear which one causes your symptoms.
Lower back pain is one of the most common issues we see in clinic. Most cases are within our remit, covering problems with the joints, ligaments, muscles, and discs. Sciatica can come with or without lower back pain, but there’s often involvement from a structure in the back (but not always). We can screen for back problems that are outside out remit and refer on to the appropriate clinician. There are a handful of rheumatological conditions that present like “normal” back pain and may go undiagnosed for a long time. Osteopaths are in a good position to identify the flags that something more systemic might be going on and direct you to the support you need.
Resulting Compensation
With both neck and lower back issues, the upper back has to pick up the slack. Tension in this area might present subtly, but over time it might further aggravate the neck or lower back. This is particularly common among people whose upper back mobility is reduced. Asthma can limit the function of the whole thorax, and spending a lot of time immobile doesn’t help either. If your work requires you to sit still at a desk for eight hours a day, keep an eye on your ergonomics and make sure you keep moving between tasks.
Shoulder Problems
Shoulder pain can be caused by a number of issues. Often cartilage is involved, from osteoarthritis to sports injuries to the cartilage. Pain and restriction might indicate frozen shoulder: a condition which is slow to develop and slow to improve. But with the right support, Barnes can speed up your progress and limit compensatory patterns in the other shoulder. Prevalence of frozen shoulder on the other side within 18 months of the initial issue resolving is high, so keeping both sides happy is key.
Hip Issues
The hip is a mobile but stable joint. It’s similar to the shoulder: a ball and socket joint, but the deeper socket means it doesn’t move quite as much. As a result, dislocation type injuries are less likely. Hip pain can be caused by damage to the joint surface, injury to the cartilage, or tension in the surrounding muscles. True hip joint pain might also refer symptoms into the groin. When a hip becomes osteoarthritic, the first movement lost is typically extension (moving your leg backwards). It can be subtle, as the body adapts around the pain. But the adaptations begin to form a picture as the lower back comes forwards and the neck extends up to compensate. Early identification and treatment can give impressive results and slow down the development of that “elderly posture”.
What Should I Expect from my First Appointment with Barnes?
Your first appointment will be up to 60 minutes long to allow for:
- a detailed case history
- thorough examination
- treatment
- aftercare
The case history covers general health, so don’t be surprised if Barnes asks questions that seem irrelevant. They’re important for screening for conditions that might otherwise go unnoticed. You will be asked to dress down for the examination, and there may be a need to examine areas beyond the symptomatic spot. You’re welcome to bring a change of clothes if you’d rather. Gym shorts and a vest or sports bra are generally sound choices.
Treatment requires ongoing consent, so you’re never bound to any one technique if you don’t want to experience it. Barnes’ usual treatment style involves:
- massage and stretching
- joint mobilisation (repetitive, gentle movements to encourage more or smoother motion)
- joint manipulation
Manipulation or “clicking” is the technique people love or loathe. It won’t be appropriate for everyone, but if Barnes suggests it, you’re not required to say yes. In most cases, mobilisation will get the same results, it might just take longer. You’re also not bound to agreeing to a treatment that you’ve had before.
Barnes’ Treatment Style
“Structural” Osteopathy
There are a few different approaches within osteopathy: cranial, structural, classical, and visceral. Structural osteopathy is arguably the most mechanical of all, finding areas of stiffness or laxity, working to resolve them, and moving onto the next piece of the puzzle. This is not to say that it’s a reductionist form, as a structural osteopath still considers the person as a whole.
Not only are we looking for a couple of stiff joints that led to the painful one overworking. We also consider the personal side. Your pain is likely worse if you think negatively about it, for example if you expect that your joint pain is a sign that you’ll need a surgery you’d rather not have. A big part of your treatment plan in that case would be education. We want to explain what’s really going on, what can be done, and what you should expect that journey to look like.
The Mechanical Picture
When we talk about structural and mechanical approaches, we’re mostly talking about patterns of compensation. The image below shows a handful of issues that play into one another and can make a case more complicated.
Barnes’ structural approach would suit this kind of presentation. With a detailed case history and examination, it’s relatively simple to pick up on all of the small issues and see how they connect.
If this sounds like the kind of approach that might suit you and your symptoms, you can book an appointment via the link below.
Click here to make an appointment for your pain in Pill or Ham Green, Bristol
