Did you know that osteopathy can help prevent a sports injury?
It’s true! Although many people resort to osteopathy only after they’ve experienced pain or discomfort, regular sessions with your osteopath help keep you in tip-top form and prevent injury or strain.
Regular treatment helps keep your body optimally aligned, correcting imbalances and tensions in muscles and ligaments that may make you more vulnerable to injury. Osteopaths are experts at helping the body maintain optimal function, which is essential for athletes or anyone who enjoys an active lifestyle. They detect, treat and prevent health problems through moving, stretching and massaging muscles and joints.
Osteopathy is based on the principle that every person is a unique individual, whose wellbeing depends on their bones, muscles, ligaments and connective tissue functioning smoothly together.
If you’re looking to stay healthy and injury-free, our osteopath Tom Ward specialises in treating and preventing injuries from sport and dance. Here’s why he recommends regular treatment.
How does osteopathy prevent injury?
Osteopathic treatment is an effective preventative treatment because your practitioner is trained to find and correct imbalances in the muscles, joints, and tissues before they result in injury. These imbalances, if left undiagnosed, may mean overloading one part of your body when in the gym, on the court or pitch.
If you are a frequent visitor to the gym, pitch or court, regular osteopathic treatment can support optimal fitness and catch potential problems before they become a painful reality.
If you are just starting out on a new exercise regime, it’s worth getting checked out with your osteopath who can advise you on the best way to ensure you don’t put too much strain on your ligaments and muscles as your body adjusts to new challenges.
An osteopath will make a careful assessment of your physical alignment, taking a health history that enables him or her to devise a personalised exercise plan and advice on optimal warm-up routines. During treatment, your practitioner will use physical manipulation, stretching and massage designed to support you in the following ways:
- increasing the mobility of your joints
- relieving muscle tension
- reducing pain
- enhancing the blood supply to your tissues
- helping your body to heal after injury
Tom Ward, osteopath at our Epsom clinic, says “I have seen a huge change in how individuals look after their bodies since lockdown. There has been an incredible shift from reactive to preventative treatment whereby patients are seeing their bodies as their best asset and booking in for treatment every 3-4 months depending on their symptoms/ lifestyle – rather than booking in when they are in severe pain. As an osteopath it is amazing to be able to work alongside patients long-term to help them live happier and healthier lives.”
Book an appointment with Tom today!Â
