The practitioner who is chasing pain is LOST.
You’ve got pain.
Perhaps it’s your lower back.
Perhaps it’s in your shoulder.
You go see someone, and the ONLY thing they look at is the “sore spot”.
Sure they’ve “chased your pain”… and to you the patient, it might seem like they know what they’re doing, because they “found the spot”…
The problem is, on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th appointments they’re still finding the spot, and you can still feel the pain!!!
Look, sometimes this does happen with specific injuries, but it’s definitely NOT the norm, and shouldn’t be.
This is especially true for pain that “comes out of no where” or “you just woke up with it”.
So… what does an Osteopath do? What are we thinking when you come to see us?
For starters, we ask a VERY broad history. Lots of questions.
The key to solving your problem isn’t in the question “where is it sore?”
This is where we’re different.
One, just ONE of the possible reasons for your pain, may be how your Viscera (organs/guts/insides) are moving relative to each other.
Yep – just like your body moves on the “outside” – your body moves on the INSIDE.
Most people know that issues with the blood supply of your heart can give you left shoulder and arm pain, just like the gall bladder can give you right shoulder/chest pain.
But what about your stomach? What about your intestines? What about your liver?
Your viscera can cause pain in lots of areas
That said, Of course, it’s not ALWAYS a visceral problem.
And of course, if you’re presenting with appendicitis signs, we’re NOT going to treat it like we’re some magical fairy dust possessing unicorn.
But what if your mid back pain isn’t getting better despite how many times you’ve seen that practitioner who keeps giving your exercises or just keeps cracking your back?
If your practitioner is not getting “results” (i.e. a lot less pain for you) really quickly – rather than think it’s your fault we look at all the other possible reasons WHY that could be the case.
One of those reasons could be your viscera.
So why would your viscera be restricted?
Your body is designed to move, right?
When you squat – your hips, your back – ankles – all these joints and muscles move to help you achieve that overall motion.
Do you think your organs might move too?
Well they do.
Here’s an example:
If you’re in nature and you need to do number 2’s… and there are no toilets around… what do you do?
You squat.
We, as a society (western only) have all but forgotten how to squat.
Why would your brain force you to squat?
Just like every other bipedal (i.e. stands on two legs) animal, we squat because our bowels MOVE into a better more efficient position to help make the process a lot easier and faster…
Surprise surprise!
We eliminate 80% of the internal ease by having a seat. It’s why people sit on the toilet for ages these days (because it’s less efficient). And it’s worse with a phone in front of you while you sit… keeping you there for even longer 😉
Other potential ways viscera may become “restricted” is via infections, scarring, direct trauma, diet, environmental toxins or even emotional stress.
Sometimes helping your visceral motility may help you with “random pain”.
Just like a midwife might be able to help get a pregnant woman’s baby to move into a different position, we may be able to help you improve your organ motility, thereby potentially freeing up tension that manifests as pain on the outside.
So…
If your practitioner doesn’t know to look, or if they’re continuing to “chase pain”, then you may not get the results you’re after.
Sometimes this is so obvious (but not always of course) – and the results can be surprising.
Some examples:
Right Shoulder Pain: May be related to liver motility…
Acute or Chronic Low Back Pain: May be related to your large intestine…
Headaches or Right Side Neck Pain: May be related to your gall bladder…
And much more.
If in doubt, of course, book an appointment with us today 🙂
