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Osteopathy

At Knead to Relax, we believe that many conditions causing pain in the body can be resolved through osteopathy - a gentle treatment which can be used to address structural misalignments and postural imbalances. Osteopaths assess and treat people of any age from the elderly to the newborn and treatment will be tailored around each persons needs and abilities. Our talented and experienced osteopath Kelly Biffen, is a key part of the team at Knead to Relax and our massage therapists will often refer clients with more complex issues to Kelly.

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What is Osteopathy?

Although osteopaths treat many conditions, most people think of them as ‘back specialists’. Back pain is what they deal with a lot of the time but they also treat other joints in the body – neck, pelvis, hips, knees, shoulders etc., along with many other conditions and injuries from headaches, to muscle strains, from arthritis to sciatic pain, and everything else in between.

Osteopathic treatment not only targets the symptoms, but treats the parts of the body that have caused the symptoms. Practitioners take a holistic approach and believe that your whole body will work better if it’s in good structural balance. 

Osteopaths use a wide range of techniques, including spinal manipulation, massage, and joint mobilisation. This breadth of approach allows them to focus on every patient’s precise needs.

What kind of conditions can osteopaths treat?

Back & Neck Pain

Shoulder Pain & Movement Restrictions

Knee or hip pain & movement restrictions

Tennis or Golfers Elbow

Headaches & Migraines

Sciatica & Sciatic type pain

Sports injuries

Digestive Issues

FAQ

This is the most frequently asked question we get, and it’s not an easy or a short answer as there is a huge amount of overlap in what each type of practitioner will do during a treatment. As a broad generalisation, a chiropractor will mainly use spinal manipulations or “clicks” to treat you (but many would rightly refute this). Physiotherapists will focus mainly on giving you exercises to help your condition (but many would rightly refute this). Osteopaths may also use spinal manipulations and give you exercises but will also do ‘hands-on’ massage type work, joint movements and other soft tissue techniques within a treatment.

Yes. Your osteopath has been trained to know that certain techniques should not be performed on certain patients with ‘contra-indicated’ conditions and will not do anything that puts you at risk. Occasionally, an osteopath may decline to treat you for safety reasons and will refer you to an appropriate other person such as your G.P.

No. It shouldn’t. You may occasionally experience a ‘good type’ pain or a little discomfort during the treatment, but any time you are uncomfortable enough to want to stop the osteopath doing what they are doing, you are encouraged to do so. Everything that happens during a treatment happens with your consent.

Of course, it depends what is causing your pain. On your first visit, the osteopath will discuss your health at length and then make a thorough assessment of your symptoms to arrive at a diagnosis. The outcome depends on what your diagnosis is but most patients can be helped to some degree. The osteopath will discuss your prognosis with you, and for those conditions that cannot be cured, we can often still help reduce pain and disability.  

Yes, the General Osteopathic Council maintain a register of all practising osteopaths. To be on the register, osteopaths have to be qualified, and insured, and must have fulfilled other conditions of registration such as CPD. The General Osteopathic Council website can be found at www.osteopathy.org.uk

Osteopaths have to attend university for four years to achieve a degree in Osteopathic Medicine. Many then do post-graduate courses and learn ‘add-on’ skills such as cranial osteopathy or acupuncture. All osteopaths are obliged to maintain their skills levels by attending courses on a continuing basis.

They might, depending on where your pain is and what the osteopath thinks might be causing it. However, if you did not want to be manipulated, your wishes would be respected and other techniques would be used instead. Manipulation is never used on certain patient groups such as the very young and the very old.

It varies. A good average is between 4 and 6 treatments but generally, the longer you have had a pain or condition, the longer it is likely to take to fix. For some chronic conditions where the aim is not CURE but MANAGEMENT, you may have to attend regularly for a long time but the frequency of the visits should lessen. For example an arthritic elderly patient might attend initially every week for four to six weeks to achieve a good outcome, but then might have to attend say four times a year to keep the pain from returning. Your osteopath will discuss your prognosis with you at the time of your visit.

Typically the osteopath will ask you to undress to your underwear in order to see and examine your spine.  Any concerns you have about this will be respected and all attempts will be made to keep you as comfortable as possible.  You are encouraged to communicate any concerns to your osteopath.

No. Most osteopaths work outside the scope of the NHS and your G.P. does not need to refer you. Occasionally the osteopath may refer a patient to their G.P. for example to request that an X-Ray or M.R.I. scan be performed, but mostly your osteopathic treatment would not involve your G.P. at all.

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Kelly Biffen, Osteopath

Kelly Biffen our Osteoapth, graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a Masters of Osteopathy. She has worked in clinics across Edinburgh, Falkirk and Glasgow and enjoys treating a range of issues from headaches and neck pain to foot pain and everything in between, with a particular interest in more complex cases. Kelly takes a holistic approach to treating patients aimed at the prevention of pain as well as pain relief, using a range of osteopathic techniques alongside acupuncture and exercise.  

Cancellation Policy

We have a 24 hour cancellation policy. If you need to cancel or change your appointment, we ask that you give us a minimum of 24 hours notice otherwise you will be charged for the full cost of your treatment.