For clarification of any of the following points, please contact us on 01525 875474

• Sleeping positions / Posture –
• Sidelying with hips & knees flexed but knees to be bellow hips with pillow between knees – benefits are that it takes pressure off the disc which will give relief
• Prone lying (lying on your stomach) if it gives relief, if not, laying on back with pillow under knees
• Avoid sitting for any length of time, if you need to rest, you are better off laying down for a short time in one of the above positions
• When walking hold your stomach in as this will strengthen your abdominal musculature & support your back
• Hydrotherapy – 
• Hot & Cold Contrast Therapy (always begin with hot & end with cold) Alternate hot for approximately 3 minutes & cold for 1 minute or equivalent on the area of the spine affected
• Ice/Cold Compress on the area of the spine affected (ensuring there is no direct contact with the ice, protect with a tea towel or equivalent) at rest & especially affective immediately before sleep
• Avoid hot baths, especially before sleep, instead make the water warm & use Epsom salts
• Apply cold gel at all other times to affected area of the spine
• Exercise – 
• Keep moving with gentle walks within your pain threshold, this will help to losen your joints up, but also ensure that you maintain some level of core muscle strength that you would loose if you remained sedentary
• Always follow immediately with hydrotherapy
• Nutrition / Fluid – 
• Drink plenty of plain water to keep yourself hydrated, which will aid healing, clear the metabolites from the area of inflammation
• Avoid inflammatory foods e.g Tomatos, Potatoes
• Increase anti-inflammatory foods e.g Oily fish & Leafy green vegetables
• Add supplements to diet e.g. Eskimo Oil
• Osteopathic Treatment – 
• Seek consultation from an experienced professional to ensure appropriate therapy & who will advise you specific stretches & importantly can confirm a diagnosis for your symptoms which in itself can be relieving knowing the cause of your pain

Osteopathy recognizes that much of the pain and disability we suffer stems from abnormalities in our body’s structure and function. The main aim of Osteopathic treatment is the reduction of pain and facilitation of healing. Treatment involves gentle, manual techniques – easing pain, reducing swelling and improving mobility. Osteopathy is patient-centred which means that the treatment is geared to you as an individual. Osteopathic treatment is suitable for the whole family, including elderly, children and babies.

Naturopathy is an approach to aiding optimal health through natural means. It is a recognised medical science that works with the knowledge of the fundamental principles of health and disease. It may be applied independently of other therapies or in conjunction with conventional medicine to help optimise the benefits of other treatments.

At T.O.M. Clinic, we are experienced qualified Osteopaths, Cranial Osteopaths and Naturopaths, who actively practice what we preach, so you can be sure you are in the safest of hands.

We tailor advice to the individual combining our knowledge of Osteopathy, Cranial Osteopathy and Naturopathy.

Our role is to educate you, the individual, with effective realistic approaches to nutritional and lifestyle choices and when necessary help direct and release the body’s own ability to heal itself, using a combination of natural means such as manual techniques, Hydrotherapy (water therapy) and Heat therapy.

We are able to offer you appropriate coping strategies to manage environmental and occupational stress factors, breathing techniques, exercise and stretches, postural and body mechanics advice and ergonomic advice to help you achieve your own optimal level health.

If you would like to know if we could help you, please get in contact on 01525 875474, email or call in to the clinic where we will be happy to chat with you to answer any questions you may have.

The joint can be painful because the joint and surrounding tissues are inflamed and having to work harder to compensate for the changes within the joint. These changes may be bony swelling, fluid swelling and loose bodies.

Quite often, because of the compensations that the body makes for the OA joint, other joints and muscles undergo excessive strain, such as the back joints and muscle causing back pain and sciatica.

5 Top tips to prevent and manage an OA joint:

• Keep moving especially with low impact exercise, such as gentle walking or swimming as this helps to reduce inflammation, it keeps the joints better lubricated and ensures better circulation which aids healing.
• Strengthen and stretch the muscles surrounding the affected joint as it helps to prevent the development of the OA and helps to manage and minimise the effects of the OA joint. Seek advice from your Osteopath as to which exercises are most appropriate for you.
• Be aware of your all of your postures and how they can help minimise the strain on your affected joints and the other joints that compensate.
• Implement some simple modifications, including fluid consumption and nutritional supplements, to your diet to help reduce inflammation, reduce the pain and improve the health of your joints.
• Use heat therapy to help reduce your pain and improve your joint mobility.  Alternative warm and cold applications can really make a difference.

For more detailed advice tailored to your specific needs, call in or phone us at Toddington Osteopathic Medicine Clinic on 01525 875474.

Back pain is most commonly triggered by a sudden lifting injury or something as trivial as bending forward to put your sock on! Which is why PREVENTION is always better than cure and far less painful!! BUT it also means that even when you have a long standing complaint where damage has already been done, the simple management strategies can PREVENT reoccurance of acute back pain episodes and allow you to get on with your life.

If you have ever suffered with back pain, you will know how debilitating it can be. Most of us will experience back pain at some point in our lives, so it’s important to know HOW to take good care of your back.

5 Top tips on how to take good care of your back:

1. Keep mobile by finding something that gets you moving regularly that you enjoy
2. Be aware of your posture in all positions to minimize the physical stresses and strains
3. Avoid repetitive movements at work, home and while playing sports or exercising
4. Manage your emotional stresses so that you learn to relax
5. Keep hydrated to ensure the health of your back and your joints

For more information and detailed advice that is tailored to you, which will help make the greatest difference, please contact us.

To know a little more about us, please read the information already provided on our website.

We have set up this blog to provide you with a resource full of effective advice and information for a whole range of the complaints that we treat every day at T.O.M Clinic.

We will also use the blog to help you get to know us all a little more personally and to understand better, our motivations and experiences that fuel our passion for Osteopathy.

If there is a topic that you would like covered, or any further information that you think might be of benefit, please get in contact with us either by telephone, email or pop in to the clinic to speak to us face to face. We are always happy to help.