Osteopathy and the Workplace
As Osteopath’s it is our goal to help people achieve optimal health, and it is for this reason why we chose to become health care practitioners. Every patient is an individual and their body and state of health is each and to their own. However what a number of people share in common is occupational strain.
Some questions for you?
- How often do you get home from work and think ‘oof’ finally the day is over, my body is aching?
- How long do you spend in front of a computer per day? Are you constantly reaching for the mouse with the same arm all day?
- Are you sitting down for the majority of the day?
- Does your shoulders, neck or back begin to tighten up during the day?
- Does your job involve repetitive lifting, twisting and bending over?
Does your job contribute to your health?
Unfortunately our bodies weren’t designed to endure the pressure that modern day occupations place on us, whether it be an office worker sitting at a computer all day, or a plumber on their hands and knees. Even as an osteopath, our job places incredible amounts of strain upon our body. It is for this reason that we receive osteopathic treatment on a maintenance basis, so we keep our body in shape and prevent an injury (you can too).
It is much better to receive treatment before injury or strain sets in, and it is a good way of minimising the amount of visits to the osteopath or doctor you need, as an injured patient usually requires twice as many treatments as one who prevents one. Management and prevention are often the keys to maintaining a better state of health, and osteopathic treatment on a maintenance basis may be a way of managing your health. It makes sense to manage and deal with the pressures of everyday life rather than letting it get the better of us. Take control of your life don’t let it control you!
Tomorrow when you are at work just take a moment to think ‘Is my occupation contributing to my health’?
How frequent is maintenance treatment?
Every person is different and their current medical state, activity levels, diet and occupation are just some of the factors that govern their health and whether treatment is the correct thing for them or not. A number of people benefit form receiving osteopathic treatment on a maintenance basis. Some people may present to our clinic every few weeks and some may come only every few months. However from clinical experience we have realised that it is those people who are aware of their health and maintain their health that are the ones who benefit the most and end up requiring the least frequent treatment. As holistic health care practitioners we realise that Osteopathy is not the ‘be all and end all’ of the complementary medical field, and we will give advice on other avenues that a person can explore to seek help, because it is the patients health that is our priority .
Common symptoms of occupational strain may include:
- Headaches
- Neck pain
- Upper back pain
- General stiffness
- Low back pain
- Repetitive strain symptoms
We have one life, one body…Please look after yourself.
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