Back pain caused by abnormal stress placed on the muscles of the spinal column, typically resulting from bad habits like poor posture, incorrect bending and lifting weights either in daily activity or in weight training. This can present as Acute or Chronic back pain.

These arise from spinal disc problems (e.g. herniated disc, disc bulge) caused by the many stresses the spine will sustain and the compensatory patterns that follow. Typically, these problems lead to lower back pain, numbness, and weakness. While chronic in nature they will have acute flare ups.

As a pregnancy progresses the spine must deal with a lot of changes especially the lower back, due to the growth of the baby and the additional weight in the front of the body. Remember also that the upper back too also must adapt to the enlargement of the breast as they grow in order to produce milk for the new-born. Pubic symphysis dysfunction (PSD) is also treated.

Typically this will be mechanical neck pain caused by a pulled muscle or the compensatory pattern set up following a whiplash incident or long-term bad posture such as slouching at a computer at work, sitting in odd positions at home on the sofa to watch TV.

New to the list as well is Tech Neck - yes this is as it sounds,  pain from looking down at wireless devices like phones and tablets for prolonged lengths of time.

More information at: https://www.insider.com/what-is-tech-neck-neck-pain-from-phone-2017-12

These may be caused by either direct damage to muscles (e.g. pulling a hamstring whilst running) or as a protective contracture, which is often nature’s way of creating a splint to protect an underlying fault like when you get acute back pain.

Sometimes known as cervicogenic headaches - these are the most common form of headaches. They are caused by muscular tension around the head, neck and jaw, and present as a constant pressure around the skull. Tension headaches can affect everyday life, especially when they increase in frequency and duration. There are however many other types of headache and migraine that may not be suitable for treatment.

Arthritic pain is due to joint damage or “wear and tear” generally occurring in either weight bearing joints like the knee or in highly mobile joints like the shoulder, but can occur anywhere as damage is dependent on your lifestyle and preferred activity levels.

This is generally experienced as a sharp shooting pain. Osteopathy can help to try and reduce the pressure on the nerve.

• Achilles tendonitis, tennis elbow generally these are caused due to a repetitive movement which had led to some underlying muscle or damage.
• Minor sports injuries and tensions in daily living could cause daily tensions and sports injuries. These are easier to resolve the sooner they are treated before compensation patterns set up.

Improving muscle contaracture and releasing tension will improve circulation, and in many cases, help with cramp as well. Unless there are underlying reasons for it, for example, it is a side effect of medication.

Sitting slouched and just sitting generally for very long periods of time have various effects on the body and can lead to frozen shoulders especially if there is a previous injury. Also,  general body aches are one of the biggest complaints seen by osteopaths general / non specific shoulder aches.

Fibromyalgia sufferers are normally middle aged women and experience pain throughout the body, particularly manifesting in joint pain.

• The condition can be quite long term and requires considerable treatment and careful management. Fibromyalgia effects the body’s soft tissue such as muscles, tendons and ligaments and usually presents in neck, elbows, pelvis, knees, feet, hips and lower back areas. Swelling is not common with this condition and conventional tests cannot determine the disease.
• Sleep problems associated with fibromyalgia can lead to tiredness and exhaustion.
• Osteopathic treatment can relieve fatigue, headaches and muscle pain caused by fibromyalgia. Added benefits are improved mobility, joint pain relief and improved flexibility. Osteopathic treatment for this condition - gentle palpation and limb rotation, muscle stretching and advice on exercises, and possibly other lifestyle changes.

Two of the common digestive problems that osteopaths help with are acid reflux irritated by a tight diaphragm and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). IBS is a huge subject with many complicated causes which can cause bouts of stomach cramp, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation. The exact cause of irritable bowel syndrome is unknown, but most experts think it is affected by diet, stress, anxiety and depression. It is thought to be helped by exercise, change of diet and relaxation.