Early visits to an Osteopath.
- Dr. Ethen Kauiers
- Jul 8
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 7
The initial months of opening a clinic in Sherwood have yielded some very interesting visits from people; a spectrum of personalities and injuries/issues to either treat, or advise the best path forward for finding resolution.
Mr. B (53)
Mr. B is a professional darts player who first contacted us with severe pain via his coccyx (sit-bone). Through some testing and history taking, we believed the culprit for the pain was a sacro-coccygeal sprain.
Such an injury was regularly aggravated by sitting, which is a very regular part of life - so all that could be provided was stretching and a donut-cushion, which Mr. B proactively ordered 3 of, for his car, workplace and home couch.
Over the following weeks, some general low back-pain and SIJ discomfort came up (which had plagued him over the past 12-18 months), to which we recommended adjusting his daily stretch routine (in order to target his low back, but also hip and groin mobility). Safe to say, these areas are no longer troubling him 4 weeks on.
Mr. B also commented on a regular swelling of his left ankle, which was previously damaged around the calcaneal (achilles) tendon; we wrote a letter of recommendation for his GP to refer him for a DOPPLER ULTRASOUND, to determine the structural integrity of major arteries/veins in his left leg.
The results indicated a loss in normal blood flow dynamics, to which we've assisted in managing through regular 'lymphatic drainage' and soft-tissue treatment of the affected limb (through a TCA plan).
Mrs. O (40)
Mrs. O was a referral from her aunt who we'd treated for general aches and pains; Mrs. O was at a wits end, mentioning multiple sites of aggravation; from low back pain, to sciatic-referral, to mild tremors through her arms, she'd been to different doctors and undergone different forms of imaging/investigations.
Recent imaging had no returned any significant findings, however the pain from different areas came and went, and was obstructing Mrs. O's ability to participate readily in training and Netball games.
What was apparent, was the agitation Mrs. O was suffering from. So, whilst undertaking examinations and screening areas of her body, we began to instil a 'breathing practise' in her treatments, which was for direct activation of her Vagus nerve, to allow her to relax and focus on enduring any intense soft-tissue work we utilised around her areas of concern.
The rationale in approaching Mrs. O's treatment was as follows;
Mrs. O is a very physical person, only 40 years old, and is active in both resistance-circuit training and plays Netball at least 3-5 times a week.
Mrs. O had some significant events transpire in her life over the past 18-24 months, which impacted her mental state greatly, leading to a general state of anxiety and 'fidgety-ness'.
Clinically, Mrs. O was 'sympathetically-excited', leaving her running in a state of relative chronic-stress and agitating her physically - this was what first needed to change.
Rather than 'focus on the spot fires' around her body, the priority was to 'ground her'; without this ability, there was no reference point from which to move away from the physical agitations and pains she was experiencing. A big part of this was simultaneously instructing her to practise deep-diaphragmatic (vagus) breathing whilst localising muscle tensions and mobilising the associated restricted body parts (eg. kneading her calf whilst moving her ankle).
This combination of inputs both enhanced her ability to relax-herself (and move from 'sympathetic' to 'parasympathetic- excitation') whilst connecting with the discomfort felt through her body. Only after this did we then begin to decompress her spine, hips and shoulders, because she was now complicit in the allowing the relaxation of muscular tensions.
Mrs. O had 3 sessions across 3 weeks, has since returned to Netball and is keeping up with women 10-15 years her junior. She returns every 3-4 weeks for a check-up (or when she feels she needs it).
Mr. H (73)
(Honestly, this has been inspiring to be a part of - really great improvements)
Mr. H originally contacted us in October of 2024, describing a combination of neck immobility and tinnitus. For someone of his age, the neck stiffness and discomfort is quite normal, as the facet joints of the cervical spine (neck-part of the spine) can undergo wear'n'tear.
The Tinnitus, however, presented an aggravated distraction which had progressively become more regular - a buzzing in his ears throughout the work day, or as he was going to sleep.
In considering the mechanisms leading to Tinnitus, a differential diagnosis of Somatosensory Tinnitus was arrived at, through a variety of soft tissues palpated (areas of the body checked) and the instantaneous changes from treating parts of Mr. H's jaw and neck musculature.
It came as encouraging news that through 3 separate sessions across 4 weeks, the occurrence of the Tinnitus in everyday life drastically reduced for Mr. H, as have his neck issues over the following months.
Now, 8 months on, Mr. H has very sporadic but rare moments of ringing in his ears, although he self-manages with a foam roller and regular visits to his Acupuncturist; we encouraged him to continue seeing his normal allied health, whom he'd reported great benefits in seeing over the past couple of years, as they form an important management role for him.
If you're seeking relief from physical discomfort, pain or aggravation of a previous injury / current condition, feel free to reach out to us.
Dr. Ethen Kauiers
Osteopath
B. Sc, B. Clin Sc, M. H. Sc, Grad. Dip
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