Osteopathy

What Is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a system of diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of medical conditions. It works with the structure and function of the body and is based on the principle that the well-being of an individual depends on the skeleton, muscles, ligaments and connective tissues functioning smoothly together.

To an osteopath, for your body to work well, its structure must also work well. So osteopaths work to restore your body to a state of balance, where possible without the use of drugs or surgery. Osteopaths use touch, physical manipulation, stretching and massage to increase the mobility of joints, to relieve muscle tension, to enhance the blood and nerve supply to tissues, and to help your body’s own healing mechanisms. They may also provide advice on posture and exercise to aid recovery, promote health and prevent symptoms recurring.

What Techniques Do Osteopaths Use?

Osteopathy involves a range of different physical therapy techniques including:

Massage – to release and relax muscles
Stretching stiff joints
Articulation – where your joints are moved through their natural range of motion
High-velocity thrusts – short, sharp adjustments to the spine.

Through these techniques we aim to:

Reduce pain
Increase the mobility of joints
Relieve muscle tension
Enhance the blood supply to tissues
Help the body to heal

Osteopaths do not use invasive techniques or surgery, and we do not prescribe drugs.

"I cannot recommend Emily enough as my osteopath. She understood and found out the cause of my sports injuries and got me back on track to recovery and repair. Her appointments are so calming and relaxing. Thank you Emily!"

"I just wanted to send you a mail to once again thank you for your efforts earlier in the year to treat my torn calf. I’m still swimming but I’ve now returned to Kickboxing and managed to complete the Greensands 1/2 Marathon (up Leith Hill and back) a couple of weeks ago. This just would not have been possible had you not got me back on track with the repair"

"You really helped both Ben and myself and I feel very fortunate to have found you. You are a true asset to your profession and very skilled in working with young people. I felt a great relief after Ben had his session with you"

"I would love to recommend Emily as an osteopath. I’ve seen osteopaths on and off for many years (including Harley Street) and can genuinely say that my experience with Emily was the best I’ve ever had. Her appointments are relaxed, allowing more time than a typical osteopath. As a result she has time to properly understand your issue and work on it in a variety of ways. Hugely relaxing, very professional and really effective"

"Emily had a lovely manner with my daughter, who can be shy, and immediately put her at her ease so that she was able to articulate exactly where the pain was, when she experienced it and how it felt. She has a very calm and reassuring demeanour and is extremely professional"

"Emily was recommended to me when I had been experiencing worsening joint and muscle pain, mainly in my back. I was impressed by her wide knowledge and experience. She very soon made a significant difference so that I have a much improved range of movement. I have been impressed by her dedication and research she has undertaken to support my condition in between visits"

"Emily was invaluable to me when I badly tore my achillies tendon. I was in a great deal of pain and unable to walk properly on that leg. Emily calmly relieved the tear almost immediately and provided me with effective exercises to start repairing the tendon. I was able to resume driving and normal activities after 4 weeks. I would definitely recommend Emily to people (and often do!)"

What Types of Osteopathy Do You Practice?

There are two main types of osteopathy – structural and cranial – and I use both in treating my patients.

Structural osteopathy uses a range of treatment techniques including soft tissue massage, joint articulation and manipulation. It is mainly used for adults and older children suffering with musculoskeletal disorders.

Cranial osteopathy is a very gentle treatment approach and is used mainly when treating babies, young children and sensitive adults. After taking a detailed case history and examining the patient, specific yet gentle pressure is applied to the relevant areas of the head and body to release areas of stress and tension and allow the body’s inherent healing mechanisms to perform optimally.

What Conditions Can You Treat?

Osteopathy can be used to help in a wide range of conditions including but not isolated to the following:

Arthritic pain
Fibromyalgia
Frozen shoulder/ shoulder and elbow pain/ tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) arising from associated musculoskeletal conditions of the back and neck, but not isolated occurrences
Headache arising from the neck (cervicogenic)
Joint pains
Joint pains including hip and knee pain from osteoarthritis as an adjunct to core OA treatments and exercise
General, acute & chronic backache, back pain (not arising from injury or accident)
Generalised aches and pains
Lumbago
Minor sports injuries and tensions
Muscle spasms
Neuralgia
Migraine prevention
Rheumatic pain
Sciatica
Uncomplicated mechanical neck pain (as opposed to neck pain following injury i.e. whiplash)

Although osteopathy is typically thought of as a treatment for physical ailments, there are many conditions which have their roots in musculoskeletal issues which osteopathy can also treat, such as neuralgia and migraines. To find out more about whether I can help, please don’t hesitate to book a free 15-minute consultation.

Osteopath Hersham, Walton-on-Thames, Esher and Thames Ditton

I’m an osteopath based in Hersham, Walton-on-Thames. I have 20 years experience in osteopathic practice and use a mixture of structural and cranial osteopathy to treat people of all ages for problems ranging from simple sprains and strains to chronic pain and complex conditions.

I am focused on your recovery. I provide ongoing aftercare post-treatment to ensure your condition continues to improve. I do not tie you into a long course of sessions and if you have not seen an improvement in your symptoms after 2-3 sessions with me I will refer you to a different healthcare professional for treatment.

To book an appointment or free 15-minute consultation or if you would like more information about what I do, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

My Fees

Health insurance: please check the details of your individual cover

Your First Appointment

Your first appointment will last 45 – 60 minutes. During this time I will:

Listen and ask questions about your problem, your general health, other medical care you are receiving or medication you are taking, and record this in your case notes. The information you provide will be confidential.
Examine you thoroughly. I usually ask patients to take off the appropriate clothing. You will have privacy to do this and a gown to wear. If you’re uncomfortable with this, I can conduct the treatment with you fully clothed. You can ask a friend or relative to accompany you and be present throughout your treatment.
I will ask you to make simple movements and stretches to observe your posture and mobility. Because of the body’s structure, any pain or stiffness you are experiencing in one part may be linked to a problem elsewhere.
Having diagnosed the problem I will then give you the appropriate treatment which may involve physical manipulation, stretching or massage.
I will give you advice on aftercare at the end of the session and whether / how many follow-up sessions may be required.

Book an Appointment

To book an appointment, get in touch and I will contact you to book you in.

We can also schedule a free 15-minute telephone consultation.