CREWE AND NANTWICH OSTEOPATHIC SURGERY

Most people are aware that four out of five Britons will be crippled by backache at some time in their lives. The large majority of back pains result from mechanical disturbances of the spine such as postural strain, joint derangements and spinal disc injuries. These can often be relieved by carefully designed osteopathic treatment. More and more people nowadays are choosing to consult an Osteopath for their back pain instead of just 'putting up with it' and hoping it will go away. Britain's Osteopaths treat over 6 Million patients a year! It is not necessary to see you doctor before consulting an Osteopath. Sciatica is a general term used to describe pain radiating into the thigh and leg, usually along the path of the Sciatic nerve. It can be caused by several conditions but most commonly is associated with a damaged lumbar disc.

Piriformis syndrome can also lead to sciatic nerve type symptoms. The mobile part of the spine is formed by 24 vertebral bones, piled on top of one another to form the spinal column. The lower section of the back is called the lumbar spine and has 5 vertebrae (referred to as L1 to L5). The lowest vertebra of the lumbar spine, L5, connects on to the top of a bone called the sacrum. Between the vertebrae are Intervertebral discs, made of a tough connective tissue or annulus around the outside of a spongy central part called the nucleus. These fibres help the disc withstand tension and pressure, like a shock absorber.

Between the vertebrae of each spinal segment at the back are two joints called facets. The alignment of the facet joints of the spine allows movement of the back or neck to bend or rotate. The vertebrae are held together by tough fibrous, rubber band like tissues, called ligaments. Disc herniation occurs when the toothpaste like nucleus in the centre of the disc squeezes out of its normal space.