Piriformis syndrome is a neuromuscular condition that occurs when the piriformis muscle, located deep in the buttock, compresses or irritates the sciatic nerve. This can lead to pain, numbness, and tingling along the back of the leg and into the foot, causing the symptoms of sciatica. This is, indeed, a form of sciatica. But understanding …
Arthritic pain is a common problem that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It causes significant discomfort and reduced quality of life. “Arthritis” is a group of conditions that involve inflammation of the joints, leading to pain, stiffness, and swelling. Among these conditions, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common, but other forms …
The word “neuralgia” literally means “nerve pain”, but we use the term more specifically. Although sciatica is pain and other symptoms in the sciatic nerve, we wouldn’t call it a neuralgia. Sciatica involves compression or irritation of a nerve, rather than the damage or inflammation causing neuraglic pain. These problems can be caused by infection, …
Muscle cramps can be excruciating, but annoyingly, most seem to come on for no reason. We know that some groups of people are more likely to suffer from them, namely: Although we often attribute cramps to an “electrolyte imbalance”, this is rarely the real cause. There may be a link with dehydration, but cramps can …
Sports injuries are common causes of muscle strains and ligament sprains. Fortunately, minor injuries are within your osteopath’s remit. Many of these boil down to a repetitive strain injury- soft tissue injuries in the shoulder as a result of repeated throwing, for example. Rotator cuff tears or strains would be an example of this. Other …
Sciatica is a common cause of pain the the leg. Pain is caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back into the buttock, back of the thigh, then onwards down the calf and into the foot. Symptoms do not always appear along the whole length of the nerve. Often they …
The carpal tunnel is a small space in the front of the wrist, through which nerves, vessels, and tendons run. Because the space is so small, compression of the structures inside is not uncommon, leading to pain and other symptoms into the hand. Causes of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome There will often be a number of …
Migraines are not just bad headaches: they are diagnosed according to a strict criteria. There are a range of sub-types, including some migraines which do not come with a headache at all. Migraine Headache Symptoms Each headache will fulfil all of the following criteria: As long as there is not a better explanation for the symptoms, …
Both the public and medical profession continue to understand more about fibromyalgia as time goes on, but it is still a long way from being fully understood. The condition causes a range of symptoms, including pain, cognitive changes, fatigue, and IBS-type symptoms. Although there is no one test for it, there is a detailed diagnostic …
In some cases, joint replacements are unavoidable. For these patients, osteopathic treatment before and after can help to prepare and rehabilitate the area. In other cases, the conditions leading to the replacement may be responsive to treatment, delaying the need for surgery. Although caring for your joints may require daily exercise, and maybe even some …