BACK PAIN – EXAMPLE OF OSTEOPATHIC ASSESSMENT (Assessment)

BACK PAIN, WITNESSES OF IMBALANCES

All pain or dysfunctions, back and other, testify to imbalances. They are the language of the body. They inform us about the disturbances experienced, whether they are of origin

• postural or traumatic,
• energetic or anatomical,
• neurological or muscular,
• visceral or food,
• physiological or emotional,
• degenerative, surgical, and others.

And often more than one of these causes combine together in the problem experienced.

To interpret this language of the body is to discover the causes of pain, discomfort, tension, and imbalances. This is the first step towards solving the problem. And this is what the osteopath is looking for from the beginning of a consultation. According to the very definition of osteopathy, it looks for the causes, sometimes called “primary lesion” in osteopathy.

DIAGNOSIS AND EXAMINATIONS

Often the client arrives at the osteopath without any specific diagnosis. He says

• that he has inflicted a “kidney trick”, or that he has a lumbago,
• torticollis, or sciatic pain,
• neck pain, or a “dot in the back”, etc.

In some cases the patient arrives at the osteopath with a diagnosis from the doctor, or the evaluation of another health professional. The latter told him, that he is suffering

• acute or chronic low back pain,
• a lumbar or cervical sprain,
• cauda equina syndrome,
• back pain, facet syndrome, or simply osteoarthritis, etc.

Sometimes the client already has test results; X-rays, scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), etc. A certain percentage of these tests can objectify a lesion or problem causing symptoms, such as

• a herniated disc, osteophytes, spondylolisthesis,
• spinal, foraminal or medullary stenosis,
• an old or even recent fracture, a spinal fusion,
• a problem following surgery, osteoarthritis, scoliosis,
• a difference in leg length, etc.

… AND WHEN MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS REVEAL NOTHING?

Yet in many cases no medical examination has revealed a damage, a disease or a damaged structure, which would explain the origin of the patient’s back pain. In these circumstances osteopathy is of great help. It has other means of investigation and detection, fortunately!

The osteopath obtains a lot of information about the causes of the pain and symptoms felt by the client, thanks to a good history, a global vision of health, a very effective methodology, and highly sensitive visual, postural and palpation tests. Some osteopaths sometimes also employ additional means of investigation.

For an osteopathic assessment on the health of your back, contact Parent Osteopath.