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The value of the M.O.T. (maintenance osteopathic treatment)

Most people recognise the sense of having their cars regularly checked and serviced - to avoid breaking down at an unexpected and inconvenient moment or, worse still, having a dangerous accident. But how many of us think of giving the same treatment to our bodies? A regular osteopathic check-up or M.O.T. can prevent the sort of 'back attack' that can put us out of action just as unexpectedly and inconveniently and which may result in serious injury or even the need for surgery. Osteopathy is not just about "crisis care", which provides emergency treatment for acute back and neck pain. It is also a system of preventive medicine, which regards an ounce of prevention as being worth a pound of cure.

"The back attack"

When a patient arrives at the Clinic with an acutely painful back it is rare for us to find that the problem occurred as the result of a severe injury - or indeed any injury at all. More often the person will tell us something along the following lines:

" I just bent down to tie my shoelaces and my back  went"

" I just turned over in bed and my back went"

" I was just getting off the sofa/getting out of the car when I heard a crack and got this awful pain"

" I just sneezed/coughed and my back went"

" I was just reaching up to pull the curtains and it felt like someone stuck a knife in my back"

" I don't know why it happened - it just started after I got up this morning and got worse and worse."

The back is an incredibly strong structure; it is impossible to damage it by sneezing, turning over in bed, getting out of the car or tying your shoelaces. Why, then, can these movements cause such severe back pain? The answer is quite simple: even where there are spinal joint or disc problems, most sudden back pain is muscular in origin, and starts when a tired and over-stressed muscle is called upon to perform a sudden movement.

How it happens

When subjected to daily stress and strain, either from work / leisure activities or from previous disc problems, arthritis etc, muscles have to adapt. If a muscle gets fatigued or is physically "pulled about", it does not immediately signal the body that something is wrong by becoming painful. Rather, it adapts to the problem by tightening up and going into spasm. Muscle spasm is a protective mechanism which is controlled by the nervous system - and it's painless. You can have severe muscle spasm and not know you've got it. Neighbouring groups of muscles will often work a little harder to take the strain off the one that's in trouble - as a result they themselves become over-fatigued and go into spasm.

At this stage it only requires a sudden, awkward movement - even a minor one like bending to tie your shoelaces - to trigger off a full-blown cramp, which is a severe muscle contraction caused by changes in the muscle's chemistry, and which, unlike spasm, is excruciatingly painful.

The vicious circle

When the muscle goes into agonizing cramp, the sufferer is trapped in a vicious circle - cramp hurts, so you involuntarily tighten against it. This makes the pain worse and you tighten even more. It is almost impossible to break out of this vicious circle without outside help.

How to prevent it

The solution to the problem is simple - have regular osteopathic treatment before you get into trouble. This applies especially to people whose occupations place great strain on their back muscles every day of their working lives - builders, plumbers, electricians, farmers, nurses, bricklayers, mechanics, care assistants and so on. It also applies to people like teachers or office workers who are always standing or sitting in the same position, or to people whose leisure activities put a regular strain on the back - gardeners, golfers, horse-riders, weight-lifters, gymnasts, rugby players etc. No sooner do we treat these patients, releasing their tight muscles and restoring normal mobility to their spinal joints, than they return to work or to their sport and start the whole process again! We can therefore never claim to provide a cure - curing involves removing the cause. If the cause of your backache is your job, you will never be cured while you still do that job. However you can be kept symptom-free by regular treatment which is the next best thing.

Remember also that emotional stress has the same effect on the back as physical and leisure activities, and  that muscle cramps will eventually occur in exactly the same way. Therefore, people who work long and tiring hours, or who work to deadlines, or who have to cope with "difficult" customers/employees/bosses are similarly in need of regular preventive treatment.

A cost-effective solution

It often surprises patients to learn that this method of managing back and neck pain can be more economical than coming for treatment only when they're in trouble. In these acute cases, many people will get immediate benefit from their first and each subsequent treatment. However, if the problem is very severe, it may take quite a bit of shifting (remember the vicious circle?)  - and patients may need to attend for several weeks to obtain full relief. A regular M.O.T. (Maintainance Osteopathic Treatment) can prevent this. This means that, for example,  self-employed patients do not lose important business and income during a period of incapacity, patients at home avoid the need to pay for extra help with child care or housework, holidays do not have to be cancelled at short notice etc. etc.

We therefore often advise patients to come regularly for an osteopathic  "M.O.T". Depending on the history of the person's back/neck problem, their job, leisure activities and general lifestyle, we normally recommend an interval of anything from 1 to 3 months. (We operate a reminder system for 3-month checkups).

If you would like to know more about osteopathic M.O.T.s, phone us on 01684 568744 - we are here to help you.

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Orchard Lodge Clinic, 48 Church Road, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 1NG

Tel / Fax: 01684 568744        Email: enquiries@theosteopaths.com