Who We Treat - Sports Injuries
Whether you are a professional athlete, someone who practises yoga regularly or somebody who enjoys a Sunday kick around in the park, you will know how frustrating injuries can be – particularly if they don’t seem to heal properly and keep reoccurring. Osteopathic treatment may enable a better and quicker healing response to injury and may also reduce the likelihood of recurrence. At the Clapham Osteopathic Practice we thoroughly assess an injury and how it occurred. We also look at all the underlying causes behind it such as exercising posture, stretching technique, core stability, footwear, previous injuries/accidents/operations and spinal biomechanics. Often an injury is inevitable due to the state of a person’s back or pelvis, for instance an increased lumbar lordosis can cause an anterior rotation of the pelvis putting tension through the hamstrings. This might cause repetitive hamstring pulls, however much the person stretches them, because the problem is in the mechanics of the back and pelvis, not the muscles.

We treat injuries that are acute, subacute and chronic, and we advise patients on what to do between treatments. Having rectified the problem we then aim to help you prevent it and further injuries from happening again through advice on warming up, warming down, correct and effective stretching before, during and after exercise, good core stability, good posture (particularly when doing weights), appropriate footwear and possibly the occasional preventative osteopathic treatment to make sure that everything is in balance. We may also advise patients, where appropriate, to take up pilates, yoga and/or personal training to help increase their core stability and general flexibility.

Our patients include sportsmen, sportswomen, athletes, dancers, yogis, skiers, tennis players, squash players, golfers, runners, marathon runners, cyclists, swimmers, triathletes, windsurfers, hikers and mountaineers. Many sports people also see us for annual MOTs and pre-event check-ups, to make sure that their body is in optimal condition. If you are already having injury rehabilitation, osteopathy will complement your treatment, particularly assessing how the injury has affected other areas of the body (often the spine and pelvis) and rebalancing them.

Please be aware that osteopathy does not claim to cure medical conditions, however many patients find that osteopathic treatment helps to reduce pain, improve function and increase mobility.

Testimonials:

"Six months ago I hurt my shoulder lifting a heavy suitcase and it just wouldn't get better. A chiropodist friend suggested I see an osteopath. The osteopath explained to me that my shoulder problem was actually caused by a tennis elbow injury I'd had fifteen years previously. In two treatments the osteopath sorted out my shoulder and elbow so I am now able to play golf whenever I like." Mr Shakalli, Businessman.

"I had mid-back, chest, shoulder and hip pain. I went to see a massage therapist friend of mine, but she took one look at my back and told me I needed to see an osteopath. When I got up off the bench I couldn't believe how much better I was. I saw the osteopath a week later for a follow-up and I haven't had any problems since. Treatment was professional, thorough and effective." Mr Beesley, Shop Owner.

(All testimonials used are genuine and are from patients of Maria Sonberg D.O. and John Carr D.O. Please bear in mind that they are the opinions of ordinary people and do not represent research based scientific fact. These testimonials have been edited to shorten and clarify them, for the full versions please go to the Testimonials page.)