Mental Health
We are of course more than just muscles and bones, and mental health is a massive part of our entire health profile. Some common areas of mental health that Osteopathy can assist with include stress and anxiety, which physically affects muscle tension. Treatment of the physically affected areas of the body can greatly assist psychological treatments that do not physically treat the body.
Effective treatment will identify the cause of the problem, and not just treat the symptom. For example, if your shoulders and neck are tight from a combination of poor posture and stress, treating the sore muscles alone is simply treating the symptom. As part of your treatment at Edgeworth Osteopathy, I will give you advice on better posture, exercises to strengthen the area, some simple and generalised stress management advice. If more than basic techniques are clinically indicated, I will advise the inclusion of a trained mental health professional to ensure that the underlying problem is addressed.
Top tips:
Stand taller. Standing up straighter and taller gives you more confidence. It's also better posture, which will make you feel better physically, and save you a lot of shoulder and neck pain.
Learn how to breathe properly. Most of us do not breathe deeply enough into our belly (diaphragm), and overexert the smaller muscles around the neck and shoulders.
Do not be afraid (or ashamed) to ask for help. "At first, they'll ask you why you're doing it. Later, they'll ask you how you did it." It is your body, your journey, your health. Don't hold yourself back. Use every resource you can to make yourself the better person that you want to be.
Spiritual / Social Health
Spiritual, or social health is our connection to something greater than ourselves. It is how we relate to and interact with others. Our "village". At the most basic and simple level it is usually our direct (and extended) family. It may take the form of religion and a belief in God. It may be an ideal or concept, such as environmentalism. It may be etheric, esoteric, supernatural or extraterrestrial. Or it may simply be getting together with a group of mates or Mens' Shed.
The support network we have around us, our community or village, will play a significant role in our health, influencing our perception of pain and affecting our mental health. It can keep us alive (we've probably all heard stories of those in a coma who hold onto life until the last family member has a chance to say goodbye). And it can also kill us (like "broken heart syndrome" - after decades of marriage, when one of the couple dies, and the other follows shortly after). It can also provide for our physical needs (a helping hand, meal delivery etc).
In the internet world, the global village can become overwhelming, and drown out the voices much closer to us. For some, there is no village at all, and the health is inevitably affected. Importantly, there are always ways to grow your village and so improve your health and resilience.
Resources:
¹ World Health Organisation: Physical Activity https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
² Pänkäläinen, M., Fogelholm, M., Valve, R. et al. Pessimism, diet, and the ability to improve dietary habits: a three-year follow-up study among middle-aged and older Finnish men and women. Nutr J 17, 92 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-018-0400-8
