Osteopath Edinburgh - Soma Osteopathy Edinburgh

Sport is a fantastic way to keep healthy, fit, slim, and happy and should be a lifelong pursuit to maintain health. However sports injuries do occur, whether you are a serious athlete, gym junkie or simply like to keep fit. Although sports injuries are common, those who are fit tend to recover more quickly and easily from their injuries.

Many injuries are the result of overuse through playing too hard and too often e.g. tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, and biceps tendinitis, or from not warming up properly beforehand or not cooling down after exercise. Sometimes incorrect equipment can lead to injury, for example ill-fitting footwear can cause hip, knee and foot injury (e.g. Achilles tendon injuries). Issues such joint dysfunction or soft-tissue restrictions limit the body's ability to function correctly, directly affecting the degree of performance and may even result in further injury.

Young people especially are vulnerable in sport as their growing bodies are often expected to perform to high standards and are put through exceptional physical demands before full adult strength is achieved.

Osteopaths can help overcome injuries, improve performance and prevent further injury. By using their knowledge of diagnosis and highly developed palpatory skills, our osteopaths can help to restore structural balance. By improving joint mobility, reducing adhesions and soft-tissue restrictions, ease of movement is restored and performance enhanced. Treatment can also be used following surgery such as ACL repair to the knee, rotator cuff repair to the shoulder, discectomy, Achille's tears and fractures to enhance the healing process.

Our massage therapists can also help you keep supple and improve muscle tone so reducing the risk of injury to soft-tissues unaccustomed to the extra work they are being asked to do. Reduced muscle tension can also reduce pain and inflammation by stimulating blood supply to the tissues.

Massage is often used before osteopathic treatment to soften and prepare the person for manipulation. It is helpful as part of pre-event training to minimise injury, and post-event to encourage tissue repair.

Our osteopaths and massage therapists take an integrative approach to ensuring that your recovery time is minimised. Ultrasound, G5, passive resisted stretches and trigger point release are also used if appropriate, together with advice on rehabilitative exercises and hydrotherapy.