Stress and Osteopathy

Stress is the body’s natural defence against threats or danger. It causes hormones to flood the body as a fight or flight response. This fight or flight reaction tells a person how and when to respond to danger but if there are too many stressors over a long period, a person’s mental and physical health may be affected.

Stress itself is not necessarily bad but prolonged stress can be detrimental to cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Physically, excessive stress can cause increased blood pressure and heart rate, shortness of breath and rapid breathing and sweating. In addition, stress can affect things like digestion and immunity, increasing the risk of infection or disease. Mentally, some effects include depression, anxiety and fatigue.

Getting on top of stress is important to leading a happy, healthy life. Some positive ways to deal with stress are yoga, meditation, exercise, a healthy diet and breathing exercises. Deep breathing can calm your nervous system and help with how you react to stressful situations. Doing only five minutes of mediation a day can improve your management of stress. There are many books and online resources available to help get you started at home.  

Osteopathy is a manual therapy that uses techniques such as mobilization and massage to improve the function of the nervous system and help change how you deal with stress. Studies have shown osteopathy can reduce heart rate and prompt a relaxed feeling. It can be an effective treatment for people who suffer from stress-related musculoskeletal pain and is also known to help with chronic low back pain which is often associated with stress.  By manipulating the joints and muscles, osteopaths can reduce tension and pain which can help the body to relax.

Osteopathy can also improve the body’s circulation and lymphatic system which can help reduce inflammation and promote healing. Your osteopath will offer at-home exercises and techniques to practice in your own time, provide hands-on treatment and recommend other health professionals to  help reduce stress levels, where needed.