Osteopath in Liverpool

Dear Patients,

This has been in the news lately, the tldr being, I don't do neck manipulation. I find that I have other techniques that I consider as efficient if not better.  

The main risk is dissection of an artery. That can lead to a stroke. It is unclear whether the main risk is actually causing a dissection of an artery or make a dissection that is already present worse. Before a stroke actually happens it is an incredibly difficult diagnosis that is often missed. The main symptoms are neck pain, dizziness and headache, not all 3 being present. These are very common symptoms. It is also unclear whether the kind of spinal manipulation matters. Is a technique with a lot of rotation less safe that a technique with little rotation? That would make sense but as far as I know there is no evidence saying as such. As you can see there is a lot of unknown.

As most of my regular patients know I have had a stroke as well in the past due to an arteriovenous malformation in the brain (thankfully I recovered well), so obviously I'm a little touchy on the subject. I don't think there is one right answer for everyone but not performing neck manipulation felt like the right decision for me. It's not about being a physiotherapist, a chiropractor or an osteopath I don't think this matters much. It is about the peace of mind knowing that I can't seriously hurt a patient, even if the risk is incredibly small to begin with. It has never prevented me from managing neck pain efficiently and so I find no reason to go back on that decision. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Kind regards,

Hugo Saad

Dear patients,

Just to note that I will be in France for the holidays until the 8th of January.

Kind regards,

Hugo Saad

Dear patients,

I am now reopening the practice to new patients. Feel free to contact me.

Kind regards,

Hugo Saad

Dear patients,

I am back open, for now just for existing patients, I will soon extend this to new patients. Thank you for your patience, it has been a while.

Kind regards,

Hugo Saad

A new review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that spinal manipulation had similar effect to the recommended therapies, while having the added bonus of improving function in the short term. Check it out here.

We have a blog post about what types of exercises are effective for back pain, using the most rigorous scientific evidence. It's available in the blog section.

We are conveniently located in the Liverpool city centre, in the Moving Forward practice, on old hall street, close to the Moorfields station.

Your osteopath graduated from a 5 years program in Paris and registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). 

To figure out if osteopathic treatment could be right for you, please have a look at the "my symptoms" and "my treatment" section. Don't hesitate to contact us with any question.

Osteopathy is a complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) which aims to assess, treat and prevent a range of health issues by using combination of stretches, motions, targeted deep tissue massages and manipulation of a patient’s joints and muscles in order to improve not only function but to also relieve pain and aid with recovery. 

Osteopaths aim to promote the restoration of normal function by helping the natural ability of the body to maintain itself. Indeed, according to osteopathy, the way muscles, bones, connective tissue, ligaments and internal structures work together is important for the wellbeing of an individual.   

Understanding the patient and their unique combination of lifestyle, medical history and symptoms is all of part of osteopathy. In this way, osteopaths are able to make a diagnosis of the lack of function or pain and to formulate a treatment plan in order to achieve best outcome. Osteopaths work frequently with other health professionals, such as nurses or GP and other alternative medical practitioners. Prescription medications and other medical interventions can also be complemented by osteopathy. 

GPs can safely refer their patients to an osteopath for treatment as advised by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Well it has been a while.