Osteopath in Liverpool

I started writing something about how I classify different pathologies, between what tissue is affected and whether it’s chronic or acute. It ended up being way too long and might become a blog post later. 

I think, beyond diagnosis, if you’re looking for treatment I know many chiropractors’ techniques in addition to osteopathy. It’s just what my school in France taught. So if something has worked for you in the past there is a decent chance that I can reproduce it. In addition, I use moneyron’s technique, which is a sort of soft tissue manipulation that is extremely safe and allows me to treat precises areas. My current patients will know it as the “secret French technique” as I call it. I doubt many people in the UK use it or know about it.

Also there is no 10 sessions treatment plan before we get results here. I expect results at the first session or within a week of it in some cases, and after that we’ll reassess. This does not mean I can always do it, or that the condition will be fully treated, but being able to reduce symptoms by 40%+ in a session is a win in my book. How much to expect beyond that will be age, duration of symptoms and area of symptoms dependent. You can imagine that if you just threw your back last week, it’s a much easier treatment than if your whole back has been painful for 20 years. 

And beyond that, it’s honesty. If I think you don’t need another session, I’ll tell you, if I failed to treat you, I’ll tell you, if I think you need a referral I’ll take care of it. We’ll define what success looks like and we’ll reassess together. 

Why not come here? Well, the elevator is still broken and I’m on the 4th floor… They’re finally fixing it though. 

Kind regards,

Hugo Saad

Dear Patients,

I will be back from France on the 14th of July, the practice will reopen on the 15th. Feel free to contact me now if you want to book an appointment.

Kind regards,

Hugo Saad

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.