I have received some interesting responses to my previous post on this topic- unfortunately most of them have been of horror stories of practioners that people know of who practice like my friend the Osteopath. I guess it was an oversight of mine not to give a specific example of a client who has been fortunate enough to be handled by true ‘Allied Health Practitioners and had a positive outcome. The truth is I could write about at least fifty of my current or past clients, but I think it would be appropriate if I detailed the experiences of the client I was referring to last time.

The brief back ground of this client is as follows:

• Woman, early fifties, 20+kg overweight, has recently torn her left tibialis posterior tendon (overuse, with flat feet and excess wieght being causative factors). She was also experiencing low back pain and SIJ pain due to compensatory gait patterns. She hopes to reduce her foot pain sufficiently within 2 months as she is travelling to Europe for 6weeks with her family.

She decided to continue see me and her Podiatrist, and upon the Pod’s advice, saw an Orthopaedic Surgeon who has a typically conservative approach. The surgeon has advised staying off her feet as much as possible, losing some weight and wear the Podiatrist’s brace religiously. He has advised surgery if no improvement is seen.

 In response she has started a reduced calorie eating plan, hired an exercise bike and worn the brace day and night.

As a result she has already lost 3kg, her foot has improved dramatically and her back and SIJ’s are also feeling better. She has continued to train, and we have been able to do some pretty vigourous sessions with no risk to exacerbating her injuries. Due to the guidance of these two practitioners I have had the confidence to work her hard within safe boundaries.  

This, so far has been a great situation for everybody. What would her experience have been like if she had gone to the Osteo, and removed herself from this colaborative network? Who knows.

What I do know is that in the future, I would do nothing different, my client would do the same and she will have every confidence in the advice I give in the future.