Back, neck and shoulder pain: what osteopathy can do
Where the pain comes from
The spot that hurts is rarely the one that started it. Pain that lasts usually tells a story of habits: the same position, held for a long time, always on the same side, replayed day after day. At the practice I call this the frog’s legs.
Persistent low back pain can come from a hip that has stopped turning freely, from a diaphragm held tight by months of shallow breathing, or from a foot that has loaded unevenly since an ankle sprain that never fully settled. The body has no compartments. It redistributes.
What I look at
I start by listening. How long, in what circumstances, what eases it and what makes it worse, what you have already tried. That time is not politeness, it is what directs everything else.
Then the examination: mobility of the pelvis, spine, ribs, shoulders and the way you load the ground. I look less at the painful area than at the areas that have stopped moving and force the first one to work for two.
Then treatment, with techniques chosen for your build, your age and what you can tolerate. And finally what you can do at home, because a session that changes nothing about your habits will not hold.
What I see most often
The lower back. Low back pain, acute locking episodes, pain running into the buttock or thigh. By far the most common reason people come.
The neck and upper back. Neck pain, tension between the shoulder blades, screen-related discomfort. These are not bad postures in any moral sense. It is stillness that hurts. The body does not hold any position for eight hours.
The shoulder. Loss of range, movements that become awkward, waking at night when lying on the wrong side.
Pelvis and knee. Sacroiliac pain, discomfort on walking or climbing stairs, long-term consequences of an old ankle sprain.
What osteopathy does not do
It does not act on organic disease and replaces no medical care. It works on functional disorders, meaning mobility and tension, not on illness itself. When what I find goes beyond that, I say so and refer you on.
See a doctor first if
- Pain that started after a fall, an impact or a road accident
- Pins and needles, loss of strength or loss of sensation in an arm or a leg
- Fever, unexplained weight loss, pain that wakes you at night
- New difficulty passing urine or stool alongside the pain
- History of cancer, severe osteoporosis, or long-term corticosteroid treatment
Frequently asked
- How many sessions will I need?
- For recent, uncomplicated pain, we can judge progress within two or three sessions. Beyond that, without clear improvement, I refer you back to your doctor rather than continuing.
- Does it hurt?
- No. Techniques are adapted to your sensitivity and to how you feel on the day. I always tell you what I am about to do before doing it.
- Do I need a referral?
- No, osteopathy is direct access in France. Some situations still call for medical advice first, see the signs above.
- Is it reimbursed?
- Not by the French state health insurance. Most complementary insurers cover part or all of the session through an annual allowance.