Osteopathy is a method of healing that does not merely examine the musculoskeletal system, where symptoms often manifest, but involves the entire body in the examination. If the balance between moving parts in the body—such as joints, muscles, organs, blood vessels, and nerves—is disturbed, it can lead to problems somewhere in the body sooner or later. Lower back pain can be such a problem area, with many underlying causes.
A 71-year-old man visited my practice. For several months, he had been complaining of lower back pain, sometimes radiating to his lower legs, which he had never experienced before and which had started without a clear cause. X-rays taken recently did show some wear and tear, but this was consistent with his age. The GP’s diagnosis was a blockage of the SI joints (S.I. = Sacroiliac, or sacrum-pelvis).
I also observed this blockage of the sacroiliac joints, but my whole-body examination revealed another issue. In this case, there appeared to be restricted mobility in the prostate region. This is a small organ located low in the pelvis and connected to the sacrum, one of the bones forming the SI joint. Treatment of this region and the associated blood vessels and nerves led to a normalization of the movement of the internal structures and of the sacrum with its associated nerves, causing the symptoms to disappear.
