London Osteopath

Had someone come in with shin splints in both legs — which is actually a bit unusual on its own.

Bilateral symptoms like that often point somewhere else, and in this case it traced back to the lower back..

nerve irritation referring pain down into both legs rather than the shins themselves being the problem.

This is the pattern I see over and over:

the pain shows up somewhere, but the actual cause is somewhere else in the chain.

Treating the shins alone in a case like that just wouldn’t have worked.

Maybe it’s time…

We are here for you, when you are ready.

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Couldn’t work because of the back pain he was getting.

Now feeling so much relief he’s already starting to think about returning.

This is one of the questions I get asked constantly, and the honest answer is: it depends, but not in a vague way — in a specific, checkable way.

I look at whether the movement that aggravates things is still aggravating, whether you’ve got full pain-free range through the area, and whether you can load it without symptoms creeping back in the next day.

If those three things check out, you’re usually good to start easing back in — not necessarily full intensity on day one.

If any of those are still a no, that’s your sign to hold off a bit longer, not forever.

Discs don’t have a great blood supply of their own — they rely on movement to get nutrients in and heal properly.

So “just rest it” is often exactly the wrong advice.

What actually helps more is short bursts of activity followed by movement, rather than staying still for long periods.

I learned this one the hard way with my own herniation.

If you’re sitting completely still waiting for a disc issue to resolve itself, it might be worth rethinking that approach.

I have to come clean about something.

Back in 2018 I herniated a disc, and the pain is burned into my brain.

What I’ve never told you is what I did about it

which was basically nothing, for three years.

As an osteopath, I tell people every day not to sit with pain and ignore it.

I was that person.

I thought I knew better.

I thought I could ride it out.

It sort of worked — it would go quiet for months, then a step off a curb or getting out of bed would bring it roaring back.

Over time I built a whole pattern around it without realising: bending my knees instead of bowing to put my shoes on, holding the chair arm to stand up, holding my breath on stairs.

None of that felt like a red flag.

It felt like being careful.

But that’s the trap — coping feels like control, so it never feels urgent enough to deal with.

Most people don’t wait for a dramatic moment before they get help.

They wait until they’ve quietly changed how they move without even noticing they’ve done it.

If that sounds familiar, that’s usually the actual sign it’s time.

A lot of people come in not actually asking what I think they’re asking.

What they really want to know is: is this serious?

Could it be something dangerous?

I get it — it’s a scary thing to say out loud.

Most of the time, the answer is no, and I can tell you why fairly quickly once I’ve had a proper look.

But if something does need checking further, I’ll tell you that honestly too.

You’re allowed to ask the scary question.

That’s what I’m here for.

Every day I work with people who are tired of managing their life around an injury they’re worried about making worse.

The worry ends up running everything.

On the other side of it - you just move. No planning, no second guessing, no cancelled trips.

If you’re done with it, the link’s in my bio. Book a free discovery call and ask me whatever you want before you commit to anything. Or if you’re ready, just book in.