Specialist treatment for women
At Adams Osteopathy, we aim to treat the whole person, not just isolated symptoms. Women often experience health concerns that are complex, ranging from physical pain and hormonal changes to the physical demands of pregnancy or menopause. Classical osteopathy offers a gentle, hands-on approach designed to support the body’s natural movement and balance throughout the natural female cycle.
We frequently see women who have struggled to find answers
They may have been told discomfort is 'normal' or something to simply live with. Our approach begins by understanding your experience which has brought you into the clinic, understanding your medical history and lifestyle to help to understand what might be contributing to your symptoms, please explore the articles below on the different stages of women's health. .
How we can help
To learn about the areas we can help with, please use the links below.
Menstrual Pain and Whole-Body Function
Supporting Menstrual Health Through Structural Balance
Painful periods, clinically referred to as dysmenorrhoea, affect a significant number of women and are a leading reason for seeking menstrual health support. While some experience mild discomfort, others face symptoms severe enough to interfere with work, rest, and quality of life. At Adams Osteopathy, we approach menstrual pain through a whole-body lens, supporting the body’s natural ability to regulate and adapt. Treatment focuses on restoring coordination between key systems, pelvic mobility, spinal mechanics, diaphragmatic function, and organ motion, to promote comfort and cyclical balance.
Why Period Pain Happens
Menstrual cramps are caused by prostaglandins, hormone-like chemicals that stimulate the uterus to contract and shed its lining. In some cases, elevated prostaglandin levels lead to stronger, more painful contractions, resulting in symptoms such as: - Cramping in the lower abdomen or pelvis - Pain radiating to the lower back or thighs - Nausea, fatigue, diarrhoea, or headaches When mobility is limited, whether in the pelvis, spine, or surrounding soft tissues. Tissues may become more sensitive to these natural processes causing pain. Whilst period pain is common, it is not something that you have to put up with!
How Osteopathy Can Help
Rather than targeting symptoms alone, osteopathy works to enhance the body’s ability to self-regulate. Treatment is gentle, individualised, and grounded in classical osteopathic principles.
Is Treatment Right for You?
Osteopathic care may benefit individuals who experience:
- Moderate to severe period pain
- Cramps that persist beyond the first few days
- Pain that doesn’t improve with over-the-counter medication
- Menstrual symptoms associated with known pelvic conditions
Whether your symptoms are recent or long-standing, osteopathy offers a clinical, supportive approach to improving menstrual comfort and whole-body function.
A Whole-Body Perspective on Menstrual Health
At Adams Osteopathy, we recognise the menstrual cycle as a complex interplay between hormonal, mechanical, and circulatory systems. When these systems move in harmony, the body can adapt with greater ease.
Osteopathic treatment doesn’t seek to "fix" menstruation, it works to support the conditions for comfort, resilience, and physiological balance.
When Pain May Signal an Underlying Issue
Persistent or worsening pain may be associated with conditions such as: - Endometriosis - Fibroids - Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) - Adenomyosis In these cases, symptoms may extend beyond menstruation, become less responsive to medication, or cause significant disruption to daily life. Osteopathic assessment considers the relationships between pelvic organs, ligaments, joints, and soft tissues, aiming to reduce strain and restore balanced function.
If you're experiencing painful periods and want to explore how osteopathy may help, we invite you to book a consultation.
Menopause-Related Pain and Whole-Body Support
Understanding Musculoskeletal Changes in Menopause
During the menopausal transition, it’s common to experience new or fluctuating aches and stiffness, especially in the joints, spine, and soft tissues. For many women, these sensations begin subtly in their 40s and continue through the 50s, showing up as morning stiffness, hip or knee discomfort after walking, a sore back at day’s end, or a general feeling of tightness.
The Role of Hormonal Change
Declining oestrogen and testosterone levels contribute significantly to these changes. Oestrogen supports connective tissue integrity, helps maintain cartilage health, and influences inflammation and joint fluid balance. As levels fall, joints may feel less cushioned, and surrounding ligaments and tendons may become reactive or tight. Testosterone plays a role in maintaining muscle mass and strength. Its decline can lead to reduced muscle tone, postural instability, and an increased sense of fatigue, all of which influence how joints move and bear load.
Why Old Injuries and Posture Matter More Now
This period can also reveal long-standing postural patterns or compensations. Minor injuries from the past or inefficient movement strategies may become more apparent. With reduced tissue resilience, the body may no longer adapt as seamlessly, resulting in persistent or shifting discomfort, particularly in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, or knees.
The Importance of Whole-Body Context
While hormonal shifts are influential, they’re not the only factor. Sedentary routines, prolonged desk work, unresolved tension, and reduced movement variability all contribute to joint and muscle pain. That’s why a comprehensive approach, one that considers the whole body, is essential.
How Classical Osteopathy Can Help
Classical Osteopathy views the body as an interconnected system. Rather than treating the site of pain alone, we consider how posture, movement, breathing, and historical adaptations contribute to the current presentation. Treatment is gentle and integrative, drawing on techniques such as soft tissue release, long-lever mobilisations, and rhythmic articulations to support alignment, circulation, and nervous system regulation.
Supporting the Menopausal Body
Osteopathy may support you through this transition in the following ways:
Restoring mobility across joints and soft tissues
Supporting blood and lymphatic circulation for tissue health
Improving postural coordination to reduce mechanical strain
Enhancing diaphragmatic and cranial rhythm to support sleep and nervous system regulation
A Gentle, Adaptive Approach
This is not a quick fix, but a collaborative process. Treatment is tailored to your body’s needs, with consideration for how you sit, move, rest, and respond to stress. We may explore posture, breathing mechanics, daily ergonomics, and movement strategies alongside hands-on treatment.
Looking After Yourself
Menopause is a natural transition, not a dysfunction. While HRT and medical options can be important, they are just one part of a larger picture. Supporting your body through intentional movement, postural awareness, stress management, nutrition, and adequate rest forms the foundation for more resilient health during this time.
At Adams Osteopathy, we offer respectful, informed care that adapts to your changing physiology, helping you feel more at home in your body through every stage of life.
Preparing the Body for Labour
Introduction
Pregnancy brings with it some of the most significant physical changes the body can experience. As your musculoskeletal, circulatory, respiratory and hormonal systems adapt to support a growing baby, it’s common to feel shifts in posture, pressure, and movement. These changes are all part of the body’s natural ability to adjust but sometimes, the load becomes uneven or uncomfortable.
Classical osteopathy can play a supportive role in helping the body stay mobile and balanced during this time. Gentle hands-on treatment can help reduce tension, improve movement, and support your body’s overall coordination as it prepares for labour.
Why have Osteopathy Before Labour?
During pregnancy, your centre of gravity changes, ligaments soften, and your posture adapts to the weight of the baby. These natural shifts can create strain in areas like the lower back, pelvis, rib cage, or hips.
Osteopathy aims to support the body’s ability to adapt to these changes. Rather than focusing on symptoms alone, we look at how different regions are working together or not, and help restore movement and coordination between them.
Using a classical osteopathic approach, we focus on the relationships between key areas involved in labour: the pelvis, spine, rib cage, diaphragm, and surrounding soft tissues. By improving movement and function in these areas, we help your body feel more prepared and comfortable in the lead-up to birth.
How Osteopathy Can Help in the Final Weeks
1. Supporting Pelvic Mobility
The alignment and movement of the pelvis play an important role in labour. Restrictions in the sacroiliac joints, coccyx or pubic symphysis can affect load-bearing and movement during birth. Treatment gently works to improve mobility and reduce tension across the pelvic ring, helping create better conditions for comfort and fetal positioning.
2. Managing Postural Changes
As your baby grows, your posture naturally shifts. This can lead to tightness in the lower back, upper spine, or rib cage. Osteopathic techniques can help release areas of restriction, improve coordination between the spine and diaphragm, and support more efficient breathing and circulation.
3. Reducing Strain and Discomfort
Common symptoms such as lower back pain, pubic discomfort, rib pressure, or leg swelling are often the result of mechanical tension or reduced movement. Osteopathy addresses these issues by improving how the body moves as a whole. This can reduce strain in one area by improving balance in another.
A Practical, Supportive Approach
Osteopathy isn’t about trying to “fix” anything. It’s about working with your body, easing the areas under strain, supporting the systems already doing the hard work, and helping things move and coordinate as efficiently as possible.
This approach is designed to support the natural process of pregnancy by making sure your body is moving well, functioning comfortably, and adapting as effectively as it can.
Whether you're dealing with specific pain or simply want to feel more at ease in your body, we’re here to help you move forward with confidence, comfort, and care.
Supporting Postpartum Recovery
The early weeks and months after giving birth are a time of deep transformation. As you care for your newborn, your own body is also adjusting physically, structurally, and emotionally, after the journey of pregnancy and labour. It's important to recognise this time as one that deserves care and support, not just for your baby, but for you also.
At Adams Osteopathy, we take a gentle, hands-on approach grounded in classical osteopathic principles. By working with the body as a whole, osteopathic care during the postpartum period helps restore balance, ease tension, and support the natural healing process.
How Osteopathy Can Help After Labour
1. Rebalancing the Pelvis
Childbirth places significant strain on the pelvic area. Joints such as the sacroiliac, pubic symphysis, and coccyx can shift under the mechanical forces of delivery. This, combined with hormonal changes and muscular compensation, may lead to lingering discomfort or instability.
Osteopathic treatment focuses on improving mobility and balance through the pelvis. By gently assessing the relationship between the sacrum, hips, spine, and pelvic floor, we aim to reduce tension and help your body move more freely, whether you’re walking, lifting, or simply sitting comfortably.
2. Restoring Core and Diaphragm Function
The core isn’t just about abdominal strength, it includes your breathing and how your diaphragm works with the deep abdominal and pelvic muscles. After birth, this connection can feel a little lost, often leading to reduced stability, posture changes, or breathing discomfort.
With targeted osteopathic techniques, we help re-establish coordination between the diaphragm, abdominal wall, and pelvic floor. This might include working with the rib cage, lower back, and mid back to restore function and support your body from the inside out.
3. Easing Upper Back and Shoulder Tension
Feeding, lifting, and cuddling your baby, all day and often all night, can create new areas of strain, particularly around the neck, shoulders, and upper back. It’s common to feel stiff, sore, or simply out of alignment.
Osteopathy can gently relieve this tension by improving movement through the spine, rib cage, and shoulders. Treatment is tailored to your needs and can make everyday activities more comfortable and sustainable as you care for your child.
When Should You Begin Treatment?
Many women find osteopathic care helpful within the first few weeks postpartum, once they feel ready. However, it's never too late, whether you’re 6 weeks, 6 months, or several years after birth, osteopathy can still support your recovery. Every session is based on where your body is at now.
A Thoughtful, Whole-Body Approach
We don’t view postpartum recovery as something to “fix.” Instead, we see it as a process of rebalancing and supporting the body’s natural ability to adapt. By working with the interconnected systems of the body, classical osteopathy offers gentle, meaningful support through every stage of your recovery.
Whether you're dealing with specific pain or simply want to feel more at ease in your body, we’re here to help you move forward with confidence, comfort, and care.
What to Expect in an initial Assessment
Your appointment begins with a focused conversation and a physical assessment. We’ll ask about how you’re feeling, where you’re experiencing discomfort, and observe how your body is adapting overall. The aim is to understand the broader picture not just where things hurt, but how everything is working together.
Gentle, Targeted Treatment
Treatment is hands-on and always tailored to you or your stage of pregnancy. Techniques are gentle and may include:
Light articulation of joints, especially in the spine, pelvis, and hips
Soft tissue work to ease tension and support local circulation
Mobilisation of the diaphragm and rib cage to encourage ease of breathing
Stretching and positional work to support flexibility and relaxation
Everything is carried out with care and in coordination with your comfort and consent.
We’ll support you with
Home Support Strategies
You may be offered simple, practical advice to use at home, including:
Safe, supported ways to sit or sleep
Breathing techniques that encourage relaxation and diaphragm movement
Gentle mobility tips to reduce daily strain
These can help you stay comfortable and connected to your body between sessions.
Timing of Sessions
The number of sessions needed varies—some people feel better after just one or two, while others may benefit from ongoing care, especially for chronic conditions.
Osteopathy can be helpful throughout pregnancy, depending on your pregnancy journey.
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