Lee Lewis Osteopath

28/07/2026

“Watching From the Bench

Felt that little parent pang — “should I be in there with them?”

Then realised: the last few years haven’t been about doing it for them, they’ve been about building them up to do it themselves.

Honestly? That’s my job too. In clinic it’s treatment to ease the pain, exercises to test what the body can do, and reassurance that you’re okay — until one day you don’t need me in the room anymore. That’s the actual goal. Not dependence. Independence.

Same bench. Same feeling. 🌳

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11/07/2026

When it’s not “just stiffness” 🚩

A patient came to see me last week — bilateral shoulder and hip stiffness, worse in the mornings, taking over an hour to “loosen up.” They’d put it down to getting older and doing too much in the garden.

Something didn’t fit though:

❌ Not localised to one joint or one side
❌ Morning stiffness lasting way longer than the usual 15-20 mins
❌ A general sense of fatigue and just feeling “off”
❌ Age profile that made me want to rule something out

This is a classic pattern that makes me think PMR — polymyalgia rheumatica — needs ruling out. It’s an inflammatory condition, not a mechanical one, so no amount of soft tissue work or joint mobilisation was going to touch it.

So instead of treating, I wrote to their GP flagging the presentation and recommending bloods (ESR/CRP) to check.

Why this matters: Osteopaths aren’t just here to treat what walks through the door. Part of the job is recognising what isn’t ours to treat, and making sure it gets to the right person quickly.

If stiffness is symmetrical, worse first thing, and lingering — please don’t just stretch it out and hope. Get it checked.

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10/07/2026

Same pain. Different puzzle. Every time

A patient came in this week with lateral knee pain he’s carried on and off for 20 years. Classic story, right? Except it wasn’t.

No locking. No giving way. Just persistent pain and swelling, worse with bending, twisting, and long walks — right along the outside of the knee.

That description sits in a grey zone. It could point to a degenerative meniscus tear. It could just as easily be IT band related. Two very different structures, overlapping symptoms.

So we tested. Ober’s test — negative. ITB-specific tests — negative. No obvious weakness through the hip, glutes, or quads. But clear tenderness on palpation through the lateral soft tissue.

This is the part of clinical work that never gets easier, no matter how many years you’ve been doing it. You can see hundreds of knees and still have to slow down and reason through each one from scratch, because the same words from a patient can point in different directions depending on what’s actually going on underneath.

Our approach here: treat the lateral structures directly. Release and stretch the muscles feeding into the IT band to reduce the compressive load through the outside of the knee — whether the driver turns out to be soft tissue tension or a meniscus under strain, easing that pressure helps either way.

It’s a good reminder that not every case needs a dramatic diagnosis to justify a considered plan. Sometimes the most useful thing is ruling things out methodically and treating the mechanism you can influence.

📍 Your Health Matter Sussex — clinics in Southwick, Shoreham-by-Sea, and 7 years at The Heeler Centre in Hassocks

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06/07/2026

Real progress doesn’t always feel like progress. 🦵

Great session today with a patient in his 80s, 3 months post his second knee replacement — a tough journey after complications from his first one left him with a torn muscle.

He’s working with me alongside his NHS physio, and today was session four in six weeks. He came in feeling like he’d plateaued, finding the exercises tough, feeling stuck

But when we got him moving, he was doing better than he thought. There’s still swelling around the knee inhibiting the muscles from firing properly — a protective response, not a setback. Once that settles, the strength will follow.

What mattered most today wasn’t the exercises though — it was him leaving feeling more confident about his own progress.

That’s what this work is about. Not “fixing” people in a session, but supporting them through the slow, non-linear road back — helping them see progress they can’t always feel for themselves. 💪

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06/07/2026

“Bad posture causes back pain” — is this actually true?
Not really. Your body isn’t fragile. There’s no single “correct” posture you need to hold all day. What matters far more is movement — sitting, standing, bending, all of it, regularly, rather than staying frozen in any one “perfect” position.
Pain is complicated. It’s rarely about one thing being “wrong” with how you sit or stand.
If something specific has been bothering you, drop a comment below or send me a message — to help you figure out what’s actually going on.
📍 Southwick, Sussex
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05/07/2026

☕ Yes, I’m still here in Southwick! Had a few people asking lately if I’m still practising locally as an osteopath — the answer’s a big yes! Still treating, still passionate about helping people move and feel better, and still fuelled by good coffee along the way.

If you or anyone you know needs a hand with pain, mobility, or general MOT for the body, you know where to find me. 💪

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24/05/2026

What is saw in clinic yesterday

05/03/2026

04/03/2026

Sometimes Rest is best .
A little update and some basic information around muscle tears .

Exercise and rehab are good but at right time and place of wha you can tolerate and add in day to day as most people have other responsibilities. #

28/02/2026

Self injury causes an idea for video .
Picked up a leg injury recently — likely a grade 2 muscle strain.

Being self-employed makes it harder: less time off, more pressure to keep going, and that familiar feeling of “I should be able to cope with this”. Totally normal, but not helpful.

Early on, a Peter O’Sullivan-style approach works best — respect symptoms, don’t panic, don’t push through pain for the sake of it.

Red flags to watch for: increasing swelling, heat, significant bruising, worsening pain at rest, or symptoms that just aren’t settling.

Early stages = calm it down, keep gentle movement going, rebuild confidence, then gradually reload.

If this sounds familiar and you want help with recovery, rehab, or just reassurance — get in touch via my Insta bio 👍