Ian Thornley Osteopathy

25/06/2026

This one can be a bit of a surprise.

You've heard that your lower back pain might be due to tight hamstring so you've been stretching them religiously hoping it will sort out your back. But it's not really changing and you feel it might even be getting a bit worse.

While tight hamstrings can contribute to back pain this isn't always the case and your stretching may not be doing what you think.

Tight-feeling hamstrings can be your body's way of protecting your back, not the actual cause of the problem. So you stretch, things feel better for a few minutes, and then it's back. I know how frustrating that is!

In a situation like this it is likely that your hamstrings are a symptom, not the source, with the real issue somewhere else entirely.

For example it might be how your pelvis moves, how your spine's coping with load or what your daily habits look like.

So what to do instead? It could be to improve mobility through your spine and pelvis, or maybe strengthening your hamstrings rather than stretching them.

The key is understanding the problem first so you can tackle it the right way.

This is exactly the kind of thing that can be hard to figure out on your own, and why it's worth getting it looked at properly rather than guessing.

23/06/2026

"You just have to live with it at your age."

It's one of the things that makes me a bit sad when patients tell me they've been told this.

I hear it a lot. Someone's been putting up with a niggling back, a stiff hip, an aching shoulder and they've been told that this is just what getting older feels like.

So they stop looking for answers and just put up with it. Or turn to painkillers.

Now, I'm not going to pretend I can fix everything, and anyone who tells you they can is worth being sceptical of.

But, in my experience, age alone is rarely the reason someone is in pain. If it was, everyone of a certain age would be struggling with the same pain as you and that certainly won't be the case.

There's almost always something going on that's worth understanding and worth doing something about - at any age!

Getting older doesn't have to mean accepting pain as the new normal.
If you've been told to just live with something and it doesn't sit right with you, trust that instinct. It might be worth a different conversation.

📩 Feel free to drop me a message if you want to chat anything through.

19/06/2026

Ever wondered what an osteopath does all day?

For me it's something like this

Always a quick coffee before I leave the house ☕

8:30 - Get to clinic, with (just one more) coffee, and prepare for a steady run of patients through the morning. Bad backs, stiff necks, the odd "I've put up with this for way too long."

Between appointments I'm using the time for notes, admin, replying to messages - the bits nobody really thinks about when they imagine what an osteopath's day looks like.

Lunch tends to happen when it happens. I try to keep things pretty healthy but definitely stray sometimes 😁

More patients through the afternoon, then once the clinic shuts it's often straight into dad-taxi mode, ferrying my teenager to or from whatever activity is on that evening.

20.30 - A bit of gentle exercise or relax with some TV.

It's a full day, but I genuinely like the variety. No two days (or patients) are quite the same.

What does your work day look like?

18/06/2026

Quick one for anyone sat at a desk most of the day.

It's really NOT about sitting up straight all the time!

It's really hard to hold "perfect posture" for more than a few minutes and trying to is uncomfortable and exhausting.

And if you've tried to you probably realise it doesn't actually fix anything and you still feel stiff and sore as the day goes on.

What makes a much bigger difference is just moving.

Every 20–30 minutes, get up. Walk to make a tea. Stretch your arms over your head. Roll your shoulders. Not a full on gym session. Just simple movement.

Your body isn't designed to hold one position all day, it's designed to move.

So the goal isn't finding the "right" way to sit. It's not staying in any one position for too long.

Try it for a day and see how you feel by 5pm.

TOP TIP: Set a timer to remind you to get up and move. It's all too easy to get engrossed in work and forget!

16/06/2026

Men’s Health Week (June 15–21, 2026) is a great reminder that small changes add up. In my latest blog I share practical, manageable steps—like brisk walking and short activity bursts—that can boost physical and mental wellbeing, even with a busy schedule. Read more and start simple today: https://wix.to/6XOmYcW

Men’s Health Week, running from June 15th to 21st, 2026, offers a vital opportunity to focus on improving wellbeing through simple, manageable steps. Many men face challenges in maintaining their health due to busy schedules, stress, or lack of motivation. The good news is that small changes in da...

14/06/2026

"I wish I'd come sooner."

People put off booking an appointment for all sorts of reasons, even when pain and discomfort are impacting their life.

Often, people just hope it goes away or put off seeking help because they are not sure what to expect. Or maybe worried by painful looking treatment videos on social media.

And then they come in, we have a proper chat about what's been going on, and work together to get them feeling and moving better and back to doing all the things they have been struggling with.

By the end they're wondering why they waited so long and often say "I wish I'd come sooner"

If you've been putting up with something and keep thinking "I'll see how it goes" - maybe it's time to just come in.

📩 Drop me a message if you want to have a chat. No pressure.

12/06/2026

Even with overcast skies, it's still a beautiful start to a Friday

10/06/2026

What can you expect when you come to see me for the first time? It's a question I get asked a lot and I don't want worry about what might happen to put you off getting the help you need so here is a brief rundown.

The first thing we will do is have a chat about why you have come and I'll ask questions about where you are sore, how long it's been painful and what happened, followed by asking about your medical history. As you talk about these things I will be able to start to get an idea about what is going on and how I can help.

We'll then move on to physical examination. I'll ask you to move in certain ways, use my hands to feel what is going on and to move you to help me determine how to help you best.

I'll explain to you what I've found and we can discuss how we move forward, and then, if appropriate, I will use a variety of techniques with the aim of helping you and your body to get out of pain and heal, all the time talking to you and making sure you are comfortable with how the treatment will take place and how you are feeling during treatment.

We will finish by deciding together a couple of exercises to help you continue your path to recovery and arrange a time for an appointment to continue your treatment if appropriate.

And that, in a nutshell, is it.

But if you have any questions or worries that are making you think twice about making an appointment, just reach out and ask. I'll be happy to put your mind at ease.

13/03/2026

I wanted to share a recent review I have had from one of my patients who has perfectly captured WHY I do what I do and why osteopathy is so fantastic.

My aim is always to help get you out of pain and discomfort but also to help you get back to doing what you love or in a place where you can try something new!

18/02/2026

What happens at your first osteopathy appointment?

We start with a conversation

Because to give you the best treatment and care I need to understand:

✔ what’s going on
✔ how it’s affecting your life
✔ what you want to get back to

Then we look at how your whole body is moving and reacting, not just where it hurts. Our bodies are often brilliant at working around the real problem until they no longer can without pain. This means that in a lot of cases the painful bit is the symptom, not necessarily the cause. Understanding the difference helps me to target treatment to get to the bottom of the problem, not just reduced the symptoms.

In most cases, treatment begins on day one, with the aim of helping the symptoms (often the pain) and also addressing the cause.

So, by the end of the first appointment you will have:

✅ a clear diagnosis that we are working to
✅ a personalised plan based on what we have found and where we need to get to
✅ a realistic recovery timeline

This will give you the confidence to take control of your own recovery and get back to your 'normal' life quickly.

Ian Thornley Osteopathy