press coverage

The Scotsman Magazine, 30 July 2011 by Chitra Ramaswamy

“If a sedentary lifestyle has taken its toll, this holistic treatment could offer relief.

Life is that bit tougher when you have a sore back. And when I say sore back, what I really mean is sore neck, shoulder, hip, leg, foot… There’s nothing particularly shocking about my condition. I haven’t been in an accident, or just completed the Tour de France. But I do, like most of the population sit at a computer for many hours. And over the years, all the sedentary hours have taken their toll.

Osteopathy – as much a philosophy as a form of treatment is something I’ve tried before. A number of enthusiastic osteopaths have pounded my tight muscles over the years, producing a symphony of horrific cracking noises in my spine and joints.

Truth be told, nothing has worked beyond giving me a small amount of pain relief. But what Robbie Smith, a friendly and suitable strong osteopath, medical acupuncturist and ergonomic consultant who has just opened his own practice in Edinburgh, does is different. I like to think of it as osteopathy with extras.

When I arrive at the clinic on Grindlay Street we discuss my problems over green tea. Smith explains his system of harmonic osteopathy, which looks at the way the body functions holistically and aims to both relive pain and prevent further problems arising using a variety of techniques.

First of all, Smith looks at the way I stand and move. He can immediately see my right shoulder sloping forwards and that the right side of my body is neither moving properly nor with ease. It needs to be retrained to return to its original relaxed state. This is the aim of harmonic osteopathy: to retain the muscles and surrounding tissue (and- gulp – even the mind).

I lie on the treatment table, first on my sides, and then on my back. Smith deeply massages my tight muscles and rocks my body rhythmic, oscillatory movements while I try to concentrate on relaxing completely. The aim is to let him to do the work for me while I lie as limp as a rag doll. He wants to reintroduce the idea of movements that are difficult for me to my body and brain. It’s harder than it sounds. He also identifies key areas of tension (trigger points) and uses acupuncture “needling” to get to the muscle and relax it. Finally, he shows me a couple of yogic exercises to do on my own.

Afterwards I feel exhausted and soothed at one. The next day my muscles feel looser and I’m carrying myself differently. But perhaps most importantly I’m thinking differently. If you have on going muscular problems (or indeed joint or ligament pain), Smith’s harmonic osteopathy isn’t a magical solution that fixes you in a single treatment. What is? It’s worth going back a few times to get the full benefit. But what harmonic osteopathy does instantly is to reintroduce you to your bod, to why it does what it does, and to why it feels the way it does. And all of that without a single pop or crack. Result.”

Edinburgh Life Magazine Sept/Oct 2011 Edition.

Pictures of our guests at our new clinic launch party from 14 July 2011 in the "Society" section of the magazine. A fun evening had by all.

Edinburgh Evening News article, 7 July 2011

The Scotsman Magazine in November 2008 by Gowri Rao.

"If you work at a desk for any length of time - so yes, I'm referring to pretty much the entire population here - chances are you need this treatment. I know I did, as someone who for years has had such severe tension in my upper back, shoulders, and neck that a massage therapist once asked me how long it had been since the car crash.

Falling somewhere between massage, osteopathy and a light workout, this treatment is ideal if you lead a stressfull life and feel tight and tired.

The affable therapist, Robbie, began by talking to me about my work, lifestyle, and specific sore spots. By lying me down and moving my arms, shoulders and neck into various positions, he showed me some unpalatable truths about my body. I've basically taught it, over many years to be the tense, stiff, awkward, unoiled machine that it is today. Once I was suitably mortified, Robbie set about making me chill.

It was suprisingly difficult to make myself go completely limp, as instructed, while he jiggled me about. The idea - based on scientific study of how the body works and learns to carry itself - is that if you relearn to relax, you will prevent tension-prone areas seizing up in the future. As someone who has tried osteopathy many times it was a relief to experience a softer, more neurological treatment that wasn't all about manipulating joints and producing great cracks and pops, but rather focused on working on how the muscles had become tight in the first place.

After Robbie had finished with my right shoulder - from which most of my problems stem - I felt as though my left was sticking up awkwardly in comparison. For the first time in ages, my right shoulder was lying back, an inch lower than my left, fully supported by the mattress. Afterwards, I felt sleepy, as Robbie had predicted, and already I am thinking about my body differently. If only I had gone to see him five years ago."