Osteopathy can help you live your life to the full
Welcome to Princes Avenue Osteopathic Clinic
Princes Avenue Osteopathic Clinic was founded in 1992 and moved to the site of the old police sub-station (its current site) in 2000. Jean Hopkins (at the time known as Miss Jean Graham) built up the clinic which has steadily risen to become one of the areas top clinics for pain management.
Along with a friendly service, a comprehensive range of treatment options for all is guaranteed from our practitioners (male and female) who are graduated from the locally based European School of Osteopathy in Maidstone. The clinic also offers home visits, locally, to those patients that are physically unable to make it into the clinic to see us ( at an extra charge).
The clinic tries to cater for people with long working days and commuters by providing evening appointments. Opening hours are from 8am to 8.30pm, (and even up until 9pm on some nights) Monday to Friday. Please note that evening appointments should be booked prior to 7pm. Parking spaces are provided for patients, and access is wheelchair friendly.
The Osteopaths available at the clinic are listed below along with their times available.
Clinic Hours
MONDAY - 8.00am to 7.30pm
TUESDAY - 8.00am to 4.00pm
WEDNESDAY - 8.00am to 7.30pm
THURSDAY - 8.00am to 4.00pm
FRIDAY - 8.00am to 7.30pm
Fees
First Consultation £44
Continuation Appointments £33
Babies and under 10’s
First appointment £39, continuation app. £29
Patients 65 and over
1st Consultation £40 Continuation Appointments £31
Our Practitioners
Principal JEAN HOPKINS D.O.
Associate PHILIP WISE BSc (Hons) Ost DO
All the Osteopaths at Princes Avenue Osteopathic Clinic are registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) and are fully insured.
DID YOU KNOW?......In 1874 an American called Andrew Taylor – Still (a medical doctor and mechanic at the time) founded Osteopathy after three of his children were taken from him by the illness ‘Spinal Meningitis’ in 1864.
He was so angered at himself and his profession for not being able to help his dying children that he decided to try and find a way to enhance the body’s own healing power so it could fight disease more effectively whenever it came along – and so Osteopathy was born. This is what Osteopathy was initially used for ... To help prevent disease!
Nowadays people come to see an Osteopath mainly to help ease their back pain, (which we are very good at doing) but let us not forget why people used to go and see a Osteopath – to increase the whole body’s natural vitality and health, this then gives the body a better chance of coping with whatever life throws at it and be less likely to suffer illness.
Osteopathy is a preventative medicine and as such people often find that they benefit from seeing an Osteopath on a fairly regular basis (once every 3 – 4 months). Even if you decide that a regular treatment schedule is not for you, then bear in mind that we don’t just treat ‘bad backs’ and that the following list represents a sample of the conditions that an Osteopath can help with.
Osteopathy (at the very least) can help people who suffer from the following conditions:- Arthritic Pains
- Rheumatism
- Back / neck pains
- Sports injuries
- Digestive problems / constipation
- Sciatica, leg/knee & arm/ wrist pains
- Period pains
- Frozen shoulder
- Pregnancy pains
- Colic (baby)
- Headaches
Asthma- Repetitive strain
Is recurrent injury preventing you or a friend from enjoying your favourite sport or activity?
Don’t feel that you need to put up with this common problem when an osteopath can help you.
Many people suffer from recurrent injury (both work and recreationally related) and gain great benefits from consulting their osteopath regarding these problems. Read the true life example below to give you an idea of how we can help (name has been changed to protect patient confidentiality (the events took place during the spring of 2005).- Lisa is a 38yr old office worker who is keen on working out at the local gym and has a desire to compete in the London Marathon.
- She has come to see an Osteopath explaining that she has trouble running more than 7 miles due to a pain that starts in her left knee, before then occurring in her left hip and then at her mid low back. The low back pain stops her dead in her tracks and she reports that it 'takes my breath away"
- an observation, the Osteopath notices that the area around her mid-low back doesn't move very well and that this corresponds with the area that the Diaphragm attaches to (the Diaphragm is an essential muscle used in breathing so this accounts for the pain taking her breath away).
- This poor movement in the spine appears to have caused muscles in the left hip and muscles that lead from the left hip down to the knee to be overworked, leading to the pain that she experiences as more stress is placed on the muscles when she tries to run further than 7 miles.
- The Osteopath recommended a course of treatment to increase spinal movement in the restricted areas and prescribed the patient simple stretching exercises to enforce the treatment.
- After her course of treatment the patient went on to complete in the London Marathon and managed to finish without major problems in a respectable 4 hrs and 23mins.
This simple example shows that even active and 'healthy' people can suffer problems which are easily addressed using Osteopathic treatment.
Osteopathy can help with problems related to :
Work related stresses:
Repetitive strain & work related injuries are commonplace these days especially with the widespread use of computers which can lead to arm, hand, wrist and neck pains. In addition to this, manual work (generally) often results in back pain which can be anything from the severe injury, like a prolapsed disc (commonly incorrectly termed a "slipped" disc) to a minor muscle strain.
An Osteopath can help you obtain relief from work related pains by giving you advice regarding your workstation position or if a manual worker advice on techniques to better utilise your body for the job in hand. An osteopath will then proceed to work manually with their hands to try to decrease your pain. This is normally achieved by relaxing muscles and enhancing your body posture using a whole host of different techniques including spinal manipulation, cranial techniques, visceral (internal organ) techniques and soft tissue stretching to name but a few. Gentle stretching and/or strengthening exercises may also be recommended to assist in your recovery perhaps with suggestions on lifestyle changes.
Old age:
Quite obviously Osteopaths are not magicians and so can't reverse the physical effects of old age but we can help manage some of the conditions that old age brings. Osteoarthritis is, for example, a common condition which can lead to pain and stiffness of our joints. The pain and stiffness is partly caused by a breakdown in the cartilage/bony structure of the joints. By using a variety of techniques, Osteopaths can help improve the flow of bodily fluids to and from the joints, thus greatly improving the chances of slowing down the degeneration process, (though they can't halt it or reverse it) and can ease the stiffness in muscles by using stretching / cranial type techniques. All techniques that are used are perfectly safe and are used with the intention of reducing your pain.
Pregnancy:
Commonly, pregnant woman suffer from low back, leg, neck, shoulder and wrist pain, as well as indigestion, discomfort around the throat and even post natal problems with their pelvis.
An Osteopath can help relieve the pain and discomfort experienced during pregnancy by giving advice on good posture and working with the patient's body to improve spinal movement. This greatly assists the body in its attempts at dealing with the foetus' growing size as the body needs to continually grow and adapt to accommodate the foetus. The resultant drastic changes in the mother's body are what tend to cause most of the pains associated with pregnancy generally occurring due to blockage in the body's ability to change effectively.
Babies:
The small amounts of movement that exist in the infant skull permit the baby's head to adapt to the forces of labour. However when birth is complicated by being unduly slow or fast, or when other complications occur such as the need for forceps delivery the infant head may not fully recover from the distortion. This may result in subtle changes in function leading to problems such as feeding difficulties, colicky symptoms and disturbed sleep patterns. The gentle and skilled application of osteopathic treatment by an Osteopath is increasingly considered the treatment of choice in these cases of difficult or traumatic birth.
Children:
As children grow older problems may become apparent which may have arisen because of earlier strains or as a result of trauma such as knocks on the head or falls. Recurrent infection in the nose and ears (glue ear) may be due in part to restrictions in the small yet important movements between the various bones of the growing skull. Many Osteopaths experienced in this field also consider that mechanical stresses on the body can be an important factor in cases of developmental delay such as delayed speech, educational difficulties and problems with co-ordination and physical development that have no particular medical diagnosis. Such children often make much better progress once osteopathic treatment has been started.
Teenagers:
As young people grow up the body frame undergoes a number of changes. Osteopaths with their highly developed sense of touch can help the body framework adjust to the postural demands made on it. This may simply be due to lack of adaption to a slightly exaggerated spinal curve or to mechanical changes that occur in conditions such as osteochondritis. If these minor problems are left undiagnosed and untreated they may lead to problems later.
By analyzing, treating and managing problems associated with growth, osteopaths make a major contribution to ensuring that young people become, and stay, fit and healthy.
Teenagers take part in many sporting and recreational activities which carry the risk of sprains and strains. Skilful diagnosis and treatment by the osteopath can prevent problems developing and allow the body's framework to heal naturally and adjust to the stresses and strains.
Testimonials
'I have visited this friendly practice over the years and have always found Jean and her collegues to be caring, kind and compassionate with a genuine desire to give the best and most appropriate treatment. '
VR of Medway, August 2012
'I have been using Jean's Osteopathic practice for about 8 years, and I have to say that there is no-one better. I have tried physios too and no-one compares to the amazing results Jean gets If you need a good, caring and effective osteopath/ physio - don't heistate - this is the one!'
SD of Chatham (taken from Google reviews), August 2012
'I have used this Osteopathic clinic for years and highly recommend it. Jean was my osteopath and she has improved my back and neck many times. I have recommended many of my friends to her and you wouldn't do that if you didn't trust them would you.'
MH of Strood (taken from Google reviews), October 2012
'I have been a patient of Princes Avenue Osteopathic Clinic for about 7 years now. Mrs Jean Hopkins is first class at finding the painful spot. Sometimes its a case of no pain no gain, but later you'll realise it was worth it.
I like to keep a regular maintenance programme so my joints and body are pain free. If the occasion arises when you need extra appointments Jean will always try to oblige.
Situated on a main road, with car parking facilities, all members of staff are helpful and pleasant.'
Mrs B. R. from Lordswood
Service Categories
Osteopathy, Sports Injury Therapy
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