Osteopathic Clinical Thinking with Ben Adams

Thinking Osteopathically: A Case of 30 Years of Back Pain

In this clinical case presentation, Institute of Classical Osteopathy Senior Lecturer Ben Adams explores the assessment and treatment of a man in his fifties who had experienced persistent back pain for more than 30 years.

The patient had previously consulted numerous osteopaths, chiropractors, physiotherapists and medical specialists, often experiencing only temporary relief. His history also included a cervical disc prolapse and a significant high-speed road traffic accident.

Rather than focusing solely on the painful areas, Ben explains how he approached the case by looking at the patient as a whole and asking a different question:

What forces have been acting on this person’s body over time to create the symptoms we see today?

The presentation explores how an understanding of global body mechanics, compensation and adaptation can change the way we approach complex and persistent presentations. Ben discusses his reasoning for beginning with the pelvis, sacroiliac joints and wider mechanical organisation rather than simply treating the neck and lower back where the patient experienced his symptoms.

He also considers:

• The importance of understanding why symptoms may repeatedly return
• Moving beyond the cycle of treating the painful area alone
• The role of long-lever techniques in influencing whole-body mechanics
• Trophicity and its place within classical osteopathic thinking
• How clear clinical reasoning can simplify apparently complex cases
• The importance of helping patients understand what has happened to their body and why

The video concludes with the patient’s own account of his experience. After more than three decades of recurring pain and having previously sought help from many different practitioners and medical specialists, he described the change he experienced following treatment as “a miracle.”

This case is not presented as a claim that osteopathic treatment produces miraculous results, nor as a guarantee that other patients will respond in the same way. It is an individual patient’s experience and an opportunity to explore the clinical reasoning behind Ben’s approach.

The central message is simple:

It is not always about where the pain is. It is about understanding why it is there.

Presented by Ben Adams, Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Classical Osteopathy, as part of Thinking Osteopathically: Case-Based Clinical Discussions.

Learn more about the Institute of Classical Osteopathy and our postgraduate education at classical-osteopathy.org.

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