It’s usually an age thing. With the passing years we can all creak a little in various regions and your day may come when you need a helping hand.

Until a few years ago we would traditionally go to the doctor with muscular and joint problems and the best you could expect was a referral to a physiotherapist, for osteopaths and chiropractors were pigeon holed into the “alternative” or complementary therapy category by a wide section of the medical profession.

Times have changed dramatically and many of us will now go direct to a practitioner and place all our faith in them. How often have you heard someone praise the benefits of an osteopath or chiropractor above their GP?

I have personal reasons to be grateful to an osteopath and a physiotherapist for giving relief from a lower back complaint which totally immobilised me at one point. You know the feeling, something tweaks, something groans and suddenly the walk from the chair to the bedroom becomes an endurance course.

After some days of hobbling about on a stick I took myself off to an osteopath with some trepidation. A slightly built young lady, she prodded and probed areas which I would normally have been very happy for a young lady to probe and found the root of the problem.

Manipulation began in earnest and after a couple of sessions relief began. Then, unexpectedly she put her whole weight across me with her clenched fist in the small of my back. A minor explosion of clicks occurred in my middle back and sweat broke out on my brow as she proudly announced: “There, that needed doing, you were all knotted up.”

I looked at this slip of a girl with fear similar to what I would have shown to an angry Rottweiler, but I was eased. For the first time I put the stick away and although not complete, the cure was most welcome.

I later visited a conventional physiotherapist and learned that the root of the problem was a trapped sciatic nerve due to stiffness in the sacral joints. She gave me exercises which I do to this day and despite some pins and needles of discomfort in one foot I can walk normally again.

The point of continuing with the exercises is that I’ve reached that delicate age when bone and joint degeneration can begin. You may feel as though you’re being pushed beyond your limits sometimes but persevere and I guarantee it is worth it.

The term manipulation come from the Latin manipulare meaning “to handle”. It covers a range of techniques that use the hands to realign the structural system of the body, relax muscles and improve circulation.

Osteopathy and chiropractic are the most common form of manipulation performed in complementary medicine. Physiotherapists also use manipulation techniques.

Therapeutic touch has been used for healing since ancient times. Manipulation was practised in ancient Greece and “bonesetters” were part of all early Eastern and European medical traditions.

Osteopathy and chiropractic both originated in America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Dr Andrew Taylor Still devised a system of manipulation techniques known as osteopathy (osteo meaning bone and pathos disease) to rebalance the framework of the body, improve joint mobility and allow proper function of the internal organs.

Daniel David Palmer, a lay practitioner, developed chiropractic techniques (chiro is Greek for hand and practicos means “done by”) for relaxing the spinal muscles and freeing the body’s healing energy.

According to osteopathic theory, the body’s structure and function are closely connected. This means that spinal imbalance or restriction of movement can not only cause pain and discomfort but may also interfere with internal organ function. Correction of the imbalance, and improving the range of movement can therefore ease pain and improve organ function.

Chiropractic focuses on the links between the spine and the nervous system. Corrections of spinal imbalance are believed to help restore the nervous system and improve internal organ function.

The techniques used in osteopathy and chiropractic release muscle tension, reduce joint stiffness and improve circulation. The techniques may also alter the sensory input to the brain, changing the sensations and perception of pain.

Some benefits are also thought to be due to the therapeutic effect of touch. Direct techniques include high and low velocity thrusts designed to increase range of movement, relax the muscles and increase circulation.

Subtle cranial techniques are used to regulate the ebb and flow of cerebrospinal fluid at the cranium and sacrum, the top and bottom of the spine, in order to influence the nervous system.

Manipulation has been shown to be beneficial for joint and back problems, especially low back pain, neck stiffness and pain and knee problems. It can also help to relieve headaches, ear, nose and throat problems caused by restriction of the spine and muscle tension.

Some osteopaths and chiropractors also treat general health problems such as digestive disorders, menstrual imbalance and urinary disturbance.

It’s a vast subject and I do not profess to be an expert, but take care in choosing a registered practitioner who you feel comfortable with. Their fees should be around £30 to £40 for an hour-long session of consultation and treatment.

The joys of getting older! But, don’t despair, help is at hand or in the hands of these highly qualified and capable people.

Graham Smith for Third Age.