Alister Booth Osteopath

Alister Booth Osteopath A trans osteopath helping people and pets live pain-free, so you can get back to doing what you love. You’re safe and seen here. Featured on the BBC.

Easing aches & supporting recovery, I combine hands-on care with a welcoming, non-judgemental approach. I studied at the London School of Osteopathy and qualified in 2009. In 2011 qualified as an animal osteopath treating mainly dogs and horses but am willing to try treating other animals too. I am registered with the General Osteopathic Council and am a member of the Institute of Osteopathy.

“I should have booked weeks ago.”He’d been meaning to. The neck pain had been building for months. Long drives across th...
23/02/2026

“I should have booked weeks ago.”

He’d been meaning to. The neck pain had been building for months. Long drives across the country for work. Early starts. Late finishes. Too many coffees. Not enough recovery.

At first it was stiffness. Then it was headaches by Thursday. Then it was that sharp catch when checking his blind spot. Then it was avoiding the gym because “it’ll probably flare it.”

He kept pushing through. Mainly because it wasn’t unbearable. Until it was distracting.
Constant.
Draining.
When he finally came in to see me, he didn’t need anything dramatic.
He needed movement restored.
Load redistributed.
His nervous system to stop bracing.

After treatment he sat up and said,
“I forgot what normal feels like.”

If you’re reading this, maybe you’ve had that same thought recently.
Maybe you’ve noticed the tension building.
Maybe you’re adjusting how you move.
Sleeping differently.
Avoiding certain lifts.
Turning down plans quietly.

Here’s what moments like this keep teaching me:
Pain doesn’t suddenly appear.
It accumulates.
And waiting rarely makes it smaller or go away.
If you’re living with neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain or sciatica and you’ve been telling yourself you’ll “sort it soon”
Soon has a habit of becoming months or never.

I have just a few appointment slots left this week at my clinic in Hellesdon/Norwich.
Once they’re gone, the diary moves into next week and I am already fill up fast.
If you’re ready to stop managing it and start resolving it,
book now via my website.

Your body has been negotiating long enough.
Let’s deal with it properly.
—

She said, “I just want one weekend where my back doesn’t feel like this.”She’s a nurse.Long shifts on her feet in a busy...
20/02/2026

She said, “I just want one weekend where my back doesn’t feel like this.”
She’s a nurse.
Long shifts on her feet in a busy hospital.
Lifting. Turning. Reaching. Constant movement.
By midweek her lower back would start to tighten. By Friday it felt heavy. Compressed. Guarded.
Not sharp pain. Not something she’d call “serious.” Just that constant ache that makes you move carefully.
She found herself sitting down as soon as she got home. Avoiding long dog walks.
Turning down plans because she was “too tired.” It wasn’t just tired.

When she came to see me, she said: “I look after everyone else all week, I don’t want to spend my weekend recovering.”
We didn’t just treat the lower back. We looked at hip mechanics. Thoracic movement.
How her body was bracing during lifting. How stress and fatigue were amplifying tension. Gradually, the protective tightness reduced.
The following week she told me:
“I actually enjoyed Sunday instead of counting down until I could lie down.”

If you’re reading this on a Friday and you work in a physical job, nursing, care work, retail, trades, teaching, maybe this feels familiar.
Maybe your body carries the week. Maybe by the time the weekend arrives, you’re not relaxing, you’re recovering.
This keeps reminding me:
Pain doesn’t have to be dramatic to deserve attention.

If you’re living with lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder tension or work-related strain and you’re telling yourself it’s “just part of the job”…
Is it really? Or has coping just become normal?
I have limited appointments available next week.
If you’d like your next weekend to feel lighter, not just survived, but enjoyed,
book via my website today.

Your job is demanding.
Your body doesn’t have to suffer because of it.
—

“I don’t have time to deal with this right now.” And that told me everything.A lady came to see me she was in her mid 40...
19/02/2026

“I don’t have time to deal with this right now.” And that told me everything.

A lady came to see me she was in her mid 40s. Has a very busy job in Norwich city centre. Her family relying on her. She is always the strong one, always the capable one and her lower back pain had been there for months.
Not dramatic. Not “I need A&E.” Just constant.
She’d tried stretching before bed. Adjusted her desk. Used heat and ice packs. Told herself it would settle. Then, slowly, she stopped sitting on the floor with her kids.
Stopped booking those Pilates classes. Started avoiding bending or reaching up without even realising.
When she came into my clinic, she apologised for “leaving it so long.”
She hadn’t left it too long, she’d just been coping.
We worked through hip mobility, thoracic stiffness, stress-related tension patterns.
Reduced the load her lower back had been silently carrying.
After the first session she felt she was moving better and four sessions later she said:
“I didn’t realise how much mental space this pain was taking up.”
If you’re reading this, maybe you’ve felt that quiet frustration too.
Maybe you’re still functioning… Still working… Still showing up for everyone else…
But you’re tired of planning your movements around discomfort.
This moment taught me something years ago:
Pain doesn’t have to be unbearable to deserve attention.

If you’re living with neck pain, back pain, or shoulder tension and telling yourself “it’s manageable” ask yourself:
Is it manageable… or have you just adapted?

I have a few appointments available next week for new and returning patients.
If you’re ready to stop coping and start resolving, book via my website today.
Your body has been patient.
Now it’s your turn.
—

He said, “It’s probably just my age.” He is 38.He works at a desk working long hours, using two screens.Attends the gym ...
18/02/2026

He said, “It’s probably just my age.” He is 38.

He works at a desk working long hours, using two screens.
Attends the gym twice a week when he can. At weekends it's football with his mates.
The shoulder pain started as a slight ni**le. Then it became stiffness every morning.
Now it is avoiding certain movements in the gym and waking up at 3am when he rolled onto it.
But because it wasn’t dramatic, because he could still function and because he could “push through” he told himself it wasn’t worth booking an osteopath appointment.
Until one day he realised he was organising his life around discomfort.
When he came to see me, we didn’t just treat the shoulder. We looked at thoracic movement. Desk posture. Load management at the gym. Recovery and stress.
Shoulder pain rarely starts at the shoulder.
Two sessions in, he said something I hear all the time,
“I wish I’d done this sooner.”

Most neck pain, back pain and/or shoulder pain doesn’t explode overnight.
It builds quietly.
Through desk work.
Through stress.
Through ignoring the whispers.
If you’re in Norwich or Norfolk and you’ve been managing:
• Neck pain
• Shoulder pain
• Lower back pain
• Sciatica
• Desk-related tension
Ask yourself, is it really “not that bad"
or have you just adapted to it?

I have a small number of appointments available this week at my Norwich osteopathy clinic.
If you’re ready to move better, sleep better and stop planning your life around pain then book via my website today.
Your body has been patient.
Now it’s your move.

Last week, a patient sat in front of me and said,“I thought it would just go away…”He’d been living with neck pain for m...
17/02/2026

Last week, a patient sat in front of me and said,
“I thought it would just go away…”

He’d been living with neck pain for months. Desk job. Long hours. Stress creeping in. Sleep getting lighter.
At first, it was just stiffness. Then it became that dull ache between the shoulder blades. Then headaches. Now avoiding the gym. Started snapping at home because he was constantly uncomfortable.
Nothing dramatic. Just a slow build.
He kept stretching. Adjusting his chair. Taking paracetamol. Hoping.
By the time he came to see me, he wasn’t just in pain, he was tired of thinking about it.
After assessment and treatment, we worked not just on the neck pain, but the contributing factors, thoracic restriction, shoulder mechanics, stress tension patterns.
He left standing taller. Not “fixed forever" (not yet), but relieved, clear, moving, and most importantly, back in control.

This is how most back pain, shoulder pain and desk-related tension starts.
Quietly. Gradually. Manageable, until it isn’t.
If you’ve been telling yourself:
“It’s not bad enough yet.”
“I’ll wait another week.”
“It’ll sort itself out.”
Notice that, because your body is already asking for support.

I have a few appointments available this week.
If you’re ready to stop managing it and start resolving it, book via the link on my website.
You don’t need to wait until it’s unbearable.
You just need to decide you’re done living around it.

Desk-based pain is common, but it doesn’t have to be your normal.Neck pain. Tight shoulders. Upper and lower back discom...
14/02/2026

Desk-based pain is common, but it doesn’t have to be your normal.
Neck pain. Tight shoulders. Upper and lower back discomfort.
These are all things I help desk-based workers with every week.
You don’t need to be “bad enough” to book.
You don’t need to push through or wait it out.

If your body has been asking for help, this is your sign to book an appointment today, your body will thank you for it.

Your lower back isn’t fragile.Sitting didn’t damage your spine, staying still made it sensitive.Your back is strong and ...
13/02/2026

Your lower back isn’t fragile.
Sitting didn’t damage your spine, staying still made it sensitive.
Your back is strong and adaptable, but it needs variety.
Small movements done regularly can calm pain and restore confidence.
Lower back pain is common in desk workers, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it or push through it.
Help early often means less pain long-term.

Book an appointment today to get your back feeling mobile and pain free. Book via my website.

Tight shoulders aren’t always tight muscles.For desk-based workers, shoulders often feel sore because they’re:• overwork...
12/02/2026

Tight shoulders aren’t always tight muscles.

For desk-based workers, shoulders often feel sore because they’re:
• overworking
• guarding
• never fully switching off

Stretching can help, but it doesn’t always solve the problem if the load never changes.
Sometimes your body needs reassurance, not force.
If your shoulders or upper back ache by mid-afternoon, that’s your body asking for support.

Book an appointment today and let's give your shoulders the attention they deserve.

Neck pain doesn’t mean your neck is weak.For desk workers, neck pain is often the result of:• screens• stillness• holdin...
11/02/2026

Neck pain doesn’t mean your neck is weak.

For desk workers, neck pain is often the result of:
• screens
• stillness
• holding your head in one position for hours.

Your neck is designed to move, not to stay perfectly still.
Small, regular movement throughout the day can be more helpful than chasing “perfect posture”.
If your neck feels stiff, sore or heavy by the end of the workday, it’s not something you just have to live with.

Book an appointment today via my website

Roses are red,Violets are blue,Pain relief lasts longerThan flowers ever do.Strong body, calm mind,Less ache, more flow,...
11/02/2026

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Pain relief lasts longer
Than flowers ever do.
Strong body, calm mind,
Less ache, more flow,
The gift of feeling better
Is the best love you can show.

This Valentine’s Day, give something that actually makes a difference.
A gift voucher for osteopathy is perfect for:
• The partner with constant neck or shoulder tension
• The desk worker with lower back pain
• The gym lover who’s always tight
• Or even yourself (because self-care counts too)

If someone you love has been “meaning to book” for months… this is your sign.
Or maybe you’re the one who needs support.

Book an appointment for yourself via my website or DM me for a voucher and I’ll email it to you.

If you sit for work and your neck, shoulders or back ache, this is for you.Desk pain usually isn’t caused by bad posture...
10/02/2026

If you sit for work and your neck, shoulders or back ache, this is for you.

Desk pain usually isn’t caused by bad posture or a “weak body”.
It’s caused by doing the same thing, for too long, without support.
Your body adapts to what you ask of it.
Pain is often a request for change, not always a sign of damage.

This week I’m talking aches and pains often suffered by desk based workers.
Good to have you follow along.

#

Address

60 Overbury Road
Norwich
NR65LB

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 7pm
Wednesday 9am - 7pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+441603664459

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Alister Booth Osteopath posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Alister Booth Osteopath:

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category