Carer Roni Forecast was facing daily work challenges and by the end of the day was unable to walk because of severe back problems. Two failing discs in her lumbar spine were putting pressure on the nerves in her legs and feet with drastic consequences.

'The pain was waking me up at night. I had pain in my low back, which radiated into my left hip, down my leg all the way to my foot,' she explains. 'The pain was burning, and I had pins and needles in my foot and lower leg. I was limping all the time and I couldn't walk more than a quarter of a mile because of the pain. It was painful standing or even lying down.

'I work as a carer, so I didn't want to stop working, but by the end of the day I could barely walk. I couldn't even contemplate taking my dog for a walk, I felt really unhappy.

After five months of struggling I was referred for an MRI scan of my back and was offered an injection which only helped for a few weeks. I was on a concoction of pain medication taking co-codamol, naproxen and gabapentin but it really wasn't helping me much at all.

'After a year of struggling with the pain my husband was due to have a big operation and I needed to be well for him and my clients. So I did some research and discovered IDD Therapy. I was delighted to find there was a clinic near me, so I called Vanessa at Cathedral Osteopaths in Ripon and started a course of it.'

The therapy involves patients lying on a treatment table. Computer generated forces are applied at precise angles to gently draw targeted spinal segments apart. This relieves pressure on discs and trapped nerves and eases muscles and ligaments.

'I had about 30 sessions of IDD Therapy over the course of four months,' continues Roni. 'I can't tell you how much better I am. Work has become so much easier, and I am sleeping again. I feel so much better. I've been walking our labrador again, much further, maybe two miles, which is just wonderful for me. I haven't done that for so long, and that's something I absolutely love doing.'

A non-invasive alternative to surgery or injections for chronic back neck, leg pain and sciatica, IDD therapy avoids risks such as post operative infections and bleeding and the need to take rehabilitative time off work.