What is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a form of manual therapy which recognizes the important link between the body’s structure and the way it functions. It is a holistic form of healthcare where practitioners consider how the skeleton, joints, muscles, nerves, connective tissue, circulation and internal organs function together as a unit.

By taking the whole body into consideration, osteopaths work to identify the cause of a client’s injury and treat more than just the symptoms. For example a common presenting complaint is clients experiencing lower back pain. One would expect treatment to be focused locally at the back where the pain is occurring. However via a detailed assessment our osteopaths will work to try to understand why the back began hurting in the first place. This may lead the practitioner to look at your feet and foot posture or look at anterior tightness through the hips. 

Our osteopaths understand that the body is a complex functional unit where the musculoskeletal system is also closely related to and dependant upon the circulatory, respiratory, neurological and lymphatic systems. Therefore osteopaths take into account all of these systems in order to formulate a holistic treatment plan.

What does treatment involve?

During an initial consultation the osteopath will ask a range of questions to identify the extent of your injury and pain. They will then assess your body movement using skilled evaluation and diagnostic techniques to identify the areas of dysfunction, potential tissues causing issues, and will identify any need to refer to a family physician or other health professional for further investigation if required.

Treatment then involves hands on techniques. These techniques may include massage, stretching, gentle joint mobilization and muscle energy techniques, as well as dry needling and exercise prescription as required. All treatment techniques are only provided after explanation is given and consent is received by the client. The client has the right to decline any treatment option and the osteopath respects her clients wishes and is happy to work around these requests.

Advice on workplace ergonomics, sleeping posture, muscle imbalances and weakness are then incorporated to help prevent the injury or issue from re-occurring.

What could osteopathy help with?

Osteopathy could help with a wide range of injuries, discomforts or musculoskeletal conditions, diagnosed by their family physician. Osteopaths can support their clients from infancy all the way through to 99 years of age (or older!)

An example of conditions that are commonly referred to osteopaths include:

• Back pain

• Neck pain

• Spinal disc injuries and rehabilitation

• Sciatica

• Headaches

• Sporting injuries

• Pregnancy 

• Tennis elbow & Golfers elbow

• Runners knee

• Tendonitis/Tendinopathy issues

• Shoulder impingement and rotator cuff injuries

• Ankle injuries

• Postural complaints

• Workplace injuries