What is Osteopathy: A holistic manual therapy

What is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a holistic manual therapy & our osteopaths use hands-on techniques to try to help you heal.
Practitioners study at university for five years in courses such as anatomy, physiology, pathology and other biomedical sciences.
Overall osteopathy is based on the idea that if the body's tissues are in the right anatomical position they will be better able to heal themselves.
It is a biomechanical model of health care. We look at the whole body. All the strains & stresses you have experienced over a life time may contribute to your pain today.
If you are not moving well you may need our help to get better.
We treat a variety of problems in the musculoskeletal system as well as some functional disorders of the body.
The aim of osteopathic treatment is to promote self-healing by looking at your body as a whole, rather than just the site of your pain. By doing so we hope to prevent your pain returning.

What do osteopaths treat?

The most common complaints we see include:

Low back pain
Neck pain
Headache
Pregnant patients
Sciatica
Pains in other joints - shoulders, hips, knees and ankles
Tendonitis and muscle strains
Work-related and repetitive strain injuries
Sports-related injuries
Trauma such as from falls, car accidents and head injuries

Osteopathic treatment may also play a significant role in the management of pain in arthritic conditions or where there is chronic pain like fibromyalgia. Osteopathy can address the mechanical component of more complex presentations, for instance asthma, gynaecological dysfunctions and chronic fatigue.

Osteopaths find out your whole mechanical history, for example, all the accidents and falls you have had, as well as your health history, to determine how these things are affecting or possibly have led to the problems you are having today. In this way, osteopathic treatment addresses causes rather than symptoms. Osteopathy was developed in America in the 1870's by Dr Andrew Taylor Still. It is now widely recognised throughout the world.

Osteopathy for children

Children's osteopaths use non-manipulative or cranial osteopathic techniques to treat infants and young children. These may help in the management of birth stress and problems such as

forceps delivery
neck strain or torticollis
infant colic, reflux and/or constipation
middle ear infections or 'glue ear'

Pregnant mothers often find osteopathic treatment is helpful in reducing back pain during pregnancy and helping prepare the body for birth.

In older children, osteopaths are commonly consulted for bumps, bruises, falls, growing pains, sports injuries, bed-wetting, even poor sleep and attention-related issues.

What are our qualifications

In Australia, osteopaths are government-registered primary care practitioners and are trained to recognise conditions that require medical referral.

They would have completed at least five years of full-time university education, studying anatomy, physiology, pathology and medical diagnosis, in addition to osteopathic theory and practice.

Osteopaths are also required, as part of their registration, to embark on at least 30 hours of continued professional development and education every year.

What happens in a treatment

Our osteopaths will first take a complete medical history. We will then assess the mobility of the problem areas and decide what is the best treatment plan for you. Each injury is unique so osteopathic treatment will vary from person to person. Adverse treatment reactions are possible but very rare. Please speak to your osteopath if you suddenly feel uncomfortable or ill during your treatment.

Osteopathy is covered by most private health funds and by Medicare's Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Plans. We are able to give on the spot claims where applicable.

Osteopaths are registered providers for DVA patients, as well as by workers’ compensation schemes and motor accident insurers. Please inform us ahead of your appointment so we can have the necessary paperwork ready for you.