Osteopathy Awareness Week – 14 – 18 April 2013
Many people are unaware of the range of complaints that an Osteopath can treat and manage. Some of these include:
- Back and neck pain
- Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
- Headaches
- Heel and foot pain
- Knee pain
- Postural problems
- Pregnancy/ post natal care
- Repetitive strain injuries
- Sciatica
- Shin splints
- Sports injuries
- Tendonitis
- Tennis elbow
- Whiplash
Osteopathy is a safe, effective and drug-free approach to musculoskeletal healthcare. Osteopaths review the body as a whole unit, they don’t just assess the site of your pain. For example a patient presenting with knee pain may have their lower back, pelvis, hips, leg, foot and ankle assessed. As misalignment and strength imbalances throughout these areas may contribute or be the cause of the patients knee pain. An Osteopathy treatment is not focused directly on the site of pain but on the cause of the pain.
The Osteopathic treatment approach is guided by four principles:
- The body is a unit – this means that the body is a highly integrated machine, just like a Formula 1 car. You need all parts working in unison.
- The body possesses self-regulatory mechanisms – (a.k.a Homeostasis) having the inherent capacity to defend, repair, and remodel itself. The body knows how to heal itself, although sometimes it needs a little bit of assistance.
- Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated – this means if you change the structure, the function will change. For example if you roll your ankle and you continue to run it may alter the way you run. If you change your running technique to assist alleviating your ankle pain, this will put different loads on structures that are not normally utilised possibly resulting in injury.
- Rational therapy is based on consideration of the first three principles – Osteopathy combines the first three principles to assess your complaint and guide your treatment plan and approach.
An Osteopath is a primary healthcare practitioner; they are trained to perform medical examinations of the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous system to identify health conditions that may require medical referral.
If you would like to make an appointment to see our Osteopath, Dr Daniel Comerford you can call the clinic on (03) 9787 7702 or alternatively you can book online. Osteopathy is covered by all major private health funds.