Osteopathy
‘To find Health should be the object of the practitioner. Anyone can find disease.’ - Dr Andrew Taylor Still, Founder of Osteopathy.
The first Osteopathic school was founded in 1892 by Andrew Taylor Still, since then Osteopathy has spread worldwide and has been practiced in Australia for over 100 years. A. T. Still was a firm believer that the body has its own mechanism for health and balance and it can gain optimal function, if given the correct conditions for it’s innate intelligence to emerge.
In Australia, osteopaths are government registered allied health practitioners who have completed university training in anatomy, physiology, pathology, general healthcare diagnosis and osteopathic techniques.
Osteopathy has an emphasis on whole person care and a practitioner may provide musculoskeletal and nervous system assessments, manual therapy, clinical exercise and movement programs, postural positioning advice and ergonomic assessments. Osteopaths may also offer ongoing support and educational advice about your lifestyle, stress management, diet or other factors that may influence your pain, injury or movement.
People attend Osteopathic practitioners when experiencing long term (persistent) and short term (acute) problems. Some issues a person might visit an osteopath for are back or neck pain, leg pain, postural issues, sciatica, weight bearing issues, walking issues, sports or workplace injuries, hip/knee/ankle/foot pain, shoulder/elbow/wrist pain, headache/migraines.
As a government registered allied health profession under AHPRA, Osteopathy is recognised by most health insurance providers.
A personal note on my love of Osteopathy. I had been a massage therapist for many years before I become an Osteopath. I loved (and still do) how deeply relaxed and the changes that can occur through massage but when I started to study Osteopathy, I saw what had been missing in my knowledge and skill set. The philosophy behind Osteopathy is based not only upon structured learning of anatomy but also around the why something is occurring. It moves beyond a limb into the “whole” body dynamic. This includes the fluid field of the body, the nervous system, the emotional state and for me, where someone is in their life. What stresses are they currently facing? How do they feel about themselves. What patterning have they been taught or adopted in physical bodies.
A. T. Still taught that structure governs function, we can take this to mean that if structures do not articulate how they are meant to then we don’t have the freedom of proper form. Today osteopaths have evolved this philosophy to “structure and function are reciprocally related” meaning how our structure is presenting will determine how our body functions but at the same time, how we are functioning in mind, body and spirit will have a direct correlation on the structure of our body.
There is so much we can do to help ourselves live better more mobile lives. I truly believe that Osteopathy can play a beautiful role in helping you live a stronger healthier life.
Fees:
Initial appointments (75mins): $155.00
Return appointment (45-60mins): $135.00