So what is osteopathy?
Osteopathy is a form of manual medicine rooted in the relationship between the body's structure and how it functions. Osteopaths are primary health care practitioners who assist healing by focusing on how the musculoskeletal system (skeleton, joints, muscles, connective tissues, tendons and ligaments), nerves (including the different nervous systems), cardiovascular system (in particular circulation of blood and lymph), and internal organs function together as a holistic unit.
Within this broad philosophy, there is quite a breadth of different ways osteopaths treat; whether this is a good or bad thing is a discussion for another post 😉. For example, some osteopaths adopt techniques that involve applying pressure to the skull (cranial osteopathy) or aimed at internal organs (visceral techniques). In contrast, others focus on the mobilisation and influencing the muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints of the body (structural osteopathy).
The body has an inherent ability to heal itself.
The body is a very intelligent, intricate collection of interconnected components. It has many internal processes designed to respond to stressors and the environment. Your body will inherently do its best to heal itself and keep you functioning. Despite this intelligence, many of the complex processes within your body occur automatically, and when things go wrong, they can have upstream and downstream implications. Your body will often compensate in a less-than-ideal way, ultimately resulting in inappropriate movement patterns, pain, and the overloading of adjacent structures.
What does that mean, you may ask? Well, let's look at a simple muscular sprain; the muscle fibres become damaged, and as a result, your body automatically sends cells to repair the damaged tissue. Inflammation occurs as well as pain. Your body then protects and guards that damaged muscle, but because you need to continue to function, you recruit other muscles. These muscles are usually not designed to undertake the lost function or were unprepared for the added load, ultimately causing dysfunction. This is where osteopathy can help.
What do osteopaths treat?
At Movement Mechanics, our Osteopaths use objective biomechanics movement assessment tools to form a comprehensive diagnosis which enables us to treat a wide range of issues.
We utilise evidence-based hands-on manual techniques with the aim of getting our patients to the most efficient state for repair and healing. Here are just some of the things osteopaths treat:
Sports Injuries
Injuries can occur whether you are an elite athlete, weekend warrior, or participate in recreational activities. Osteopathy can help correctly diagnose your injury for efficient rehabilitation, help you manage your pain and avoid the adoption of inappropriate compensatory movement patterns while you recover.
Assessment of sports-related injuries begins with a thorough case history and analysis to determine the underlying cause of your pain and/or dysfunction. This includes conducting biomechanical movement assessments, specific tests, exercise prescription, and providing a safe and individualised treatment program.
Our treatment of sports-related injuries involves using hands-on techniques to modulate pain, address muscular imbalances, restore joint mobility and provide you with the tools to recover. We know how long different tissue types take to heal, so if they are not responding as we expect, we have a trusted specialist referral network we can utilise.
Lower back pain
Neck pain
Headaches & migraines
Sciatica
Breathing dysfunction
Temporomandibular pain/Jaw pain
Whiplash & whiplash associated disorder
Carpal tunnel syndrome
So if you would like to see if one of our experienced osteopaths can help you, book online today 😊