What do our Osteopaths treat?

Osteopaths and what they treat!

What do our Osteopaths treat?

Hi everyone, Tom McCormick here. I am the Director and Principal Osteopath at Valued Health Osteopathy in Bentleigh East, Melbourne, Victoria.

For those of you who read my last blog, you would know that I discussed the topic “What is Osteopathy”. This time I thought it would be appropriate to talk about what our Osteopaths treat at Valued Health Osteopathy.

A large number of our new patients who walk through the doors of Valued Health Osteopathy in Bentleigh East come in because they are experiencing an episode of acute or chronic pain.

Now you would be correct in thinking that our Osteopaths at Valued Health Osteopathy are skilled manual therapists that have experience in treating back and neck pain. However, our Osteopaths at Valued Health Osteopathy are also trained to be able to treat a wide range of other injuries and all kinds of joint and muscular pain.

Our Osteopaths at Valued Health Osteopathy in Bentleigh East may be able to help reduce your pain, improve your movement and enhance your functional ability to perform at your best.

Our Osteopaths understand that every injury is unique so your treatment at Valued Health Osteopathy is tailored directly to you. Our Osteopaths treat many injuries and conditions at our Bentleigh East clinic.

Headaches

The most common type of headache originates from tension, muscle stiffness or joint strain in the neck and upper thoracic region.¹ Other causes of headaches may include eye strain, whiplash injury, poor posture, sinus congestion, jaw imbalance and teeth grinding.¹

Back and Neck Pain

80% of the population will suffer from back pain at some time.¹ Common causes of back and neck pain include extensive sitting or standing, heavy lifting, injury, changes during pregnancy, muscle weakness, dysfunction in the thorax, lower limbs and pelvis, constipation, irritable bowel, endometriosis, menstrual pain and insufficient flexibility.¹ 

Sciatica

Sciatica is a painful syndrome caused by compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve.¹ The sciatic nerve runs deep through the buttock and down the leg.¹ Sciatica can often resolve quickly with the appropriate management and self-care.¹ 

Pelvic Pain

Pelvic pain can be caused by a wide variety of conditions.¹ Osteopaths can help with pain caused by trauma or repetitive strain.¹ Common pelvic injuries include Osteitis Pubis, Sacroiliac joint pain and inflammation, Pelvic instability with pregnancy.¹

Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain has become extremely common over recent years as a result of frequent computer and smartphone usage and increased sedentary lifestyle.¹ Common Shoulder injuries include rotator cuff tears, tendonitis, shoulder impingement (Subacromial bursitis), Frozen shoulder (Adhesive capsulitis), postural tension and referred pain.¹

Elbow pain

Elbow pain often occurs due to a variety of sports and occupations that involve repeated pressure on the muscle and tendons near the elbow joint.¹ Common elbow injuries include tennis elbow, golfers elbow, radial head ligament sprains and ulnar nerve entrapment.¹ 

Hip and Groin

Hip pain can be caused by a number of injuries or conditions. The most common cause of hip pain is inflamed tendons.¹ Hip and groin pain can be related to a range of muscle or joint problems or it could be referred pain from your lower back.¹ Muscle pain often occurs in people who perform repeated sideways movements such as soccer players, dancers and AFL players.¹ Longer term hip and groin pain may be caused by arthritis or bursitis.

Knee Pain

Knee pain can be caused by a range of factors and can be painful.¹ Knee trauma is common from falls and collisions, however most knee pain is due to altered joint and muscle mechanics particularly of the kneecap (patellofemoral joint).¹  

Ankle Sprain

An ankle sprain involves damage to the ankle ligaments, typically sustained during a simple sudden traumatic incident, such as rolling or twisting the ankle.¹ There are various predisposing factors that may have caused the injury in the first place. These may include poor foot/ankle mechanics, poor footwear, joint restrictions and muscle tightness in the lumbo-pelvic region/or lower limb and leg length discrepancy which may be overloading one ankle.¹

Heel/Arch Pain

Painful feet can be very debilitating. Pain in the heel area is common and may be associated with a heel (calcaneal) spur.¹ We use our feet all the time and this fascia causes constant tugging on the attachment point into the bone and inflammation and pain may develop at this site.¹ This painful condition is known as plantarfasciitis.¹

Bursitis

Bursitis is an inflammatory condition of the bursa.¹ Bursitis is often related to overuse of a joint or where there is excess tension on a specific area over a long period of time. ¹ The most common areas within the body that can be affected by bursitis are the shoulder joint, hip joint, knees, elbows, wrists and ankles.¹ 

Tendonitis

Tendonitis is inflammation of a tendon and usually occurs due to overuse.¹ Tendons are bands of strong connective tissues that attach muscle to bone.¹ Common areas of tendonitis include the shoulder, wrist, knee, shin and heel (Achilles tendon).¹

Sports Injuries

Whether you’re an elite athlete or you run around the park once in a while for general fitness, our osteopaths may help prevent and treat many sporting injuries.¹ Commonly treated injuries include neck and back strains, shoulder, elbow and wrist injuries, hip and pelvic injuries, knee, leg and ankle injuries, ankle ligament sprains/tears, shoulder tendonitis/impingement, knee ligament and tendon injuries and hip/groin/hamstring injuries.¹

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, your body undergoes tremendous change to accommodate the growing fetus.¹ Apart from the obvious physical changes like expansion of the abdominal region, hormonal releases can affect the function of your body’s internal systems.¹ As your pregnancy progresses, the extra weight creates a shift in your body’s centre of gravity.¹ Your supporting ligaments also soften.¹ These factors can add stress to your body, causing problems like back pain, sciatica, insomnia, shortness of breath, swelling, high blood pressure and fatigue.¹

Occupational Injuries

Occupational injuries account for millions of working days lost each year.¹ Whether you work outside or work in the office you need to be able to cope with the individual demands made on your body by the style of your work.¹ Make sure you take frequent short breaks away from the desk and computer to help avoid back, neck and eye strain.¹

Find out how our Osteopaths may be able to help. Osteopaths treat many conditions and injuries.

Our Osteopaths at Valued Health Osteopathy in Bentleigh East utilise many techniques including stretching, soft tissue massage, inhibition, trigger point therapy, dry needling and mobilisation techniques. Rehabilitation and exercise prescription advice may also be provided as part of your treatment program.

All our Osteopaths at Valued Health Osteopathy are university trained allied health professionals who have completed a minimum of five years of university training in anatomy, physiology, pathology, general medical diagnosis and osteopathic techniques. It is also a requirement that all our Osteopaths at Valued Health Osteopathy are registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and Osteopathy Australia (OA).

You do not need a referral to see one of our friendly Osteopaths at Valued Health Osteopathy. We have a very good relationship with many surrounding doctors, other health practitioners and personal trainers in the local community of Bentleigh East and surrounding suburbs.

To make an appointment directly with one of our Osteopaths call (03) 9570 9061 to speak to one of our friendly receptionists or book online HERE.

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References:

1. http://www.osteopathy.org.au/pages/osteopathy-and-you.html

Osteopaths treat many conditions and injuries.