Ascot Vale OSTEOPATHY - Osteopathic Treatment

At Ascot Vale Osteopathy, we can treat you for any musculoskeletal injury or pains. These include:

Spinal Pain – Ranging from chronic to acute pain, disc injuries, joint pain, pelvic and abdominal instability, scoliosis, sciatica, lumbago
Neck pain - Muscular tension, whiplash
Headaches - Tension headache, migraines, jaw tension
Sporting injuries - E.g. Tendonitis, shin splints, muscular strains
Work Injuries, both acute and chronic
Pain in shoulders, arms and wrists
Pain in hip, knees and ankles
Pregnancy related pain (both during and after pregnancy)
R.S.I. (repetitive strain injuries)
All types of arthritis
Nerve pain
The elderly - Including joint pain, general mobility and stiffness.

Osteopathy can play a significant role in pain management in arthritic conditions, and when used in conjunction with medical treatment, can be of value in reducing the severity of symptoms in conditions such as asthma, gynaecological dysfunction and chronic fatigue. Many mothers-to-be find Osteopathic treatment very beneficial both to reduce back pain during pregnancy and also to help prepare the body for birth.

Consultations/what to expect

When initially arriving at the clinic, all patients will be asked to fill out a personal information form, detailing their injury, and any previous medical history details. In the following consultation, the osteopath will take a full case history and detail any points noted on the form.

During the examination, the osteopath will take a standard medical approach, using various orthopaedic and medical examinations, to determine the extent of movement available at certain joints, and to help determine the origin of pain.

Osteopaths utilise hands on techniques as the basis of treatment. A few examples of the many treatment techniques osteopaths may use are massage, deep tactile pressure, stretching and joint mobilisation (if required).

The osteopath will also focus on patient education; understanding their condition, and self management techniques. This may include stretching or exercises, nutritional advice, ergonomic and lifestyle advice.

Osteopaths believe that simply getting patients to keep returning for more treatment is not the best form of long term preventive care. The key to preventing health problems recurring, and to developing long-term solutions, lies in increasing patients’ awareness of the causes of problems, and in giving them the help they need to take responsibility for their own health. This is done in a number of ways:

By identifying the causative factors of a patient’s problems, such as problems with workplace ergonomics, and trying to reduce or eliminate them.
By teaching patients more efficient and less strenuous body usage in their actions at home or at work.
By helping patients become aware of postural problems and how to correct them.
By providing individually tailored exercise programmes both for rehabilitation and prevention.
By teaching relaxation techniques to reduce stress.
By working in conjunction with other practitioners such as dieticians, occupational therapists etc. where appropriate.

Osteopaths thus believe that long-term prevention is the result of a cooperative effort between patient and practitioner.