Osteopaths are allied health practitioners that are tertiary educated with a five-year university degree to provide manual therapy, exercise rehabilitation and lifestyle advice relating to a wide variety of musculoskeletal injuries and conditions.
 
Osteopathic treatment takes a Biopsychosocial approach to health meaning your Osteopath is required to consider factors that have predisposed you to your complaint and those factors likely to re-aggravate it. In this way we seek to find the cause of problems rather than simply assisting them short term.
 
What can we help with?
 Osteopathic manual treatment, in conjunction with education, exercise and lifestyle advice given by your Osteopath may help with the management of the following conditions;

• neck, jaw pain and headaches

• short or long term upper and lower back pain i.e. disc injuries

• shoulder, knee and elbow, wrist, knee and ankle complaints i.e. frozen shoulder, ankle sprains.

• repetitive strain injuries such as tennis elbow, wrist complaints from mouse work

• pain relating to arthritic conditions both inflammatory and degenerative

• sport and exercise related injuries

 
How do we treat?
Osteopaths may make use of the following treatment techniques to address any given injury;
 
- soft tissue/massage techniques- these can be very light and gentle to assist fluid flow or deeper to address muscular concerns
- articulation- techniques that assist in improving joint range of motion and potentially decreasing stiffness
- manipulation- quick techniques that may involve an audible "clicking" sound that can also assist in improving joint stiffness in conjunction with other techniques.
-stretching- designed to assist in decreasing pain from tight muscles and joints and to potentially increase range.
- lifestyle, ergonomic and exercise advice
- ultrasound and laser treatment

HOW DOES ULTRASOUND TREATMENT WORK?
Ultrasound can target different layers of the body – from more superficial areas like the muscles just under the skin (think of tight hamstrings or forearm muscles) to deeper tissues like ligaments around a knee joint or the soft tissue deep in the hip . It’s also helpful for both acute conditions, where there’s increased inflammation (like a fresh muscle strain or tendonitis flare-up), and chronic conditions, where there might be changes in tissue texture over time (like scar tissue, ongoing tightness, or thickened tendons).
Some examples where therapeutic ultrasound is indicated:

• Acute injuries like sprained ankles or strained muscles

• Tendonitis (such as tennis elbow or Achilles tendonitis)

• Chronic joint stiffness (especially around knees, shoulders and wrists)

• Scar tissue management after injuries or certain surgeries

• Muscle tightness and spasms that need a little extra help alongside hands-on therapy

It’s been a wonderful addition to our Osteopathic treatments, helping us deliver even more targeted care where it's needed most. If you’re curious about whether therapeutic ultrasound might be helpful for you, feel free to ask our osteopaths- Alicia & Karl.