MANUAL THERAPY
Osteopathy dates back to the 19th Century, when founder A.T. Still envisioned a new way of treating medical complaints. Fast-forward to the 21st Century, where scientific research and medical developments have helped refine Osteopathy into an evidenced based form of manual therapy. Below are some of the more common Osteopathic techniques that may use to utilised to treat your condition, and help reach your goals...
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SOFT TISSUE THERAPY
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Considered to be similar to massage. However applied locally to the correct muscles at the correct time is where we see the real benefits from having muscles and tendons worked on. This helps stretch out the muscle fibres at a cellular level to allow a greater amount of movement to occur.
JOINT ARTICULATION
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A gentle yet effective technique; which involves a repetitive and passive movement of a joint through its range of motion. It helps increase range of motion and flexibility of that particular joint being worked on.
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HIGH VELOCITY LOW AMPLITUDE TECHNIQUE (HVLA)
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You’ve probably never heard the term HVLA. However you may have heard words thrown around like manipulation, cracking or adjustment. A very safe and effective technique when performed correctly to the correct person. Does not involve “putting bones back in” or “clicking of bones”– that would be incredibly painful. The noise is just gas escaping.
MUSCLE ENERGY TECHNIQUE (MET)
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Another gentle technique, MET involves a progression of muscle contractions followed by a stretch. Used to enhance muscle flexibility, works more effectively than a static stretch.
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MYOFASICAL RELEASE
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Similar to soft tissue therapy or massage. However usually involves holding a particular point for an amount of time. Colloquially named "trigger-point release", this technique can help blood and lymphatic circulation. Especially in areas of chronic fasical adhesions.
REHABILITATION
Immediate hands-on treatment is one aspect to helping you, but getting you to where you want to be is just as important. Rehabilitation treatment is about getting you pain free, and staying out of pain into the future.
Whether you are an athlete or sports person, someone who works hard physically, or you just want to improve your day-to-day wellbeing, we can design unique, tailored programs for all individuals – whatever your situation.
We also work on customising rehabilitation programs for pre and/or post surgery clients. Post surgical rehab is very common, but we recommend a personalised pre surgery program to best prepare you for post surgery recovery. Planning for this should take place weeks or even months before your surgery, giving you the optimal chance of a full and quick recovery.
WHAT IS INVOLVED IN A REHABILITATION PROGRAM?
Every program is different, and might have a variety of components, including:
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stretching exercises.
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Strengthening exercises.
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stability exercises.
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proprioception exercises.
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sports taping.
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rigid taping.
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referral to one of our affiliates, for additional care.
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SPORTS-SPECIFIC REHABILITATION
We take a special interest in all sports here at Glenroy Osteopathy Hub. Whether it’s basketball, AFL, soccer, rugby, golf, cricket, athletics, cycling or any other sport, we can support your performance goals.
The key is to understanding the movements required for the demands of the sport you play, then identifying your strengths and weaknesses. We can then develop a unique plan to improve your weaknesses without compromising your strengths. Some client examples include:
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a local footy player needed more dynamic hip stability when standing on one foot, to improve his kicking penetration and accuracy.
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a basketballer who struggled to grab rebounds after hurting her shoulder. She needed more flexibility through her upper back to allow her to reach her arms above her head.
ADVISING YOUR COACHES AND / OR SUPPORT STAFF
We can provide progress reports, and information about diagnosis and prognosis directly to your coaches or support staff. This ensures your condition and treatment information are passed on in full, and doesn’t get lost in translation. This three-way dialogue is important in sports related rehabilitation.
DRY - NEEDLING
Additional professional training is required to perform dry needling. Our practitioner Aidan Sianidis has successfully completed his Level 1 Dry-Needling, and has been applying the technique successfully since 2013. There is no additional cost for Dry-Needling. It is often used and recommended in combination with physical treatment.
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IS DRY-NEEDLING SAFE?
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Absolutely. There are some areas that should not be needled, and safety is paramount. You may feel a slight prick as the needle enters the skin. Most patients say they “...didn’t feel a thing.”
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All needles are handed with care and are fully sterilised prior to use. Needles are only used once before being safely discarded into a sharps container.
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DRY-NEEDLING IS DIFFERENT TO ACUPUNCTURE
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Dry-Needling is practiced by Western Medical practitioners to solely help the musculoskeletal system and nervous system. Acupuncture is a term used only be licensed and registered Traditional Chinese Medicine therapists.
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Dry-Needling is sometimes referred to as 'trigger point' needling, and involves the use of ultra-fine, hypodermic needles placed carefully into the muscles/tendons. By doing this, the needles stimulate blood flow to some areas of the body that have poor blood supply. Allowing more blood to enter the area, helps speed up recovery times and heal an area quicker.
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Dry-Needling also helps old chronic conditions become acute again, before starting a rehab regime.
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CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENTAL CARE
The developmental stages of children and adolescents can be key to setting up a healthy life as an adult. There are many changes that occur to the body throughout this stage of life.
Couple these growth stages with large amount of intense physical activity and the body can wear and tear. While young people generally have the benefit of bouncing back faster than adults, they still get injured and feel pain nonetheless.
Osteopathy can help manage musculoskeletal issues in children and adolescence. Some of the common complaints we see present to us are:
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Growing pains
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Osgood-Schlatters (knee)
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Severs disease (heel)
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Study-related posture complaints
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Sports related sprains/strains
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Adolescent musculoskeletal diseases such as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis
As a general rule, we will currently do not treat anyone under the age of 6. So providing your child at least attends primary school, we would welcome the opportunity to provide a consultation.
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AGED CARE
Unfortunately with age comes collective wear and tear on the body. Common complaints include:
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osteoarthritis
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osteoporosis
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general aches and pains from old injuries
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a decrease in flexibility
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and a broad range of other problems, issues or concerns.
While, unfortunately, we cannot cure ‘old age’, we can help with pain management and improving your movement to help to you minimise discomfort, and continue to enjoy good mobility and your favourite day to day activities.
Exercise is a big part to improving well-being. Having a tailored exercise regime to help maintain bone density and build muscle can be highly beneficial. Having more strength and coordination helps to prevent falls and decrease pain.
Be assured we will tailor a program or treatment that takes full consideration of your condition and capacity. It’s all about finding a balance and making it fun for you to complete. If the exercises we give you aren’t appropriate, fun and do-able, we know you won’t continue with them at home.
COMMON CONDITIONS
While there is a seemingly endless list of what we treat and help manage, there are a number of injuries or conditions we see occur commonly, including:
Head:
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cervicogenic headaches
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tension headaches
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migraines
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TMJ dysfunction (jaw)
Neck:
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facet sprains
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disc Injury
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nerve compressions
Back:
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rib joint sprain
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disc injuries
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chronic low back ache
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acute (sharp) low back injuries
Shoulder:
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rotator cuff tendinopathy
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bursitis
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shoulder Instability/dislocations
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labral rear
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AC joint sprain
Elbow:
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lateral epicondylosis (tennis elbow)
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medial epicondylosis (golfer’s elbow)
Wrist:
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carpal tunnel syndrome
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wrist instability
Hip/pelvis:
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sacroiliac joint dysfunctions
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femoroacetabular impingement
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osteoarthritis
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bursitis
Knee:
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ligament sprains
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meniscus sprains
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patella tendinopathy (jumper’s knee)
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fat pad impingement
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ITB friction syndrome
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patella tracking syndrome
Ankle:
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sprains
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achilles tendinopathy
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shin-splints
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plantar fasciitis