What can an Osteopath Located Near Me Do for My Well Being?

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Image of a Man having chiropractic back adjustment

The demand for the services of chiropractors and osteopaths has been steadily rising in recent years. Although both disciplines are focused on improving physical well being through pain relief, their approaches are vastly different from one another.

In this article, we will discuss some of the similarities and differences between osteopathy and chiropractic medicine. Learning more about osteopathy and chiropractic medicine will help you decide on which professional to see, thus saving you money and providing you with the right set of treatments for long-term benefits.

First, we look at the similarities,

  • Chiropractors and osteopaths in Melbourne both treat musculoskeletal pain and discomfort.
  • Practitioners are required to acquire relevant qualifications in order for them to be  certified as competent in providing treatment to patients. Professionals in both fields are also required to undergo continuous training to provide first-class care to patients.

Is osteopathic manipulation the same as chiropractic?

As you can see, osteopaths and chiropractors both aim to provide relief to patients suffering from different musculoskeletal conditions. Understanding what sets them apart will help you in painting a clear picture of which treatment is best suited for your case:

  • Chiropractors can render relief from pain and discomfort by joint adjustments and manipulation of the spinal column as well as limbs. They often believe that the cause of pain is due to joint subluxations.
  • Osteopathy also relies on manual manipulation, but combine this with a huge amount of soft tissue mobilisation and gentle techniques aiming to reduce soft tissue tension which can impact onto joint health, we believe this allows our treatment to have longer standing effects. Our goal is to restore structural alignment and to reduce soft tissue tension to alleviate pain and enhance overall function of the musculoskeletal system.
  • Chiropractic treatment generally provides for shorter treatment times than Osteopathic treatment.  Longer treatment times allows your Osteopath to delve deeper into your problem and understand better your psycho emotional situation, your pain situation and to undertake more gentle, calm treatment options.

Now that you have some basic knowledge about the two disciplines, we hope that it will help you make a decision on whether osteopathy is the right treatment for you.

 

If you wish to know more or set up an appointment with us, you may reach us on 03 9663 5450.

The Benefits of Seeking Services from Osteopaths in Melbourne

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image of an osteopath doing manipulative neck and head massage on female patient

There are many treatment options that are available to successfully recover from an injury or simply to alleviate pain and discomfort from daily activities. Techniques such as physical rehabilitation and chiropractic medicine are commonplace, however not everyone will experience relief from them. Osteopathy is an emerging alternative manual medicine practice that is gaining popularity due to efficacy in providing enhanced well-being to its patients.

If you’ve been looking far and wide for a modern, effective treatment strategy for those aches and pains, you should seriously consider visiting a skilled osteopath in Melbourne City.

Here are some pointers about osteopathic medicine that you should know:

  • Osteopathy takes a holistic treatment approach  

Most forms of traditional treatment symptoms focus on specific problems, whereas osteopathy stresses the relationship between all organ systems of the body. For instance, osteopathy emphasizes the connection between muscles, bones, and joints to overall functioning.

Doctors of osteopathy evaluate a variety of problems, but do not concentrate on treating one area of the body only. Osteopathy goes beyond only treating the musculoskeletal system, but looks into problems of interrelated organ systems and how they can cause referred pain to your musculoskeletal system, too.

  • Lows-stress treatment that can deliver instant relief

Unlike traditional rehabilitative treatments that involve deep tissue pressure, osteopathy can deliver a lighter approach of treating problematic areas. Osteopathy mainly revolves around rendering light, manual manipulation to treat problems such as sports-related injuries, recurrent strains, and also various forms of headaches.

  • Osteopathy can help enhance immune system functioning

Apart from effectively treating musculoskeletal disorders, osteopathic medical therapy may improve lymph flow and generalised fluid movement which can help improve general wellbeing.

Osteopathy is an alternative manual medical approach that is proven to deliver results. It delivers effective treatments that can reduce dependence on harmful medications such as strong painkillers , whilst ensuring fast recovery and improvement of the body as a whole.

 

If you want to learn more about osteopathy or if you wish to schedule an appointment with an expert osteopath in Melbourne, call us on 03 9663 5450 today.

What to Expect on your Visit to a Melbourne Osteopathy Clinic

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image of an Osteopathic belly massage

Is your mobility limited? Are you suffering from chronic aches and pains? Do you have posture problems? If you answer YES to all, or at least YES to one of these problems, visiting a Melbourne osteopathy clinic should be at the top of your healthcare list.

What is osteopathy?

According to the World Health Organization, osteopathy is a traditional system of medicine that utilises manual therapy and subtle, hands-on treatment techniques to asses, evaluate, and treat the body. Doctors of osteopathy uses palpation on patients to diagnose conditions and to render treatment using a wide array of manual therapies. The manual treatments are designed to help the body in self-healing and to alleviate all sorts of aches and pains, posture problems and the likes.

What does an osteopath do?

An osteopath believes in a holistic treatment approach rather than focus on specific problems in certain areas of the skin. They explore the relationship of the musculoskeletal system to other organ systems and provide a treatment that will benefit the entire body.

Their knowledge and experience includes biomechanics or how different parts of the musculoskeletal works and how it affects connected organ systems.

Some of the most common conditions that osteopathic doctors can help with are as follows:

  • Different types of headache inc migraines
  • Lower back and neck pain
  • Arthritis and generalised joint problems
  • Sports-related injuries
  • Muscle strains
  • Chest tightness and breathing restrictions related to asthma and allergies.
  • Sciatica
  • Posture problems

If you wish to learn about the manual treatment systems that you can obtain from a Melbourne osteopathy clinic, click here. To schedule an appointment, you may also contact us on 03 9663 5450 today.

Melbourne Osteopathic Clinic FAQs

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image of a female osteopath doing shoulder blade therapy on young woman

Have you sought professional help from many specialists, but have not experienced relief from your pain? Perhaps it’s the right time to see an osteopath.

If you’re looking for an osteopath, here are tips on how to choose the best one in Melbourne City.

 

  • Do they really practice osteopathy?

Osteopathy is one of the fastest growing complementary medical fields in Australia. The Osteopathy Board of Australia (OBA) is a regulatory organisation for osteopathic professionals in the country. OBA provides endorsements when it comes to recognised and defined areas of osteopathy. Although OBA does not define scope of practice, they provide accreditation for osteopaths who want to practice their field not only in Melbourne, but all across Australia.

An osteopath practicing in Melbourne should have completed the necessary coursework for their field of complementary medicine. High standards set by the Osteopathy Board of Australia verify the education level of osteopathic professionals as well as establish professional standards and ongoing skills development of practitioners.

Verify the status of an osteopath simply by calling OBA or the Australian Osteopathic Association to ensure that you are getting the best possible care and treatment.

 

  • The focus of osteopaths

There is variety and complexity in the practice of osteopathy in Australia. As there are different skill sets and techniques that osteopathic professionals specialise in, it is imperative for patients to know which techniques they need to treat their complaints.

For instance, structural osteopaths focus on addressing patient complaints by physical manipulation designed to mobilise joints, stretch muscles and modify movement patterns.

Cranial osteopathy, on the other hand, involves the use of a highly-developed sense of touch to identify changes in tension and tissue quality.

 

If you are in a lot of pain and suspect musculoskeletal problems, visit us here to check our availability or call us on 03 9663 5450 to schedule an appointment.

How to Choose the Best Osteopath in Melbourne

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image of a female patient receiving osteopathic neck treatment

If you want long-term relief from the aches and discomfort that has been bothering you for awhile, you need to choose the best Osteopath that Melbourne offers. Here are valuable tips that will help you select an osteopath that can help relieve your pain.

 

  • Educational Background

Although growing in popularity, osteopathic medicine is still a small niche in the complementary medicine field. To ensure that you are getting the best care possible, it’s only proper that we ask the right questions. The first item that needs to be verified is educational qualifications of the practitioner.

Osteopaths in Melbourne should have completed a degree in clinical sciences with a major in osteopathic studies at an accredited university. This four-year course is then followed by a postgraduate qualification in osteopathy. Some osteopaths also have double degree majors in health science and osteopathy. Having acquired these qualifications, aspiring osteopaths need to apply with the Osteopathy Board of Australia to be registered to work in Melbourne.

 

  • Execution of vital osteopathy tasks

The major task of an osteopath is to identify the cause and nature of disorders/dysfunctions in the musculoskeletal and nervous system. Osteopaths assist in mobilising joints and changing movement as well as adjusting spinal columns. In addition, osteopaths also provide recommendations on exercises as well as other activities that may contribute to providing relief to patients who are in pain.

 

Is an osteopath safe?

Provided that you go to the best osteopaths in Melbourne, you are in good hands. As osteopaths have the know-how in delivering non-invasive treatments to patients, they are generally safe to work with.

 

Here are other safe duties and tasks for osteopaths in Melbourne:

  • Provide recommendations on sleep, nutrition, exercises, and stress management.
  • Refer patients to general medical practitioners or specialists when necessary.
  • Detection of physical abnormalities.
  • Analyses and evaluations in the functioning of the nervous system, spine and musculoskeletal system.

 

If you need relief from aches and pains, check out our services. To schedule an appointment, give us a call on 03 9663 5450 today.

The Top 6 Common Conditions Treated by Melbourne Osteopathy Practitioners

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Image of a young woman with back pain sitting on the bed at home

The aim of osteopathy is to provide treatment in a non-invasive, drug-free manner. The complementary therapies for osteopathy were designed to elevate overall health through manual manipulation, strengthening and conditioning of the entire musculo-skeletal system.

 

What is osteopathy?

 

Similar to chiropractic treatment, osteopathy mainly involves both diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions taking into context any medical issues that may need referral for.. Osteopaths need to undergo years of coursework in order to be qualified and licensed to provide treatment to patients.

 

Osteopathy is a field of complementary medicine that treats a large variety of conditions. In recent years, it is the most preferred treatment for musculoskeletal disorders as well as pain relief and discomfort in localised regions such as in the head, neck, shoulders, back and feet.

 

Osteopathy treatment is just one of the many interventions for a patient. It serves as a complementary treatment that helps boost the efficacy and potency of other conventional medical interventions.

 

What does a Melbourne osteopath do?

 

An osteopath is focused on delivering relief to problem regions of the spine, muscles, and joints. The “hands-on” approach followed in osteopathy aims to improve these following aspects:

 

  • Circulation in problem areas to provide relief, reduce stasis and improve fluid flow.
  • Alleviate or reduce alignment or biomechanical stresses and strains without the use of prescription drugs.

 

Some of the most common manual techniques used in osteopath clinics in Melbourne and Eastern suburbs are collectively known as osteopathic manipulative medicine which includes resistance, gentle pressure and stretching just to name a few.

 

Osteopathic Therapy Indications

 

The most common conditions that are treated by osteopath physicians in Melbourne City are as follows:

 

  • Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow
  • Arthritis
  • Sciatica pain
  • Postural problems caused by pregnancy, sports-related injuries, driving and sporting issues
  • Neuralgia
  • Hand, shoulder, and elbow pain

To book an appointment, you can get in touch with us by visiting our site here, or by calling us on 03 9663 5450.