There are many possible causes of back pain. A back specialist will investigate a patient’s medical history as part of the thorough examination to formulate an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. For patients who complain about back pain for the first time, some questions may not seem important, but the questions will be important for doctors to determine the source and cause of back pain.

Some information that may be asked relating to medical history are as follows:

• When the pain began
• The severity of pain and its triggers
• Pain recurrence
• Recent medical conditions
• Presence of symptoms including fever, cough, urinary problems, discharge, and stomach upsets

Physical examination during back pain assessment 

After investigating the medical history, a back specialist will perform a physical examination. The thorough procedure will include checking for the presence of nerve damage. Different tools will be used during the physical examination. Also, you will be asked to perform various manoeuvres and assume different positions to identify the presence of nerve damage.

Depending on the probable cause of back pain, a back specialist may also perform abdominal and pelvic examinations. These procedures may also help in diagnosing the cause of lower back pain.

Lastly, a back pain specialist may order a more extensive diagnostic procedure to identify what is causing your back pain. There is no single definitive test that can identify the cause of back pain, hence you may need to undergo several procedures for specialists to deliver the right treatment for you.

Imaging tests and sophisticated diagnostic procedures may be ordered for complicated back pain. If back pain persists for more than 4 to 6 weeks and red flags were detected during assessment, a back pain specialist will recommend the best treatment possible or may refer you to other health care specialists for further testing or implementation of surgery if needed.

To schedule an appointment with an experienced back pain clinic in Australia, come visit our osteopaths at City Osteopathy, give us a call now on 03 9663 5450 today.

Getting relief from the condition you’re suffering from is a matter of finding the right specialist to seek treatment. When it comes to muscle pains, physiotherapists and osteopaths are two of the most common healthcare professionals Australians seek treatment from.

In this article, we will explain about physiotherapy and osteopathy and how they are different from one other. This can help you determine which of these two disciplines help you combat  your ailment and/or condition.

What is osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a branch of complementary medicine that aims to treat a series of medical conditions with the use of manual manipulation, exercises, and massages for relief of the skeletal and musculoskeletal systems.

What is physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy is a discipline that aims to treat injuries, diseases, and deformities through physical methodologies and interventions such as massage, heat treatment, and exercises. Instead of utilising conventional surgeries and medications to alleviate pain and discomfort as well as render treatment, physiotherapy focuses on the use of physical methods.

They sound all too similar, so what are the differences between them?

Osteopathic medicine focuses almost exclusively on the musculoskeletal system. Osteopathic doctors specialise in the application of spinal and joint manipulation. Also, they utilise their hands in the provision of treatment to patients. Physiotherapists on the other hand are trained to utilise exercise regimens and other treatment modalities such as electrotherapy and ultrasound in providing treatment to patients.

Osteopaths also follow a more holistic approach to treatment as they identify interrelationships between various organ system to formulate an effective treatment of their patients.

If you want to learn more about osteopathy and what it can do for you, schedule an appointment with us today on 03 9663 5450.

All of us have suffered a headache at some point in our lives. Headaches that are recurrent in nature are undeniably debilitating and can affect our overall quality of life.

Despite the prevalence of headache and migraine, the majority of people do not seek medical attention for long-term cases. Most people turn to painkillers and similar medications for treatment, if you take enough and are sensitive this can very easily  then affect other organs like our liver and digestive tract, causing more long term health issues.

What causes headaches?

There is still limited understanding of the ultimate cause of headaches. In most cases though, the mechanical causes of headaches are often ignored even though they are a very common cause.. This includes muscular tension that centres on the neck and shoulder regions and tight joints in your neck, jaw and upper back are common triggers of headaches and migraines. The sudden onset of headache may be a primary symptom of a joint-related condition around the neck region.

Stress and chronic fatigue have also been identified as factors that lead to headache recurrences. When the underlying causes of headaches are not managed properly, the frequency of headaches increase over time.

How does osteopathy treat migraine and headache?

Typically, an osteopathic practitioner will ask a series of questions that initially may seem irrelevant to a patient like you. It is necessary to answer all questions truthfully so that an osteopathy professional can formulate a safe and effective management plan for you. The answers you supply to an osteopathic doctor will also help him determine whether an osteopathic treatment plan will be suitable in your case.

Patients are typically asked about the following things:

• When the headache started to occur
• The location of headache pain and other affected regions
• The quality of pain and daily patterns
• The severity and duration of headache episodes
• Potential headache triggers
• Specific movements that may aggravate the headache
• Any other symptoms that may accompany headache and migraine such as vision changes and stiff neck to name a few.

Traditional diagnostic procedures such as neurological examination and x-ray may also be ordered by an osteopathic physician before they formulate an effective treatment plan for you.

If your headache or migraine is triggered by a musculoskeletal condition, a plan needs to be put in place to manage it.

Some of the most popular forms of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) for headaches and migraines are as follows:

• Manual therapy has proven to be helpful for chronic headaches and migraines. Potentially even more so than prescription medications such as amitriptyline, and with fewer side effects.
• Gentle soft tissue massage and manipulation of the neck and upper spinal joints can alleviate a headache.
• Lymphatic drainage techniques, trigger point therapy, and acupuncture is also promising OMT treatment modalities that provide relief among patients suffering from chronic headaches and migraines.
•  Stretching exercises may also be recommended by an osteopathic physician as well as recommendations on proper posture for in-home practice.

If you suffer from headaches and want to know if osteopathy can treat your condition do not hesitate to contact us on 03 9663 5450.

Osteopaths in Melbourne offer a non-invasive alternative therapy that aims to improve not only an individual’s musculoskeletal system, but is also beneficial across vital body systems through manual therapy.

Individuals who wish to treat injuries as well as strengthen and condition the musculoskeletal system should look into obtaining services from the best osteopaths Melbourne has to offer.

What do osteopath clinics in Melbourne focus on?

An osteopath has three main focal points during treatment:

• Muscles
• Spinal column
• Joints

The following organ systems are directly influenced by osteopathic manipulative treatments:

• Musculoskeletal system
• Nervous system
• Lymphatic system
• Circulatory system

The manual medicine utilised by osteopathic doctors during both treatment and diagnosis is what separates osteopathy from other complementary therapies disciplines such as chiropractic medicine and physiotherapy.

The most common problems that osteopaths in Melbourne diagnose, treat, and manage are as follows:

• Acute and chronic back pain
• Headache and migraine attacks
• Tennis and golfer’s elbow pain
• Hand, shoulder, and elbow pains
• Postural problems
• Neuralgia
• Insomnia

During an initial consultation, an osteopathic practitioner will assess your condition and listen to your primary complaints. Once an interview is completed, an osteopathic professional will then perform manual manipulation to diagnose the condition as well as discuss solutions to achieve pain relief. Referrals will be made to other members of the healthcare team if and when additional treatment interventions are deemed necessary.

Osteopathy centres on  the delivery of effective and fast relief and comfort to its patients. If you wish to schedule an initial consultation with the best osteopathic doctors practicing in Melbourne, please give us a call on 03 9663 5450 today.