What is Osteopathy?

Your practitioner will firstly take your case history by asking questions about your presenting symptoms, medical history, current exercise routine, and the impact of your aches, pains, or injuries on your day-to-day life. We’ll then discuss your goals for the session and what you would like to achieve from treatment, as well as your longer-term health goals.

For children and babies we take a thorough history including pregnancy and birth, if your child is happy in the car and in tummy time, how they are feeding, sleeping, and how their gut is functioning.

Your practitioner will then conduct a comprehensive physical assessment. This may involve evaluating your range of motion, performing practical tests, and observing movements and positions related to your area of concern.

For children and babies we’ll look at how comfortably and symmetrically your child is moving, whether they are reaching their developmental milestones, and and how tense or relaxed they feel.

Based on the information gathered from the case history and assessment, your practitioner will then work towards formulating a diagnosis. In simple terms, they will explain what’s happening with your or your child’s body. Our aim is to help you understand your/ your child’s current health, what is going right and wrong, and what factors may be contributing to any issues that have arisen.

This is where we develop a comprehensive plan. Based on the goals we set together at the start we’ll explore various management options. This will typically start with deciding what kind of treatment approach is needed and how many appointments that may require. Osteopaths are primarily manual therapists, so we use our hands to address areas in your body or your child’s body that are stiff and uncomfortable. Because we use our hands so much, we develop excellent palpatory skills, the same way a chef can tell what herbs are in a dish by tasting it, or a musician can hear each note in an orchestra.

We may then discuss modifying activities of daily living (e.g., sleep positions, desk ergonomics), give home exercises and stretches, as well as recommendations for any further referral if necessary. Our goal is to provide you with practical solutions that can be incorporated into your everyday routine.

No you do not need a referral to see us. You can make an appointment without a referral as Osteopaths are primary health practitioners. This also means that your Osteopath will be able to refer you for further testing such as x-rays or scans, if required.

At North Canberra Osteopathy, all of our Osteopaths have completed university training in anatomy, physiology, pathology, neurological and orthopaedic testing, and Osteopathic techniques. We are members of the Australian Osteopathic Association, registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and regularly undergo further professional development and postgraduate study.

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Yes, absolutely! We have lots of ways to modify our techniques to make them comfortable and appropriate for pregnancy. We also have a special pregnancy cushion that makes it comfortable to lie face-down for your treatment.

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Yes, we see lots of babies at the clinic, it’s one of our special interests at North Canberra Osteo. Most of the babies we look after are tight, asymmetrical, or uncomfortable, either from their birth or from their position in utero. We also see babies who are having issues with feeding, and we work closely with a referral network of midwives, lactation consultants and GPs to support families who are having trouble breastfeeding. One of the other common things we see are babies who cry in the car. If you’d like to talk to us before booking your baby in just give us a call, we’re very happy to talk through any questions you might have.

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