Our Approach
Every patient is unique.
Habits. Behaviours. Genetics. Ergonomics. Movements. Injuries. There are so many factors in life that contribute to the way you feel.
We take our time and get to know EVERYTHING there is to know about YOU - the person within the patient.
We talk. We listen. We examine. We treat. Then, paying attention to all the small detail, we talk some more. Once we know and understand everything about you and the goals you want to achieve, we can work together to help get you there.
At Central Mallee Osteopathy, we empower our patients through education.
Over the years we have seen the benefits of creating self-aware and self-motivated patients who understand their bodies, their own capabilities, and their own individual responsibility when it comes to injury management.
By being proactive and improving competence and compliance to your own health and wellbeing, we hope to reduce your injury risk, maximise participation in the things you enjoy most, and perform to your full potential.
At Central Mallee Osteopathy, we implement positive new strategies to help create CHANGE.
We look forward to looking after you.
Osteopathy
Osteopaths undertake a minimum of 5 years of study at university level. With long appointments and attention to detail, our osteopaths are qualified to diagnose and treat your injury or condition. Offering a “hands on approach” tailored to suit your needs, osteopaths use techniques such as soft tissue, stretching, joint mobilisation & manipulation, dry needling and myofascial release.
Injury management can also combine exercise rehabilitation, movement therapy, self management & lifestyle advice in a holistic way, to work towards attaining your health and wellbeing goals.
All of our osteopaths are fully qualified and registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and Osteopathy Australia.
Massage
Massage, or soft tissue therapy, is a treatment used to relieve tension, stress, and pain in muscles and around joints as part of your osteopathic consult.
Depending on your needs, different pressure can be applied to achieve a certain result - deep sports massage, light relaxation techniques, effleurage and draining tissue work, or tension and stress relief in problematic areas.
Pregnancy treatment includes specific massage techniques for women as their bodies change, offering the ability for women to receive care whilst lying on their fronts using “The Belly Pillow”.
Exercise Rehabilitation
Exercise Rehabilitation involves conditioning the structures of the body that are injured or deficient with the aim of regaining or improving function and movement. It is a critical part of all injury prevention and management and is a fundamental part of our treatment approach at Central Mallee Osteopathy.
Most rehabilitation will be performed as a part of an osteopathic consultation, but there may be the need to complete a stand-alone rehabilitation session.
Pregnancy Services
Pregnancy is an exiting and special time for an expecting mother and her unborn child. Over the course of a pregnancy the body experiences many changes in a relatively short period of time in order to adapt to a growing baby.
An osteopath may be able to assist with the strain placed on a woman’s body as she accommodates the changes in posture, weight, hormonal ligament softening, and additional pressure on the joints, muscles, spine and pelvis.
Osteopathic treatment during pregnancy may assist lower back pain, sciatica, pelvic pain, headaches, neck shoulder and upper back pain, rib pain and shortness of breath, carpal tunnel syndrome and fluid retention.
Osteopathic treatment postnatally may assist with any pain or discomfort from the stress of labour, or the ongoing demands of nurturing a new born.
Baby & Children's Services
Babies and children can show signs of stress and strain in their bodies in a number of ways. When your child sees an osteopath, the osteopath will take a case history and perform a thorough examination to determine whether there may be a physical component to your child's current symptoms.
Osteopathic treatment aims to facilitate healthy function and movement in all areas of a new born or growing child, by freeing up muscles and joints, improving blood flow and encouraging balanced symmetrical growth.
Reasons parents may seek the help of an osteopath for their child my include assessment of tension from stressful birth experiences, feeding difficulties, restrictions that may be causing irritability, growth asymmetries, or for small accidents and injuries - the small bumps and falls along their little journeys.
Strength & Conditioning
Our osteopaths Louise & Michael are fully qualified strength and conditioning coaches with the Australian Strength & Conditioning Association (ASCA). Beyond injury management, they have a passion for injury prevention and performance, with an emphasis on safe and successful returns to sport.
Included is a special interest in revising strength and exercises programs, movement analysis and screening weightlifting technique. Strength and conditioning coaching can be incorporated post recovery from injury, or as an individualised one-on-one service for those interested in improving.
Dry Needling
Dry needling and traditional acupuncture differ according to why and where a needle is placed in the body as a treatment approach.
Dry needling is the process of simply placing the needle in points of muscular tightness (“trigger points”) or in areas we want to reduce inflammation, swelling or improve blood flow, in an attempt to promote healing.
In traditional acupuncture, needles are placed in various points around the body to influence the body’s “chi” and to affect the function of the different body systems.
Dry Needling may be less painful than deep tissue massage techniques, so it can be an alternate choice for those who are sensitive to pressure. We rarely use dry needling in isolation; rather it is often included as part of a normal osteopathic treatment if required.
Telehealth & Online Coaching
Sometimes, there are barriers such as distance, illness, work commitments or practitioner availability that prevents a patient from attending the clinic in person. Telehealth enables us to connect with patients in a unique way and ensures they are moving forward with health and wellness regardless of where they are in the world.
As part of the Telehealth consult, practitioners can also provide individualised rehabilitation and exercise programs, customised and delivered, using Physitrack or otherwise.
Running Analysis
Running is a pivotal part of many sports. The way we run can have the potential to put a runner at greater risk of injury. At Central Mallee Osteopathy we provide a full running analysis service to evaluate both the injured and non-injured runner.
The service incorporates a fully filmed, multi angle treadmill running analysis with written report, technique re-training and programming, linking with any exercise rehabilitation recommendations.
Athlete Development
We have a passion for developing stronger, smarter, more competent athletes. By encouraging and developing an athlete’s compliance to effective injury management, recovery, injury prevention, and strength & conditioning, we hope to ensure that each individual athlete can minimise injury risk, maximise training and playing time, and perform consistently at their highest possible level.
Athlete development is important for all ages, but we have a particular interest in encouraging and supporting junior athletes in their development. We have successfully run and seen the benefits of our Junior Athlete Development Programs, where we focus on the fundamentals of sport and movement, setting the foundations for individual and team success.