When should I go to an Osteopath? Top 10 reasons why you should see an Osteopath
Osteopaths are university-trained allied health professionals that help people when they have aches, pains, or injuries to the muscles, joints, tendons, or ligaments of the body. Commonly Osteopaths help people who may be suffering from:
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Headaches
- Sporting Injuries
- Jaw pain
- Ankle injury
- Arthritis
- Pregnancy-related pain
- Postural strains
- Hip pain
Whilst Osteopathy is one of the smaller allied health professions in Australia, with Chiropractic and Physiotherapy sharing this space with them, it is very popular in the UK and the USA. Osteopathy is the fastest-growing allied health profession in Australia. Osteopathic services can be accessed in private health care settings and are part of third-party insurance schemes such as private health insurance, TAC, NDIS, and Work Cover, and are included in the Medicare Benefits Scheme Chronic Disease Management plans. What may often set Osteopaths apart is that they consider the whole person when forming a diagnosis and treatment plan, making sure they identify the cause and not just treat the symptoms of pain.
How long is an Osteopathic appointment?
Osteopathic appointments can range in length of time. Traditionally an initial appointment will go for 45-60 minutes as a thorough history and assessment will take place. During an appointment, your practitioner will not only assess you but also perform treatment such as soft tissue massage, joint mobilization or manipulation, dry needling, stretching, and also give you rehabilitation exercises to help with your recovery. Education is a bit part of Osteopathy, Osteopaths will empower you with the knowledge to help you understand your injury and what is involved to get you out of pain to reach your goals.
A follow-up osteopathic appointment is usually 30 minutes. Depending on your injury and level of pain will determine the number of appointments you may require to get you to your goals.
What does an Osteopath actually do?
Osteopaths are trained to help people who are in pain. They are allied health practitioners that are registered through APHRA. In terms of what Osteopaths actually ‘do’, each practitioner may ‘do’ things slightly differently. Generally, Osteopaths take the time to listen to you and ask questions about your pain and about your lifestyle, and things that may be impacting your health. They assess you and work out where your pain is coming from. Osteopaths will use a mixture of techniques to help alleviate pain these range from hands-on therapy to also rehabilitative exercise prescription.
What osteopaths hope to do is get you pain-free, and empower you with the tools to keep healthy and reach your health goals.
Are Osteopaths worth it?
This is an interesting question and it depends on your appetite for how much you would like to invest in your health. Obviously, this writer is a bias in saying I think Osteopaths are totally worth it! But every person and every case is different, and that is an underlying philosophy of Osteopathy, there is no cookie-cutter approach to health. We see what works for someone may not work for the next person, even if they have the same condition. Osteopaths take the individual’s needs and health and apply the best way to work with them.
Best Osteopath near me
How can you work out who the best Osteopath or practitioner is near you? Reading Google Reviews, asking a friend or family member for a recommendation, or nowadays even a Facebook group post is a common way of finding out about local recommendations. Checking out the clinic’s website or social media channels is an important part of getting a sense of the practitioner and their clinical interests. In the end, finding the right practitioner for you to achieve your health goals is the most important thing in health care. At Beyond we have osteopaths that service the Melbourne, Geelong, and Bellarine Peninsula areas.
Best Osteopaths in Geelong & Ocean Grove
Not sure of who to see in the Geelong area for Osteopathy? Whilst we obviously think our Newtown & Ocean Grove clinics in the Geelong region have some fabulous Osteopaths if you can’t access our clinic for whatever reason we recommend searching whatisosteo.com to find a practitioner near you. If you would like to meet the Geelong Osteopaths that work in our Newtown clinic and read about their clinical interests please click here. Or perhaps you are closer to Ocean Grove, please meet the Osteopathic team here.
Best Osteopaths in Melbourne
Again, if you are struggling to find an Osteopath near you in the Hawthorn, Windsor, or Blackburn regions, we recommend you check out our practitioners to see if any of them would be able to help you, or equally search for your local Osteopath at the link provided above.
