Supporting the health of your family

Update Aug 7 2020
From now to Sept 13, I am offering only telehealth appointments at Songbird Osteopathy to limit the number of places I work at and to reduce non-essential travel in the community.  I hope you stay well and stay safe during these difficult times. I know for many of us, telehealth appointments don't seem like a automatic fit with manual therapy but you’ll be surprised how much we can help you through advice, education and showing you things to try at home. 

I will still be offering face to face appointments in Seddon at Inner West Health Clinic on Tuesdays and Fridays for urgent presentations only. Here is a guide for seeking allied health treatment during stage 4 lockdown for Melbourne:

• You do not need a GP referral to see us.
• You can travel more than 5km to seek treatment from your existing practitioner, but only within 5km if you are a new patient.
• You have to require “urgent care” - essentially you have to be in enough pain that you are unable to perform activities of daily living or sleep. Also, lack of treatment would result in a significant change/deterioration in the patient/client’s functional independence necessitating escalation of care or hospital admission, according to the DHHS.
• You have to fill out pre-screening questionnaires to meet this urgent care criteria and for Covid-19 symptoms.
• Routine treatment or non-urgent  treatment is NOT permitted. If you do not meet this urgent care criteria, consider a telehealth appointment instead. 
• Allied health practitioners need to wear a disposable surgical mask and eye protection while treating, patients need to wear a face covering. 

 If you really need a face-to-face appointment, please do not hesitate to get in contact with me so that we can determine if you meet the criteria of “urgent care” or if you need to have a chat.  

"Fear is our Friend ringing the doorbell of our being, hoping for someone to answer.  Our task is to hear this call and wait in a wider vision, until a natural balance emerges from the instinctual core of our being.  This is not faith, it is an instinctual knowing of one’s Origin in and from the womb of Life, it carries with it an awareness that carries us into the calm of maternal forces present in nature."
"An Osteopathic treatment is aimed at neutralizing the fear and becoming more at home with it…the nit slowly resolves the fear as understanding nurtures change."
- James Jealous D.O., July 2020

For LITTLE PEOPLE

Osteopathic techniques are suitable for children at all stages of development; I will assess your child to see what might help.

​Toddlers and older children are never still, so we often see them when they've bumped their head or hurt themselves in school actitivies.  Treatment can assist in recovery from muscle sprains and strains, as well as decrease inflammation in conditions associated with growing pains (e.g. Sever's disease, ​Osgood–Schlatter disease).

​Osteopaths also examine babies who are unable to settle, cry excessively, have breastfeeding issues, trouble staying asleep or digestive issues like wind, constipation or reflux. ​ Treatment may help reduce any musculoskeletal discomfort associated with these conditions. We work closely with your GP, lactation consultant and maternal health nurse as part of a multidisciplinary approach to obtain the best outcome for your little one.

For big people

We all lead such busy lives, it's easy to put up with that nagging back, headache or sore neck that's always there in the background. Other times, a small action like brushing your hair or bending down sets off the worst pain imaginable.

Osteopathy aims to restore the natural alignment of the body and improve its resilience to everyday stresses. Other conditions we see include jaw pain, migraines, disc bulges, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, frozen shoulder, plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, bursitis, pelvic instability and more. Osteopaths can also help to reduce and manage any  neurogenic or muscular pain in pregnancy resulting from your changing centre of gravity  (e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, pubic symphysis pain).

For older adults, osteopathic treatment can help mobilise stiff and achy arthritic joints, promote recovery from surgery and help put a spring back in your step.​

For SPORTY people

Whether you are a seasoned athlete or a weekend warrior, it can be frustrating to have to stop your sport due to pain. An osteopath will be able to assess if your injury is due to trauma or repetitive stress, whether treatment would be beneficial or if you should be referred for scans instead.

Common conditions osteopaths treat and/or manage include joint sprains, achilles tenditinits, knee instability, patellofemoral pain, runner's knee, hip/SIJ/gluteal pain, back pain, rotator cuff injuries, shoulder impingement, muscle tears or strains.

If you are training harder but still not able to reach your fitness goals, or if you constantly re-injure yourself, perhaps there could be a more efficient way in which you could move. As part of your complete recovery, we can also design a program to help you return to your level of fitness, while at the same time reduce your risk of re-injury. 

Want to know more about osteopathy?

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