A visit to my osteopathic clinic involves...
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The first visit to my clinic takes about an hour and costs around $80, although some discretionary concessions are available, for example for children and students.
As a registered health care professional, my fees are claimable through your health fund or in some cases, where your condition is chronic and complex, you may be eligible for a referral from your GP for some treatments which are partially funded by Medicare. Formal Osteopathic training covers a broad range of diagnostic and structural techniques. For more information about Osteopathy in Australia, you can visit the official website of Osteopathy Australia at www.osteopathy.org.au Below is a description of the techniques I mainly use in practice. |
The Osteopathic techniques I use...Cranial Osteopathy |
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Cranial Osteopathy was born in the 1930's after a brilliant Osteopath called Dr Sutherland was observing a 'disarticulated' skull - that means the bones had been slightly separated in order to see them better.
He had the sudden intuition that the way the bones fitted together seemed to indicate a potential for them to move. He worked with this theory for many years and mapped a pattern of subtle motion that not only pervades the cranial bones, but the fluids and membranes of the body as well. The theory and practice of Cranial Osteopathy rests on working with the perception of this subtle inherent motion, and our awareness of when it deviates from normal. Where the body is blocked or compressed from trauma, which can stretch as far back as birth, the inherent motion is also compromised. For me, working to release compression in the bony structure, and combining this with releasing strain patterns that occur in the membranous matrix of the body (see Fascial Technique), can bring about profound change and alleviation of physical symptoms. Working with infants and children can be particularly rewarding in resolving problems in early development. For an in depth discussion of Osteopathy in the Cranial Field and the treatment of infants and children, I suggest a look at the official website of the Sutherland Cranial foundation in the UK, www.cranial.org.uk Another excellent website is ' Osteopathy - The Art of Practice' at www.osteodoc.com by Mark Rosen a former president of the American Cranial Academy.
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Fascia is essentially connective tissue... skin, membranes and ligaments. Our external skin layer is like a stretchy membranous suit, which keeps us contained and provides the essential barrier between us and the outside world. It's elastic, (has more elastin than a ligament), is strong, and is also selectively permeable.
Just as externally we're wrapped in a tough elastic membrane (the skin), internally we're also held together, wrapped and supported by membranes. All our organs, muscles, and bones are wrapped in membrane, and the potential spaces created by this compartmentalisation, provide the natural pathways for the blood vessels and nerves to reach their destinations. Of course blood vessels and nerves are also wrapped in their own membranes! From a subjective perspective, when I contact the external layer of fascia, (the skin) with my hands, and allow information and exchange to start occurring, there's a sense of the membranous body having incredible unity and mobility. It's as if the whole membranous body/matrix begins to enliven and move in harmony with the cranial rhythm, that subtle motion first described by Dr Sutherland.
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