People find their way to an osteopath by all sorts of routes: a friend’s recommendation, a GP referral, a search for someone who treats headaches or jaw pain. Many arrive without a clear idea of what osteopathy is. This is the plain version.
What osteopathy is
Osteopathy is a form of manual healthcare that focuses on how the body’s structure, meaning the joints, muscles, nerves and connective tissue, affects how it functions. Osteopaths assess and treat problems in that system using their hands, alongside exercise, advice and, where needed, referral to other practitioners.
In Australia, osteopathy is a regulated health profession. Osteopaths complete a five-year university degree, are registered with AHPRA in the same way doctors, physiotherapists and dentists are, and are trained to examine and diagnose, to recognise when a problem needs medical attention, and to refer accordingly.
What an osteopath does at an appointment
A first appointment is mostly assessment. The osteopath takes a history: what the problem is, when it started, what makes it better or worse, what else is going on with your health. Then a physical examination: how you move, what is stiff or tender, how the joints and muscles involved are behaving, and any tests needed to rule things in or out.
Treatment follows from that. It is hands-on and varies with the problem: mobilising stiff joints, releasing tight muscles, working on connective tissue, and sometimes gentle manipulation. Most osteopaths also give exercises and advice on the habits, postures and loads that are contributing, because treatment on the table is only part of what changes a long-standing problem.
What osteopaths treat
General osteopaths treat a broad range: back and neck pain, joint and muscle injuries, headaches, sports injuries, pregnancy-related pain and more. Some osteopaths narrow their practice to an area they have trained further in.
North Coast Head Neck & Jaw Centre is one of those. We treat only conditions of the head, neck and jaw: headaches and migraine, jaw and facial pain, neck pain and whiplash, dizziness and vertigo, and concussion. If your problem is a sore back or a knee, we will point you to a general osteopath rather than treat it ourselves.
Seeing an osteopath in Ballina or Lismore
A first appointment with us is an hour, and treatment usually begins within it. You do not need a referral. We work alongside GPs, dentists and other practitioners rather than instead of them, and if we do not think we can help, we will say so at the first visit. You can see our osteopath in Ballina at Ballina Health Centre on Tamar Street, or our osteopath in Lismore at Hinterland Osteopathy on Molesworth Street; details of fees, rebates and what to bring are on our patient information page.