Apart from any personal preferences, consulting either of our therapists – Karen as an Osteopath or Dan as a Musculoskeletal therapist – in the initial stages will be able to provide appropriate treatment in the majority of cases since they both treat with very similar approaches.

Should it be determined that a complaint be better suited to another therapist, then an inter-referral will transfer the case and all notes as a new patient for ongoing treatment or second opinion including THOR, dry needling, SCENAR Therapy, Massage, NeurOptimal etc.

Some conditions respond best to a combination of modalities and if this is the case then your treatment plan will be developed to incorporate all of the appropriate treatment types.

Comprehensive case histories are taken at the commencement of the initial 45 minute treatment session, with follow up sessions being 30 minutes with both sessions will including appropriate treatment.

X-rays are not usually required in order to commence treatment, however if these are required Karen is able to refer her Patients for spinal radiology under Medicare or make requests through GP’s if necessary.

Depending on the type and acuity of symptoms, use of additional modalities including standalone THOR Cold Laser Therapy may be recommended to reduce pain and increase healing rates with the best results typically achieved according to the THOR protocols of a twice weekly treatment for 4-6 weeks.

ongoing follow-on and follow-up treatments will depend on the individual and their circumstances, there is not a ‘one size fits all’ formula.

Once best pain and range of movement has been established, the interval between treatments is gradually increased to establish the optimal intervention time for that individual patient.

Of course this will vary for each individual depending on their age, general physical and constitutional condition, occupation, leisure activities, wear and tear etc.

We find that a timely ‘Planned Preventative Maintenance” schedule based on individual circumstances generally prevents the build up of issues to the point of ‘the straw which breaks the camel’s back’ which then requires more frequent treatments to recover

this of course will depend on the patient working with the treatment process.

It is understood that there are situations where a patient will be unable to avoid conditions which aggravate their conditions especially if it is work orientated; in those circumstances we provide as much support as we can, which might include support belts, posture braces, stretch routines, strengthening exercise, mineral and/or nutritional supplements etc.

thereafter we work on establishing a timely treatment plan which keeps patients out of trouble – rather than have to get them out of trouble!

Osteopaths and musculoskeletal therapists are known for treating back and neck issues, treating not just your symptoms but focus on investigating the biomechanical causes behind them, including other causative factors such as work posture and work station (ergonomics), emotional and nutritional state.

Bio-tensegrity science shows us that forces flow primarily through our muscles and fascial structures, and not in a continuous compression manner through our bones…In fact our bones do not touch each other and are actually “floating” in the tension structure created by our fascial network.
Our therapists have applied this mathematical and architectural model of biotensegrity by using a wide array of techniques in order to release the myofascial system and are not limited to joint manipulation. DP – As a Musculoskeletal therapist, Dan uses a wide range of techniques to treat a wide variety of conditions and predicates his work on the Osteopathic principle of ‘treating the whole of the body to affect the part’.

By facilitating change and not forcing it, the body accommodates and retains the treatment more effectively.

Dan has a Diploma in Remedial and Sports Therapy, SCENAR level 3 and is a Certified Life Coach and NLP trainer and provides treatments under HICAPS for most health funds (excepting Medibank Private and HCF).

Dan has a keen interest in posture and working with patients to reestablish and retain their posture which helps the body to function as best it can.

Issues which might be posture related can include migrainous type headaches which emanate from the base of the skull, forehead and back of the eyes; restricted and painful shoulder function, breathing, abdominal issues; knee, ankle and hip pain.

In order to release tight muscles and soft tissue, rather than using massage which softens tight muscles, Dan uses ‘Muscle Energy Technique’ (MET) as a method of gradually lengthening short, painful muscles. This enables and facilitates the the body to naturally respond and to recover towards it’s natural point of equilibrium.

Although Dan does treat necks and shoulders, he does so without any ‘clicking’ or high velocity adjustments of the neck typical of Chiropractic treatments, an approach which many Patients find more relaxing.

As a level 3 practitioner Dan may also use SCENAR therapy, especially in acute cases where immediate pain relief is required.

Photobiomodulation (PBM Therapy) previously known as Cold or Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) is a laser or LED light therapy that improves tissue repair (skin wounds, muscle, tendon, bone, nerves), reduces inflammation and reduces pain wherever the beam is applied.

THOR has over 5,000 customers in pioneering clinics and hospitals in more than 70 countries and is the only company with FDA, CE, TGA, Health Canada and NATO clearance.

We use THOR machines which have been developed in the UK to provide the best possible outcome in conjunction with their own clinically tested treatment protocols.

Treatments are painless and typically take 30 minutes and should be applied two or more times a week over a 4-6 week period.

This treatment may be incorporated within a treatment session with Karen or Dan, or where a course of treatment is required, this will be undertaken by one of our THOR trained technicians Donna or Sasha.

We provide THOR treatment at both of our clinic locations, using only the clinically tested protocols from THOR – since not enough power density and there is no effect, too much and there can be inhibitory effects which can slow down healing and lose the anti-inflammatory effect.

Accurate dosing is very important, and the THOR protocols have been clinically established to provide the best outcome for pain relief and recovery.

High power density is necessary for analgesia (pain relief) and deep tissue targets, low power density (< 100mW/cm²) is necessary to promote healing and reduce inflammation in superficial wounds, tendons and joints (the target is the synovia not the actual joint).

THOR does both high and low power density for best healing, deep penetration and analgesia.

The SCENAR is a hand held device which gently works through contact with your skin (transdermal).

Using software-modulated algorithms which are transmitted through electrical impulses to stimulate the brain, the brain then responds via the reverse neural pathways to the SCENAR device, which then in real time interprets and responds with its modified next impulse back to the brain to work at restoring balance to the body using the active reflex biofeedback mechanism.

This iterative process continues until equilibrium is achieved (homeostasis); resulting in pain relief and recovery by instructing the nervous system to generate Neuropeptides from the body’s own pharmacy – the key biochemicals needed by your body to heal itself.

After an injury or onset of a disease the brain and the effected body part can habituate and normalise pain and disfunction and become unresponsive to other treatments.

TENS machines reduce pain by bombarding the brain with the same signal frequency until it becomes ‘numb’ but once removed from contact the pain returns un attenuated; SCENAR constantly adapts the signal to remain unique and thereby re-engaging the brain to acknowledge unresolved trauma or injury and direct healing resources to the site of injury or trauma which persists even once the skin contact has ceased.

During the treatment there will be a mild to bright prickling sensation, this can be further reduced if found to be unpleasant, however best results are with the Patient experiencing some sensation.

SCENAR is generally incorporated within their Osteopathic/Musculoskeletal treatments by either Karen or Dan rather than as a standalone modality.

These are very gentle techniques which relieves compression and restores equilibrium in the bones of the head, sacrum (a triangular bone in the lower back), and spinal column.

CST is noninvasive and uses gentle contact on the head, neck, and back to relieve the stress, and pain caused by compression and imbalance. It can, as a result, help to treat a number of conditions.

Both Karen and Dan use these techniques, however Karen’s training as an Osteopath provides her with a greater degree of knowledge and understanding of this modality.

Karen uses CO especially in treating the very young and also not so young and especially when treating mum’s and bub’s.