B.SC. (CLIN SC.) M.H.SC (OSTEO)Click anywhere to enter site...
Let's take a look at you.
What seems to be the problem?
The solution is closer to you than you might think. The experiences and habits that we develop early in life are never completely forgotten. Thankfully for most of us, we’re encouraged to move and experiment through unstructured play - tissues are elastic and problems are rare. So how do we develop problems?
Our body craves movement in order to function optimally, however often these are clouded by our experiences such as the perception of pain, inflexibility and weakness. Subtle breakdowns from repetitive actions, old injuries and poor posture are just some of the factors that contribute to these experiences.
How can I help? I’m able to identify these problems, where they’re occurring and more importantly, guide you through a process of building better connectedness using a variety of techniques to identify, isolate and facilitate rapid change.
fig i & ia. Head & Neck (skull and cervical spine)
Symptom: Headaches (fig ia.)
Causes: Excessive kyphosis (rounded curvature) of the thoracic spine (upper back) affecting position of neck (protruding chin).
Treatment: Stretching the hip flexors to reduce the kyphotic curve of the thoracic spine. (fig ib.)
Close to my heart.
My fascination with movement comes from a lifetime of sports and activities. I've dedicated many hours of my life to sports, ranging from gymnastics to football, cycling to crossfit. My goal has always been to always keep moving.
In my early 20s I suffered a number of injuries that took me away from the field. But my imposed rest allowed me to focus on my studies in osteopathy. As a result, I was able to put my injuries down to imbalances and a lack of body awareness.
Lately, I have been on a quest to explore movement and physical health through stretch and body awareness, delicious and nutritious food and community engagement - the idea behind Welwood.
Symptom: Impingement and pain over the tip of the shoulder with overhead work. (fig iia.)
Causes: Poor range of motion and stability of scapula (shoulder blade), creating an unstable base for the upper arm to move freely.
Treatment: Fascial release to Latissimus Dorsi (fig 11a.) improves upward range of motion of shoulder blade. Prescribed exercises to improve the function of the shoulder blade.
A Hands-On Approach.
I use my skills gained in Osteopathy to complement my innate desire to help people, wherever a person is on their journey to their optimal wellbeing.
I commonly use manual interventions, both direct and indirect, such as fascial release techniques, massage and joint mobilisation in my treatment sessions to improve alignment and reduce pain and stiffness. These techniques are useful adjuncts to other more lasting practises such as rehabilitation and strength exercises, loaded flexibility work, balance and stability exercises, breath work and meditation.
I like to see things through, however whether these changes are lasting or not depends entirely on the individual: their readiness to accept change and work to skill mastery through regular practise.
Symptom: Pain and weakness felt over the outside of the hip.
Causes: Tight and weak gluteal muscles (fig iiia.) with drop in pelvic height creating undue stress on their connecting tendons (fig iiib.).
Treatment: Trigger point therapy to the affected muscles to ease tension. Realignment of pelvis and correction of abnormalities in the spine and lower limbs. Strengthening of gluteal muscles to prevent pain from recurring.
Do I Need to See You?
An initial consultation is necessary before the proper course of treatment can be established. This initial consultation typically follows a three step process:
1. Take a Look
I’ll note your symptoms and problem areas, as well as recording a detailed medical history.
2. Get Hands On
I’ll assess your movement habits by guiding you through a range of exercises, and determine the cause of your problem or injury.
3. Find a Treatment
I’ll establish a treatment course to alleviate the problem at hand, and get your body moving the way it was designed to do.
fig iv. Knee (Tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joints).
Symptom: Clicking and catching of the kneecap (patella).
Causes: Internal rotation of the upper leg (femur—fig iva.), altering the tracking of the kneecap (patella).
Treatment: Myofascial release of hip flexors (psoas and tensor fasciae latae—fig ivb.), stretching of hip flexor and groin muscles (adductors—fig ivc.) and mobilisation of the kneecap. Correction of associated low back, pelvis, hip, ankle and foot abnormalities.
One of the benefits of working for myself is that I can choose to dress for function over uniform. Grateful for the fact that I work in a job where I’m standing and squatting 90% of the time*, recently I made the decision to commit to wearing Vibram FiveFinger shoes full-time.
I’ve been fascinated by breathing mechanics for years now. Ever since my first exposure to anatomy and physiology at undergraduate level, I have pondered the implications that movement patterns, posture and flexibility of our spines and rib cage on our health in general.