Welcome To
Durham Osteopathy
Restore balance to your body
Welcome to Durham Osteopathy. We provide Manual Osteopathic care to those who seek relief from a range of symptoms and bring their body back to a place of ease allowing self-healing and self-regulation. Our gentle, drugless, manual treatments rely on excellent palpatory skills and a synthesis of anatomic, physiologic and pathophysiologic knowledge. Our education develops the ability to render a seamless assessment and treatment delivery that is specific to your body and its presentation at the time of treatment. We are happy to take the time to educate our patients about how the site of pain or dysfunction is not always the source and thus why we may be applying treatment to an area that may not seem to be connected. This whole body approach is what sets the practice of Osteopathy apart.
Symptoms Treated
Osteopathy can treat a number of different symptoms, some of them include:
- Pain and restriction in the hips
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Sore shoulders and restricted motion
- Pain and restriction in the arms and wrists
- Jaw pain, Temporomandibular disorders (TMD)
- Pain and restriction in the legs
- Headaches
- Nerve impingment
- Neck pain, tightness
- Scar tissue
- Back pain
- Pelvic pain
Osteopathic Manual Practitioners Do Not Treat Allopathic Conditions
What does that mean? When you attend your primary care physician or family doctor, with a presenting complaint, your doctor will do their assessments, tests, and make a diagnosis. This diagnosis tends to have a common name that you might be familiar with such as:
- Golfers Elbow
- Sciatica
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
- Migraines
- Patellofemoral Syndrome
- Carpal Tunnel
- Vertigo
- Frozen Shoulder
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Incontinence
We DO treat the osteopathic structural imbalance that is present at the time of treatment. This often results in the notable changes in symptoms/presentation of allopathic conditions. Simply put, your physician may have diagnosed you with a named condition such as Sciatica or frozen shoulder. The approaches taken by your Osteopathic Manual Practitioner to address the imbalances you present with often result in an improvement or reduction of the symptoms associated with the named condition.
Structure Function Relationship Models
There are five main models of structure function relationships which guide the Osteopathic Manual Practitioner throughout diagnosis and treatment. The significance of somatic dysfunction is weighed between the objective and subjective experience of the patient and clinician. The treatment that is chosen and adapted for the patient is specific to the Osteopathic diagnosis of their presenting somatic dysfunction.
- The Bio-mechanical Structure – Function Model
This model regards the body as a group of physical components that work together mechanically for the purposes of posture and balance. When the body experiences stresses or imbalances to this mechanism the dynamic function can be affected, more energy is spent, and the ability to know where you are positioned in space and time is altered. Joint structures may change, metabolism is affected and neurovascular function may be impeded. Use of the bio-mechanical structure model employs Osteopathic Manual Therapy for the restoration of posture and balance. It returns the components of the musculoskeletal system to their natural and efficient function.
- The Respiratory/Circular Structure – Function Model
This model pertains to the maintenance of the products on the inside and the outside of the cells through clear delivery of oxygen and nutrients and the processing of waste products generated by cellular function. Any external stress to the tissues can interfere with the flow of body fluids to and from affected tissue causing an altered state. The application of Osteopathic Manual Therapy is used to ameliorate any dysfunction in respiratory mechanics, restore proper circulation and distribution of body fluids.
- The Neurological Structure – Function Model
This model examines how the spinal nerves are externally influenced and thus facilitated, the influence of the autonomic nervous system and its pain fibers on the immune network of the neuroendocrine system, and the function of proprioception (knowing where you are in space and time). The relationship between the physical body and the automatic control systems of your organs is very important. Osteopathic Manual Practitioners consider this model in trying to reduce pain, bring balance to electrical inputs and outputs, and lessen mechanical stresses.
- The Bio-Psychosocial Structure – Function Model
This model serves to recognize several stresses that will impact the health and well-being of the patient. Psychological, cultural, socioeconomic, environmental and physiological experiences contribute to disease. Osteopathic Manual Therapies are applied with success to bio-psychosocial stresses.
- The Bio-Energetic Structure – Function Model
This model supports the assertion that the body seeks to maintain balance between energy distribution, production and expenditure. Maintenance of this balance keeps the body adaptable to stressors which include but is not limited to, immunity and nutrition. Osteopathic Manual Therapy can mitigate poor energy distribution throughout the body.
Osteopathy & You
As a patient living in the modern world, it is without doubt that your body, mind and spirit may sometimes need assistance. Whenever in doubt please seek council from your family physician as they are your primary allopathic care provider. As discussed above, Osteopathic Manual Therapy is very successful in treating dysfunctions of the musculoskeletal system, promotion of posture and balance, treating dysfunctions of fluid dynamics throughout the body, treating dysfunctions of the sympathetic and autonomous nervous system. Osteopathic Manual Therapy deeply respects and supports the interconnected relationship of body, mind and spirit.
What You Can Expect
- To be treated with dignity and respect as an individual, with no exception for age, gender, creed, race or sexual orientation.
- To be handled gently at all times with care and consideration. There may be times when treatments may be uncomfortable due to the necessity to challenge the body’s restrictions, yet all effort is made to avoid pain beyond what you are already experiencing.
When you attend your first consultation, you will be asked in detail about your condition, your medical history and your present state of health. You will be physically examined, focusing on your spine and posture. Please wear something comfortable and flexible, a t-shirt and loose fitting pants are commonly worn by patients.
Osteopathic Manual Practitioners apply a range of manual, hands on treatment approaches. These could feel like stretching, shaking, compressing, oscillation, muscle activation/resistance, guided deep breathing and even massage. Some techniques are so subtle it can even feel as though we’re not doing anything at all! Other times, to enhance the hands on treatment we will also have you to move around during the session in the form of guided movements or muscular resistance. Treatment always begins with a visual assessment, and can include the following positions: seated, laying on your back, laying face down and laying on either side.
It is important for you to understand, and agree that Osteopathic Manual Therapy yields the best results with a full body assessment. Your treatment plan is developed just for you to improve the symptoms and challenges you are facing physically, mentally and emotionally. Osteopathic Manual Practitioners don’t chase symptoms. We take into account the entire individual. We work to reach the root of the matter.
Forms
Here you can download and fill out your health history and consent forms.
Please bring them with you to your initial appointment.
You may also do this step when booking online!
COVID-19
At Durham Osteopathy we are taking measures to ensure your health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. We continuously clean and disinfect our clinic, and ensure all surfaces are sanitized between patients.
Please expect when you arrive to the clinic to complete a COVID pre-screening, wash and or sanitize your hands and wear a non-medical grade disposable face mask. It is mandatory for both the practitioner and patient to wear our masks throughout the entire treatment. There are rare exceptions to the rule.
Please arrive to your scheduled appointment on time. Due to COVID-19 we are mandated to ask patients to attend the clinic alone unless a care provider needs to be present.
Where possible contactless payment is preferred however cash payment will not be refused and receipts will be emailed.
This screening tool is based on the latest COVID-19 case definitions and the Coronavirus disease situation reports, published by the World Health Organization. To help slow the spread of COVID-19, please read the document below and if you have any concerns contact:
Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000, or visit a COVID-19 assessment centre.