🦴🌿 More Than Muscles: What Osteopathy Is Really About

To empower people to optimise their quality of life by improving their awareness and understanding of their body.
He combines hands-on manual therapy techniques from myofascial release and lymphatic massage to HVLA (high velocity low amplitude) joint adjustments (like joint cracking), with exercise prescriptions, and insight to support everyone from injured athletes, to stressed-out desk workers, to parents who just feel “off” and don’t know why.

Q: What’s the biggest misconception people have about Osteopathy?
Dr Daniel: Osteo is often seen as the little brother, the last resort alternative to Chiro and Physio. Our medical system usually sends people to physio first, and then when that fails, they make their way to me.

Osteos are taught to view the body as a whole unit. It wants to fix itself and if it’s not able to do that then there is something being protected or shielded that needs to be resolved before healing can occur.

This shielding usually takes the form of a compensation pattern. Once the body has been compensating for a long time, it starts to get worn out and that’s when chronic pain can arise. So by seeing the body holistically, we can see things other professionals may miss.

This is the Osteo difference, it’s not an offshoot alternative therapy, it is a holistic philosophy married with all of the science and research used to inform physios and sports doctors. We put more emphasis on treatment, enabling the body to heal by removing the obstacles, rather than simply prescribing exercise rehab.

Q: As someone who's been through major injuries, how does that shape how you treat others?
Dr Daniel: In a word, Empathy. I know the pain of missing sporting milestones because your body has broken down. To carry injuries and pain for years is depressing and unmotivating. The physical and emotional experience of your body letting you down is really significant!

But the lived experience of healing and strengthening yourself afterwards is equally empowering! Part of my mission is enabling people to regain their capacity so they can say yes to all of the opportunities they wish to pursue in life, without their body holding them back.

Q: How do you explain the mind-body connection in your work?
Dr Daniel: You can move your body without thinking about it and we all breathe automatically. But you can also choose to move and breathe intentionally!

The more challenging a movement the more intention we need to put behind it to be successful. Mind body connection to me is a skill. By moving with intention through sports, weight-training, dancing, yoga, stretching etc, you develop your mind-body connection.

The awareness you have of yourself. It’s like a muscle. The more you train it the better you get. You can train it by being present and feeling the sensations of movement in your body. The tension, the pulling, the warmth, pressure, and ease.

One way I help people build their mind-body connection is through mindful stretching. Stretching is a great way to build mind-body connection because you're being very intentional with your movements and you get instant feedback from the body when you’re doing it right.

Arnold Schwarzenegger famously describes willing his biceps to grow as he curls them. The mind can be used to connect to the body and the more you do this, the better your self awareness and performance becomes.

Q: What’s one small thing someone can do daily to improve how their body feels?
Dr Daniel: Mobility training. Whatever form works best for you. Yoga, stretching, etc, it doesn’t really matter as long as you’re being intentional and trying to move your body in a way that loosens you up and takes your joints through a full range of motion. The act of intentionally decompressing and improving how your body moves is a longevity hack!

Q: For someone new to Osteopathy, what should they expect from their first session?
Dr Daniel: A good chat to understand you and your body, a thorough assessment and then a broad treatment. If your foot hurts you bet we will be looking at that same hip!

Expect to learn about how your body works.

Expect discomfort, treatment can sometimes be painful.

Expect to have some homework, a stretch, exercise or some take home task. If you expect your osteo to do all the work for you then its going to take far longer

Expect multiple treatments. It can take weeks or months to unwind a chronic compensation pattern.

Expect guidance and assistance, but don’t expect someone to fix you. Looking after yourself is your responsibility, but we’re here to help and we want you to succeed!