Pains, Strains & Sprains

Whether it’s back pain, a strained muscle or a sports injury, it’s usually easy to tell if something’s not right. What’s not always easy, however, is knowing who to seek help from. Here’s a look at four different types of specialists who can help with bone and joint problems, and what to expect from each.

- Amy Greenburg

1 Osteopath

A holistic, drug-free and non-invasive form of alternative medicine, osteopathy focuses on the body as a whole and employs a range of hands-on manipulation techniques to restore function, decrease pain and prevent reoccurrence of an injury without the use of medication or surgery.

“The body is a single unit,” says DR JON MARSHALL, osteopath and founder of Back in Health, an integrated service that incorporates osteopathy, dry needling, cupping, corrective exercise, clinical Pilates, and ergonomic, health and lifestyle advice. “That’s our overarching doctrine; the body functions as a single unit with synchronised and interconnected movements and energy. So, pain or dysfunction that you think is only affecting one area may be affecting another area, too. Sometimes, patients don’t even notice that other areas are in pain or tight because the immediate site of pain is so palpable.”

He explains that osteopaths not only address the site of pain, but also treat the whole body in the process. Treatments, he says, are specifically tailored to heal and improve the patient’s condition and improve whole-body health for the long term. Depending on the individual patient’s healing capabilities, lifestyle activities and other factors, this treatment timeline can vary; but, ongoing treatment for an indefinite period is certainly not required, says Dr Marshall.