Knowledge to Heal, Balance to Thrive
Learn how understanding your condition can help you restore balance and take control of your wellbeing.
Head and Face Conditions
Neurolymphatic Drainage at Health and Balance
What to Expect in a Neurolymphatic Drainage Session If you have never experienced neurolymphatic drainage before, the process is gentle, calming, and designed to support the way your body naturally clears fluid and waste around the brain, spinal cord, and upper body. Here is what typically happens during a session at Health and Balance Osteopathy….
Neurolymphatic Drainage and Osteopathy
Osteopathy and Neurolymphatic Drainage: Supporting the Brain–Body Connection The lymphatic system does not just support the body. It also plays an important role in brain and nervous system health. In the last decade, research has dramatically expanded our understanding of how the lymphatic and nervous systems interact, particularly through structures like the glymphatic system (the…
TMJ
TMJ, TMJ syndrome, disorder, dysfunction… These are some of the terms you might hear for jaw pain but what do they all mean? The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the joint that forms your jaw. It is made up of the temporal bone of your skull and your mandible (your jaw bone) with a cushioning disc…
Headaches, Migraine and Osteopathy
Most of us have had a headache at one time or another except for the very lucky few who never experience one. What you may not know is that there are many different types of headaches and the appropriate treatment for your headache depends on which type you suffer from. Some people may suffer from…
Neck
Whiplash
Whiplash is a general term used for head and neck injuries where a person’s head moves backwards and then forwards suddenly with great force. We commonly see whiplash in motor vehicle accident patients but it can also result from physical abuse, sports injuries or falls. The acceleration-deceleration mechanism of energy transfer to the…
Release tension in upper back, neck and shoulders
Cork ball massage to relieve pain and postural strain in the upper back, shoulders and base of neck Place the cork ball against the wall, rest your upper back against it. The ball should be in contact with the space between the shoulder blade and spine. Move side to side, up and down…
Posture stacking Exercise
Improve your head, neck, shoulder and back alignment and posture with this simple ‘stacking’ exercise. Here is an easy practice to help you try to prevent shoulder, neck and back issues. The aim of this stacking exercise is to reduce the tension in the muscles and create more even effort in the muscles that…
Cervical spine disc bulge
What is a cervical spine disc injury Many people are familiar with a “disc bulge” or “slipped disc” in the lower back but did you know it can also occur in your neck? Your spine is made up of three sections – “lumbar” in your lower back, “thoracic” in your upper back and the…
Thoracic spine and ribcage conditions
Upper Back Stretch
Upper Back and Ribcage Stretch Feeling the tension in your neck and shoulders? Do you suffer from upper back pain? Decreased mobility through the ribs and thoracic spine can cause tightness and stiffness in the upper back, chest and neck. Here is a simple exercise you can do at home to help improve mobility…
Scoliosis
The spine is made up of vertebrae that stack up one on top of the other separated by discs. Looking from behind the spine usually stacks up with one vertebrae straight on top of the one beneath. In scoliosis however the spine is deviated from the midline creating a ‘C’ or ‘S’ shape curve. This…
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Are you experiencing pain, altered sensation or heaviness in your arm? It could be thoracic outlet syndrome. Thoracic outlet syndromes (TOS) are a group of conditions that occur when there is compression or irritation to the nerves or blood vessels as they pass through the ‘thoracic outlet’, or as they travel from your neck towards…
Upper Extremity Conditions
Elbow Pain due to Computer use
Is sitting at your desk all day making your elbows sore? While using your mouse isn’t an extreme sport, over time it can cause the muscles in your forearm to be overused and unhappy. Repetitive strain injuries (RSI’s) aren’t just for the super active and weight lifting folk. Repetitive, overuse of the wrist can…
Elbow Bursitis
Elbow bursitis is an inflammation of the bursa at your elbow and the most commonly affected is the olecranon bursa, which sits over the pointy part of your elbow. A bursa is a small fluid-filled sac which acts like a cushion between the bony parts of your elbow and the muscle tendons that run…
Exercise for Elbow Pain
Is watching the tennis reminding you about the sore elbow that is still bothering you? As discussed in our last blog you don’t need to play tennis to suffer from “tennis elbow”. If you have tennis elbow, one of the most effective ways to help manage it is through strengthening exercises….
Frozen Shoulder
Do you have stiffness in your shoulder that has started for no apparent reason? Do you have severe pain in your shoulder, which is particularly painful at night? Are you finding it difficult to move your arm and reach as far as you used to be able to? This could be a frozen shoulder. …
Rotator Cuff Pain
Learn more about what can be causing your shoulder pain and how our Osteopaths can help The rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles that are responsible for…rotating the shoulder. They are also very important in shoulder stabilization, by helping depress the shoulder to allow for greater movement. Given the large amount of…
How an Osteopath might be able to help your Elbow pain
Have you heard of Golfer or Tennis elbow? Do you have elbow pain but don’t play either? Elbow pain can be extremely painful and debilitating, the 2 most common musculoskeletal conditions to affect the elbow are commonly referred to as ‘Tennis elbow’ and ‘Golfer’s elbow’ however the majority of our patients who present with elbow…
Wrist and Hand Conditions
Tendinopathy of the wrist and hand
Our wrists, hands and fingers are capable of many fine, controlled and complex movements, whether it is playing a musical instrument, a sporting activity, your occupation or just one of the tasks of day to day life. Many of the muscles which control these movements come from our forearm and these muscles are attached…
Hand Osteoarthritis
Feeling stiffness and soreness in your hands and fingers? Osteoarthritis is a common condition in these areas. It is where, over time the protective cartilage on the ends of your bones slowly starts to break down. This leads to rubbing of ‘bone on bone’ and can cause tissue inflammation and pain Picture…
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Sick of that numbness and tingling in your hands with repetitive activities? It might be Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Here is what you can do. Carpel tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a painful common condition of the hand where there is pressure on the median nerve as it runs within the carpel tunnel of the…
Low Back Conditions
Low Back Pain
Osteopathy can help manage your low back pain Our experienced Osteopaths in Eaglemont can help you understand and manage your low back pain Did you know that a huge 50% of Aussies suffered from lower back pain in the last month alone? Low back pain is the leading cause of disability globally – with more…
Lumbar Disc Injury
Slipped disc? Bulging Disc? What you need to know. Following on from our Acute Lower Back Pain blog a few weeks ago (have a read of that here), we are going to discuss spinal disc injuries. We will go a little deeper into the dreaded ‘bulging disc’ and how it can be managed. As…
Hip Conditions
Hip Dysplasia
What is Hip Dysplasia? Hip Dysplasia is a condition often picked up in newborns when the ‘ball and socket’ joint of the hip don’t fit together correctly potentially resulting in increased risk of joint dislocation. The hip joint is made up of 2 bones; the femur (thigh bone) and the acetabulum (part of the pelvic…
Hip Impingement
Pinching pain in the hip caused by femoroacetabular impingement Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a condition of the hip in which extra bone grows along either one of both bones that make up the hip (the femur/leg bone or acetabulum/pelvic bone). This gives the bones an irregular shape and can causes friction and ‘impingement’ of the…
Hip Osteoarthritis
Our Osteopaths discuss the causes, symptoms and best course of management for osteoarthritis of the hip The hip is made up of 2 bones; the femur (thigh bone) and the acetabulum (part of the pelvic bone). These bones make up a ‘ball and socket’ joint which is covered with a smooth, slippery substance known as…
Lateral hip pain
If you are struggling with pain on the side of the hip, our Osteopaths we can assist you using evidence based rehabilitation and education along with hands on manual therapy. Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) is new general term used to describe pain on the lateral hip. The greater trochanter is the bony prominence…
Women’s Health
Endometriosis and the role of Osteopathy
Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. This tissue can affect the ovaries, bladder, bowel, pelvic ligaments, and other areas within the pelvis. Endometriosis affects approximately 1 in 9 Australian women and can present very differently from person to person. Unfortunately, many women…
Painful periods and Osteopathy
Many women experience cramping, pelvic pain, or back pain during their menstrual cycle. While period pain is common, severe or ongoing pain should not simply be dismissed as “normal”. For some women, symptoms can significantly impact daily life, affecting work, exercise, sleep, energy levels, and overall wellbeing. Primary dysmenorrhoea refers to painful periods without an…
Bone health, Osteoporosis and healthy ageing
Bone health plays an important role in maintaining strength, mobility, balance, and independence as we age. Osteoporosis is a common condition that causes bones to lose density and strength over time, increasing the risk of fractures. Often referred to as a “silent disease”, bone loss can occur gradually over many years without obvious symptoms. In…
Osteopathy During Pregnancy in Melbourne
Pregnancy is one of the most significant times of physical change in a woman’s body throughout her life. These changes happen in a relatively short period of time often resulting in extra stress on the muscles and joints. Health and Balance osteopathy will support you through your pregnancy by providing gentle and safe treatment. This…
Ergonomics and Posture
A guide to using a sit-to-stand desk
Many people spend the majority of their workday sitting at a desk. While prolonged sitting has been linked to a range of health concerns including cardiovascular disease, metabolic conditions, and musculoskeletal pain, standing all day is not the answer either. Our bodies are designed for movement and variation, not staying in one position for hours…
How to Prevent Device-Related Pain in Kids
Electronic devices are now part of everyday life for many children and teenagers, whether for learning, social connection, or entertainment. With increased screen time, we are also seeing more young people experiencing discomfort related to postural strain and prolonged device use. Common complaints our Osteopaths see in children due to prolonged device use include:• Headaches•…
Ultimate Guide to Desk Posture: Ergonomics Tips for Comfort
Workstation Setup, Desk Posture and Ergonomics One of the most common reasons clients present to Health and Balance Osteopathy is for relief from the “pains and strains” that come from sitting at a desk all day. Headaches, neck pain, back stiffness, and wrist or forearm pain are all frequent complaints. Our bodies aren’t designed to…