Osteopathic Treatment in Bondi Junction and the Sydney CBD



Hi and welcome to my blog site. It is here I hope to be able to share information and stories to help you optimise your health and wellbeing. This information of osteopathic and clinical relevance will be found as you scroll down.

If you click through my site you will find out a little about me and my osteopathic practices and also my clinic times and locations in Bondi Junction and the Sydney CBD. Some of my own observations and commentaries are found in my’ Personal Asides’ page.

As you scroll down below, you will find some information about osteopathy, its history and relevance today.

So enjoy my site and I hope you find information that is relevant and interesting for you.



Peter



Osteopathy

Osteopathy is an approach to healthcare that emphasizes the role of the musculoskeletal system in health and disease.



In most countries, osteopathy falls in the realm of the allied health professions. Osteopathic practice emphasises a holistic approach and the skilled use of a range of manual and physical treatment interventions in the prevention and treatment of disease. In practice, this most commonly relates to musculoskeletal problems such as back and neck pain. Osteopathic principles teach that treatment of the musculoskeletal system (bones, soft tissue structures such as muscles, ligaments and tendons, and joints) facilitates the recuperative powers of the body.



History

The practice of osteopathy began in the United States in 1874. The term "osteopathy" was coined by Andrew Taylor Still. Still, a practicing medic, who lived and worked in Missouri at the time of the American Civil War. It was here he developed the practice of osteopathy, following his disaffection with the limitations and contradictions of medicine as practiced at that time.



Still named his new school of medicine "osteopathy," reasoning that "the bone, osteon, was the starting point from which he was to ascertain the cause of pathological conditions.” Still founded the American School of Osteopathy (now A.T. Still University) in Kirksville, Missouri, for the teaching of osteopathy, in 1892.



Osteopathic Treatment

The goal of osteopathic manipulative medicine, or OMM, is the resolution of what osteopaths call somatic dysfunction (the impaired or altered function of the musculo-skeletal system) in an attempt to aid the body's own recuperative facilities. Osteopathic manual treatment of the musculoskeletal system employs a diverse array of techniques. These are normally employed together with dietary, postural, exercise and occupational advice, as well as counseling, in an attempt to help patients recover from illness and injury and in an attempt to minimise or manage pain and disease.



Osteopathic treatment employs manual approaches, alongside exercise and other rehabilitative techniques, for the treatment of many neuromusculoskeletal pain syndromes, such as:

· Back, neck and shoulder pain

· Nerve problems like sciatica

· Headache and migraine

· Muscle strains and spasms

· Hip, knee, jaw, elbow, wrist and ankle pain

· Joint injuries and arthritis

· Sports-related injuries like tendonitis (tennis elbow), bursitis and ligament sprains

· Work-related and repetitive strain injuries (RSI)

· Postural and mobility problems



Many osteopaths also manage (or co-manage) organic or Type-O conditions, such as asthma and pulmonary infection, menstrual pain and GIT disturbance.



Research

Efficacy

In a meta-analysis and systematic review of six randomized controlled trials of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) that involved blinded assessments of lower back pain in ambulatory settings, it was concluded that OMT significantly reduces lower back pain, and that the level of pain reduction is greater than expected from placebo effects alone and persists for at least three months.



Mechanism

Another study, which aimed to identify cellular mechanisms at work during osteopathic treatment, was published in the Journal of American Osteopathic Association in December 2007. Data from this study suggest that fibroblast proliferation and expression/secretion of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory interleukins may contribute to the clinical efficacy of indirect osteopathic manipulative techniques.



Safety

Safety concerns have been raised in relation to manipulative techniques used in osteopathic practice. 'Neck cracking', i.e. cervical high-velocity low-amplitude thrusting, has received particular attention in the popular media due to a possible risk of arterial occlusion and consequently of stroke. Although the existing data cannot provide a conclusive estimate of the cervical artery dissection risk researchers have stated that a stroke risk of about 1.3 per 100 000 chiropractic visits for individuals aged under 45 years, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.5–16.7 per 100 000 is a theoretically unbiased estimate. Although these data primarily concern chiropractic visits, both osteopaths and chiropractors may practice cervical manipulations.

A crikey statistic on population growth and carbon use

by Peter on August 30, 2010

In an article on population growth in Crikey.com, Charles Berger from the Australian Conservation Foundation gave the following statistics (and yes I know … lies, damn lies &…) about population growth and carbon usage which certainly give pause for thought and consideration about just how sustainable our current lifestyles are.

He was talking about figures by that Prime Minister of ancient history, Kevin Rudd, set for reducing Australian pollution levels by 60% of 2000 levels by 2050. This figure is based on the current Australian population of 21 million.

Now if the Australian population stabilises around the 27 million mark by 2050, this would mean that we need a per capita reduction of around the 72% mark. However, if our population were to increase to 36 million by 2050, this would mean a per capita decrease of 79% to meet that same goal.

This does mean that in a high-growth population scenario, carbon-intensive activities will become considerably more expensive.

Another topic in his essay is on water use. he cites the example of the Victorian government setting a target of 155 litres per person per day water usage for Melbourne residents. If Melbourne were to grow from its current population of 3.8 million to 5 million, to maintain this total amount of water usage for the Melbourne basin would mean Melburnians would have to decrease their water usage to 118 litres per head per day and further reductions needed as population grew. That certainly cuts out my long showers.

The article  certainly paints a picture of a world where many of our everyday lifestyle options and habits will need to change and it should make us ponder our lifestyle choices, so many of which we take for granted.

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Population & Sustainability

by Peter on August 25, 2010

Population and sustainability are much more than local political sloganeering. These are huge global issues that we will all be facing in the coming years.

a review of a new book by Australian science journalist and author Julian Cribb called “The Coming Famine” with the subtitle ‘The global food crisis and what we can do to avoid it” is published here in a review in the New York Times.

The argument presented here is certainly ‘food for thought’ for our bloated first world bellies and while it provides an eerie Orwellian picture of one hand, it does provide pictures of hope for a sustainable global future

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The Male Menopause

by Peter on August 25, 2010

Everywhere we look lately we are being presented with the various issues, especially around health, of the aging population. Having reached the half century myself and working in the health industry these are issues that I see every day.

I was interested to read an article recently in Science Daily talking about age-related hormone changes that occur not only in women but also in men. while menopause has been mainly talked about in terms of woman’s health, men also may suffer from some this in what is medically termed hypogonadism, where the testicles start decreasing their production of testosterone leading to a male menopause

The hormone changes in women occur more quickly with the cessation of ovulation leading to a relatively quick decrease in hormone levels. In men this happens much more slowly but it is estimated that testosterone levels begin dropping by about one percent a year starting in the late 30’s.

Symptoms include fatigue, mood swings, decreased desire for sex, hair loss, lack of concentration and weight gain. Diagnosis is, not surprisingly by blood test and treatment is via hormone replacement therapy with very quick and effective results.

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Spring Cleanse; Time to detox

by Peter on October 28, 2009

Last week I started on a detox, or cleansing diet. With the warmer weather and all the beautiful spring vegetables, it is an ideal time to take on ‘the cleanse’; Also as we get closer to the end of year celebrations, it is a good time to optimize your health. Similarly, in the first few months of the New Year after the excesses of the festive season is another good time to undertake such a detox.

The detox is really all about increasing your vitality and optimizing your health. Do you work hard, eat a bit erratically, or eat lots of refined foods or have lots of coffee and snacks to get through the day, drink most days, not sleep well and wake up wanting more sleep? Are you under constant stress due to work pressure and deadlines? Do you look tired or unwell?

If you answered yes to even half of these questions, then you probably need to give your body a cleanse…. a detox.

How is your blood pressure? What is your glycemic index like? What is your cholesterol level? What are your bowel movements like? In our modern times, with our eating and lifestyle habits, we find ourselves in the middle of an obesity epidemic. Type 2 diabetes levels are skyrocketing and heart disease is high.

Our urban lives are full of stressors which put an overload on our nervous, metabolic and digestive systems. A detox is a way to decrease the stress on and load on our gastro-intestinal tract.

The major aims of such a program are:
1. To increase your energy
2. To decrease your exposure to toxins through dietary and lifestyle changes
3. To improve your digestion of foods
4. To replace ‘bad bugs’ in your digestive system with healthy bacteria
5. To help your liver remove toxic waste products
6. To look and feel great

To draw an analogy, it is a bit like renovating your house. To renovate properly, you seek out the damp spots, the leaks, the rot, the white ants and then get rid of them. Then you rebuild and remodel and make beautiful. The detox is like that.

The three stages of a ‘cleanse’ involve:

1.You stop the aggravation:
We do this by stopping placing into our gut those things which aggravate it.

2.You cleanse the system:
This is done developing an eating regimen specially helpful to cleansing out the system. These foods are foods which decrease load on the liver and pancreas, help improve the digestive and absorptive process and then allow healthy elimination.

3.You rebuild the system:
There are certain supplements which will aid the health of the gastro-intestinal tract. These include the healthy bacteria, Acidophilus and Bifidobacterium with Colostrum. As you progress along, and the absorption of the gut has improved, there are other herbs and vitamins which will support the activity of the liver, pancreas, kidneys and gut to improve their function

The detox diet I follow is one devised and practiced by my wonderful colleague, Elyane Brightlight and outlined beautifully in her book “Natural Recovery”.

The Detox:

The detox goes over a few weeks, or however long is necessary. The full-on version is not for everyone. Some people need to gradually adjust their bodies to a full detox program. People who are sick, exhausted, under a very heavy schedule (or all three as the case may be) may find the effort required more than they can cope with, and should probably do a modified version of ‘the cleanse’.

The initial stage of a detox is severe as your body ‘comes off’ some of the foods you have become ‘addicted’ to, especially the sugar, caffeine and alcohol, and your diet is limited to the very simple and limited foods allowed at this stage, which are, essentially, brown rice, vegetables, fish and yoghurt (the only fruit at this point is grapefruit, lemons and limes)

Following the initial week of healthy deprivation you are allowed more protein, more grains and more fruit. It is here that the addition of certain herbs and supplements will help rebuild the system.

What are “toxins”?

I have talked about toxins and toxicity here, but what are these ‘toxins’?

Toxicity is literally how poisonous a substance is. Some things are very poisonous, and even a small amount can be very harmful (e.g. arsenic). Many substances are slightly poisonous, so that small amounts are able to be removed without harm. If you have a large exposure to these milder poisons (e.g. pesticides), then over time they can overwhelm your ability to ‘detoxify’ or remove them from your body. Exposure to several mild poisons at once is much more dangerous than one at a time.

One of the body’s defence mechanisms when faced with toxicity is to store the harmful chemicals in your fat tissue. This means that these poisons can be stored for many years in our tissues, becoming an ongoing source of ill health.

A detox, or cleanse, is designed to reduce your toxic exposure and also improve your body’s detoxification ability.

Most people with toxicity develop a problem called ‘leaky-gut syndrome’ (intestinal permeability). In a healthy digestive system, the lining of the digestive tract is a very good filter, allowing beneficial nutrients such as vitamins and amino acids to pass into the bloodstream, whilst keeping toxic bacteria and waste products of digestion within the bowel.

This filter is easily damaged by infection, medications and toxic bacteria, which then leads to the unregulated transport of large quantities of partially digested foods and bacteria into the body. Some of this debris is transported to the liver where it then has to be processed and removed. This places a tremendous stress on the liver, and eventually a percentage of this material escapes capture by the liver and it ends up entering the general circulation, where it can lead to many of the symptoms of toxicity. As a result, ‘leaky gut syndrome’ results in a great deal of stress upon the immune system, the liver and virtually every other organ or system of the body.

To successfully detoxify the body (or cleanse the liver) you must  treat the digestive system and improve  the lining of the gut to improve optimum absorption of nutrients. If you don’t start here it is like replacing the oil in your car without replacing the filter; the oil is going to be ruined very quickly……. and hence here we are again at the three steps of our detox….. stop the aggravation, cleanse and  then rebuild the system.

This is definitely something we all need to consider from time to time to optimize the quality, and ongoing health, of our lives.

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The Osteopath, Back Pain, and Internal Disc Disruption

by Peter on September 3, 2009

One of the common causes of low back pain is due to minor damage to the disc known as Internal Disc Disruption (IDD). It is believed that around 40% of low back pain is caused by IDD.

Damage to the disc can be caused by a number of factors from overload and injury to long term poor postural habits and the degenerative nature of the disc itself.

Any factor that creates undue load on the spine can lead to injury and back pain. Too much mechanical stress or dysfunction may occur due to repetitive strain of the spine leading to fatigue, one very large strain, or unexpected strain. Poor technique in physical activities or poor body mechanics may lead to disc
injury. Unexpected loading can result from falls, collisions or poor technique.

You will remember from the last blog that the discs are mainly avascular and the nucleus and inner 2/3 of the annulus have no nerves. The outer third of the disc does, however, contain tiny pain-carrying nerve fibres (nocioceptive C-fibres) that, when irritated, have the capacity to cause pain and disability.
When a tear of the annulus spreads to the outer third of the disc, these nerve endings (known as sino-vertebral nerve endings) are exposed to material leaking out from the nucleus of the disc which will lead to pain from the chemical irritation of these pain-carrying fibres.

Mechanical pain can occur when the functional abilities of the annulus are compromised. When the nuclear material invades the annulus, it will destroy annular collagen fibres. The mechanical forces spread across the remaining fibers and overwhelm the disc’s normal ability to support the weight of the body and the strong compression and rotation forces placed on the spine. The excessive strain transmitted to the highly nerve sensitive outer third of the disc results in mechanical pain signals on normal movements.

Tears can occur from the inner part of the disc outwards but also from the outer part in. there is also a relationship between a disc that has lost some of its water content and become increasingly brittle (part of the degenerative disc process) and disc tears

In a degenerative disc you can also get radial tears running circumferentially around the brittle annulus itself. These are known as concentric annular tears, or radial tears, and will weaken the disc and create an irritation of the nerve fibers within the annulus of the disc.

The symptoms of back pain due to disc disruption are of chronic duration and typically worse with any loading of the disc or activities that increase the intradiscal pressure. Such activities often include bending, lifting, sitting and, sometimes changes in posture.

This pain is not a result of disc compression upon the nerve root, which is the case in a disc herniation, but rather, it is due to the damage of the internal structure of the disc itself. The resulting changes to the nuclear material and internal radial fissures lead to a pain that does not usually radiate into either leg past the knee and there are not usually classic neurological findings. In other words, there is generally no weakness or sensory loss, no loss of deep tendon reflexes or root tension signs.

Most people who suffer back pain from IDD will obtain relief with time and conservative treatment. IDD can take up to 18 to 24 months to heal and patience is, obviously, an important factor here. The other important factor is to reclaim mobility as early in the healing process as possible, without exacerbating the pain. Conservative osteopathic approaches include gentle traction and mobilisation treatments and spinal stabilization training exercises.

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications will also aid in the early part of the healing process.

To get a visual sense of this process go across to http://www.bayareapainmedical.com/disruption.html and click on their animation

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An Osteopath In Bondi Junction

by Peter on July 20, 2009

People often ask me how I got into osteopathy or for how long I have been in practice. I have been pondering these questions lately, as one does from time to time, though it does make me seem somewhat ‘older’ than I really want to be.

Recently I made a video with my colleagues from Sydney Osteopathic Medicine about how we all got into osteopathic practice. It was fun to sit and tape our stories. See my blog ‘Video killed the radio star’…..It made me think about starting up both of my clinics at Bondi Junction and in Sydney CBD; so here is a bit more of my story:

While working in the area of prenatal care and teaching anatomy and healthcare to trainee childbirth educators, I was introduced to a wonderful acupuncturist and practitioner of traditional medicine, Elyane Brightlight, who had moved from the Village Healing and Growth Centre, a large group practice in Paddington, to her own smaller clinic in Bondi Junction. I was, at this time practicing from a home based clinic in Kensington, from rooms in North Sydney and working out of the Sydney Dance Company studios at the Wharf in Hickson Road in The Rocks. The temptation to have one base in Bondi Junction, which I considered to be the heart of the east and the heartland of Osteopathy here in Sydney, was one that became a delightful reality very quickly.

So I moved into the Good Spring Centre at Bondi Junction with the colorful and talented Elyane and began a long and fruitful professional relationship with a wonderful colleague who continues to inspire me today, so many years down the track….. and my osteopathic practice at Bondi Junction was born.

We worked together for about six years at this clinic in Hollywood Avenue before I purchased my first clinic and together, we moved up to the eagles eyrie of Harley Place Health just along the road on the corner of Hollywood and Oxford…. I still today love giving out that descriptor…. overlooking the magic of the Junction, across to the city skyline and down through to Double Bay, our ever changing Slessorian harbour and beyond to the hills of the north shore. On a fine afternoon you can see the glistening dome of the Bahai temple at Mona Vale from our clinic. This is a view that, to this day, I do not tire of.

We have collaborated on many different aspects of clinical practice over the years and taught from our respective expertise in the area of prenatal care and childbirth along with other areas of clinical knowledge. Years later some of my work was published in a small book for consumers by Wellbeing magazine and Elyane went on to publish her first book in this area called ‘Natural Childcare’.

In addition to working in the very exciting and life-changing area of childbirth, I also developed my Bondi Junction practice in the area of dance and performance injuries. Working in the arts and being involved on the edges of the creative arena has been an inspiring experience and has presented me with some wonderful opportunities to make my small contribution to the creative process, both as an osteopath and then diversifying into other areas within the arts. This has provided me with many extremely fulfilling and enlivening experiences and people many of whom today I am fortunate to continue to have in my life. Twenty years down the track I am as inspired and in awe of the creative process of the human body-mind and its capabilities as I was all those years ago when I first was introduced to the osteopathic concept.

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A little bit about our discs

by Peter on June 10, 2009

I see a lot of people coming through my clinics in the city at Sydney Osteopathic Medicine and at Harley Place Health in Bondi Junction with back pain problems arising from their discs, so I have decided to write a little about discs to help inform you about these irascible parts of our back and the nature of damage to them. I will also talk about how an integrative osteopathic approach can help you manage these conditions or where other approaches may be advised.

Today I am going to talk a little about the basic anatomy of the intevertebral discs.

The intervertebral discs are soft but tough cushions lying between the spinal vertebrae, with the exception of between the first and second cervical (or neck) vertebrae.

They have a threefold function:
1) They form a cartilaginous joint between each vertebra and act as the spine’s shock absorbing system.
2) They are anchored to the bony vertebra via the cartilaginous end plates of the bones. In this way the discs act as ligaments holding the vertebra of the spine together.
3) They also help promote some vertebral movement acting as a pivot point. While movement between individual vertebra is limited, the motion of a region is increased when the action of several discs combine together.

The vertebral body is composed of hard cortical bone on the outside and less dense cancellous bone on the inside. The top and bottom of the vertebral body are called the end plates. The intervertebral disc, sandwiched between two vertebral bodies, is attached to these end plates. Changes in the disc may be accompanied by changes in the end plates.

The disc contains a tough outer layer known as the annulus fibrosis and the soft jelly-like inner nucleus pulposus.

The annulus fibrosis consists of 15-25 concentric collagen, or fibrous, sheets wrapping round the outside of the disc a bit like the layers of an onion. The fibres of one layer are at 90 degrees to the adjoining layer. This configuration makes them very tough and able to contain the pressurized inner nucleus and helps distribute pressure evenly across the disc.

The nucleus is the softer water-rich central portion which has a gel like consistency and is roughly spherical in shape. It is placed under very high pressure when we are upright, especially in the sitting position. It acts to support the downward weight of the body and to allow the bones to pivot around its shape. It acts as a shock absorber, taking on the impact of the body’s activities.

The pressure in the nucleus is 5 – 15 times higher than blood pressure. As a result, blood cannot reach the nucleus; Also, there are no nerves in this central nucleus or even in the inner two thirds of the annulus. The nerves are only found in the outer one third of this fibrous ring. This explains why the disc can degenerate without pain until it affects this outer layer. While the disc may wear out, there are no nerves to receive and transmit pain.

There are a number of conditions that are affected by the wearing down and damage to the discs including degenerative disc disease, disc bulge, disc herniation and internal disc disruption leading to a variety of presenting symptoms. I will go on to talk about some of these and how an osteopathic approach may help you in further blogs.

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Video killed the radio star

by Peter on May 10, 2009

Here is the result of a recent escapade into video production!  My erstwhile business partner in my city clinic at Sydney Osteopathic Medicine, Nic Lucas, who also works in internet marketing, produced this work of art. This is a  bit of my story.

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Fri arvo coffee and cake…sights in the city

by Peter on May 8, 2009

Have been sitting in city cafe with Nic Lucas updating this site… great way to work…. Nic is certainly the master of millenial communication, marketing and wordpress blogs… go check him out… and love my new pics

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I am at the borders or frontier of a brave new world.

by Peter on March 27, 2009

Join in and laugh with me as we march (or crawl), as the case may be, into the virtual world of the C21

Peter Green looking forward to a day at the beach

Peter Green looking forward to a day at the beach

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