Services
I offer whole-person and patient centred osteopathy for women’s and pelvic health conditions. This includes hands-on treatment looking at your whole body, including internal pelvic floor (for relevant and consenting people), to get to the root cause of your issue, helping you move and feel better soon and empowering you to self-manage your condition and get back to your life.
What I Have Helped People With:
Pregnancy:
Pregnancy pelvic girdle and pubic symphysis pain
Pregnancy ligament pain
Pregnancy rib and upper body pain
Preparing pelvic floor for birth
Optimising baby position including spinning babies
Pelvic health:
Pelvic floor dysfunction and pain
Prolapse
Urinary incontinence
Vulvodynia, vestibulodynia and vaginissmus
Pain management for endometriosis, adenomyosis and PCOS
Pelvic/back/hip/tailbone pain
Postpartum:
Post-birth aches and pains
Postpartum 6-week pelvic floor checks
Postpartum abdominal separation
C-section scar release
Pregnancy pelvic girdle and pubic symphysis pain
Breast care:
Mastitis
Engorgement / blocked ducts
Breast scar release and pain management
During and after breast cancer pain support
Cording, capsular contraction, lymphoedema and more
Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a time of significant change and growth as well sometimes discomfort and pain. Pregnancy is a special time for parent and growing baby, for first time or repeat parents, every pregnancy is different and is deserving of support and care. My focus is helping patients not only manage pregnancy related pain, but help also prepare patients for labour, birth and postpartum.
Pregnancy-related pain includes management of all aches and pains experienced including pain in the back, pelvic girdle and pubic symphysis, sacroiliac joints, tailbone, hip, sciatica (pain down the legs), ribs, shoulder an upper back, headaches, carpal tunnel, lower leg swelling and uterus ligaments including the round ligament.
Preparing for birth includes ensuring the whole body is moving as well as possible so you can birth how you want, preparing pelvic floor to function as well as possible to make space and birth with ease and to educate and inform patients on labour and birth to help positive birth outcomes. This includes helping optimise babies positioning including treatment and management for breech, transverse or oblique babies utilising Spinning babies, rebozo, home exercises and hands-on treatment. Discussing birth preferences, active birth positions, tips for minimising the risk of prolonged second stage of labour and perineal tearing, breath, and pain distraction techniques and more!
Internal pelvic health is available after your 20-week scan to ensure there are no contraindications to internal pelvic health. This includes assessment, treatment, and teaching techniques such as perineal massage, internal pelvic floor muscle release, management of bladder leakage and constipation and pelvic floor relaxation, contraction and pushing.
Pelvic health (pain, pelvic floor conditions etc.)
Pelvic health and pelvic floor conditions and concerns look different for everyone! Pelvic health care is available for all those through menstruation to motherhood to menopause; our everchanging hormones and bodies often entail change to our pelvic health. Conditions I treat range from back, abdominal, pelvis, hip, sacrum, or tailbone pain to preparing for labour and birth, vulva related pain conditions, prolapse or conditions like bladder leakage and chronic constipation. Pelvic health is not always about pain, but sometimes about discomfort, inability to do certain activities or wanting to improve pelvic function. Pelvic health can also be proactive to help support conception, prepare for labour and birth, pre-operative care or for conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis and PCOS.
As an osteopath my approach to pelvic health extend beyond the pelvis, looking at the whole body and person to understand your condition and give you individualised care to improve. Common pelvic health conditions I treat include chronic pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, chronic constipation, painful intercourse, vulva pain conditions, pelvic floor dysfunction, prolapse; endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS and Crohns pain management, and preparing the pelvic floor for birth. Internal pelvic health assessment and treatment is available.
Internal pelvic health is never a necessity as so much can be addressed externally. Pregnancy internal pelvic health is available after your 20-week scan to help prepare pelvic floor for birth by addressing restriction and tension, ensuring correct pelvic floor function, and teaching you and your partner techniques like perineal massage.
Postpartum
Postpartum is a time of adjustment of physical, mental, and social growth. Once you are postpartum, you are postpartum for life; 6 weeks is not the recovery time from birth; however, 9-18 months are more realistic timelines for whole body healing. Birth is a physically demanding process on the body which often leaves the pelvis and surrounding structures in discomfort and strain. Establishing breastfeeding places similar demand and strain on the upper body. Managing these strains and discomforts helps to remove pain as factor so you can focus on your growing family and this special time.
Common conditions treated included low back and pelvic pain, ongoing pelvic girdle and pubic symphysis pain from pregnancy, neck and upper back pain from pregnancy, blocked ducts, engorgement and mastitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, DeQuervains and other wrist conditions. Assessment of abdominal separation and pelvic floor are additionally treated and rehabilitated.
There is no limit on how soon postpartum people can be seen, I have seen patients as soon as the day after birth if needed, I usually advise patients book in at two weeks postpartum to be proactive in postpartum care and get on top of discomfort and pain early. Internal pelvic health assessment and treatment is available after 6 weeks postpartum to assess pelvic floor function and healing.
Breast Care
Breast care vary significantly through all stages of life. Conditions ranging from acute mastitis, engorgement, and blocked duct treatment to post-operative breast care after removal of cancer/benign lump, implant insertion/removal and breast reduction/top surgery. Osteopathy is perfectly suited to aid these conditions due to our wider scope and approach to treatment and care.
I have completed further training in during/after breast cancer care to support my patients through their breast cancer journey and assist optimal recovery. I have also completed further training in mastitis care. Breast conditions often extend beyond the breast and the upper body becomes tense, restricted, and painful. Common breast symptoms I treat include cording/axillary web syndrome, capsular contraction, fibrosis, seroma and induration management, oedema and lymphoedema.
Scar tissue is a natural part of healing however scar tissue can contribute to pain and restricted movement. Scar tissue can spread and stick to other layers of fascia and tissue beneath the surface, this is known as adhesions. Those who have had radiation can also experience adhesion and scar tissue formation. Osteopathy scar work aims to address the external and internal scarring aiming to improve movement, sensitivity, pain, and aesthetic.
