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Person living with a  disability

Person living with a  disability

In Australia, 4.4 million people live with disability. Osteopaths look at the whole person and aim to empower disabled people in their clinical care to help them make positive changes in their lives.

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How osteopaths can help you

  • Identify the barriers affecting your personal goals to live a fulfilling life and participate in the community;
  • Help to educate you, your families, and your carers about mobility in the home and the community;
  • Help develop and apply physical skills needed for daily living, including help with coordination, strength, flexibility, stability, conditioning, and balance;
  • Provide advice on how to prevent injury while undertaking activities in daily living, such as information about whole body movement, positioning, and posture;
  • Help you to manage pain associated with movement.
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Clinical management

Osteopaths help people with physical disabilities or other disabilities that have a physical impact to live as independently as possible within their home, school or local community. For example, they will observe your movement and function in specific environments to assess how this may be improved and how any pain or discomfort may be relieved.

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Assessment of physical function

Depending on your personal situation and level of disability, pain or injury, osteopaths will perform assessments of physical function, including but not limited to muscular strength, joint movement and limb function.

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Advice and education

As for anyone with acute or persistent pain, osteopaths may offer lifestyle and/or movement advice, injury-specific exercises, manual therapy and health strategies to help relieve pain or discomfort. These may be land- or water-based (such as hydrotherapy) motor-related activities and tasks that can enhance movement or specific functional skills.

Osteopaths may also recommend and prescribe mobility equipment to help you to stand, walk and move around more easily or independently within your home, school or local community.

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Osteopathic services through NDIS

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) clients who self-manage an individualised funding package must consult their NDIS case manager to check if osteopathic services, such as functional and therapeutic services, can be funded under the NDIS.

More information

National Disability
Insurance Scheme

Disability Australia Hub

People with disability
Australia