When IT engineer, Dave, started working from home, he soon noticed a pain developing in his neck.
“I had worked in IT for 16 years before the lockdown and although it’s technically a desk job, I was still quite active during the day – I’d be up and moving during my train commute, in between meetings and when out working on client sites.

“But this all stopped once I started working from home – I probably spent all day in front of the computer for two years, I stopped exercising, and my posture was terrible due to poor office ergonomics.

“I started to feel this unbearable pain in my neck and when I sought treatment from an osteopath, I discovered I had an acute neck injury from a disk bulge which landed me in a neurosurgeon’s office.

“I was worried that I’d need surgery, but thankfully I started to improve after appointments with an osteopath every two weeks and referral to weekly appointments with an exercise physiologist.

“I am so lucky that it was caught early, it could have been so much worse if I had waited to get help. Now, after changing my office ergonomics and receiving regular treatment, I am feeling so much better and have been able to avoid more invasive interventions,” said Dave.

When Aussie mum of four, Tamara was hospitalised in her late 20s with headaches, vomiting and a tingling down her arm, she received a life-changing diagnosis when doctors found a bone spur growing into her spinal cord because of the most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis.

“It took three years to find a surgeon willing to perform surgery because I needed a disk replacement, and the risk was extremely high. The saddest part was when the doctors advised me against having any more children because of my condition.

“While I was waiting for my surgery, I started osteopathic treatment and I’m walking today because of those treatments, plus I went on to have another beautiful baby who is now six years old!

“I still get lots of different symptoms, which I manage with osteopathy. My osteopath also provides clinical Pilates, a self-guided exercise and strengthening program and collaboration with a remedial masseur. I work full time and I’m a busy mum with four children. My quality of life is only as good as it is because of my osteopath,” said Tamara.

Claire, aged 55, has osteoarthritis in both knees which has caused secondary pain in her lower back. She has had one total knee replacement and will eventually need to have her other knee replaced.

Claire uses osteopathy to manage her pain. Her osteopath provides manual therapy, pain management advice, education, and exercises to keep her active and participating in her work as a nurse. This included helping Claire to prepare for her knee replacement followed by surgical recovery and rehabilitation.

Manual therapy provides symptomatic relief, and Claire’s osteopath works alongside her GP and orthopaedic specialist to help her to manage her pain. This includes helping Claire to understand her condition and what she needs to do when the pain becomes chronic to improve her general health and wellbeing.

Benn loved running, cycling and swimming, until one day when he got knocked off his bike. The accident left Benn broken, mentally and physically. He was in serious pain for a long time. Through sheer determination, Benn decided that he wasn’t going to let the accident stop him from looking after his health. He decided to give osteopathy a go to help him get back on track and onto his bike.

Working full-time as an IT consultant, Chris is passionate about ballroom dancing and enjoys long rides on his beloved motorbike. A motorbike accident left him with a badly broken right leg and damage to his knee and ligaments, which caused him considerable pain. Osteopathy formed a major part of his rehabilitation and helped him get back on the road, on two feet and onto the dance floor.

Susanne is an author, publishing books for children and young adults. She was a 19-year-old university student when she first noticed her arthritis when her hands, knees and elbows began to spasm.

After visiting the medical centre at Sydney University, she was told by doctors she had rheumatoid arthritis. Her condition is intermittent, meaning some days the pain is so intense she is bedridden, while on other days she can get on with her life and continue her day-to-day activities.

Despite this, Susanne is grateful for the osteopathy treatments that she receives allow her to continue to do the things she loves.

George is an accountant and loves lifting weights. After injuring a disc in his lower back performing deadlifts, George’s mobility was severely limited. This left him sedentary, which affected his mental health and wellbeing. Find out how osteopathy helped George get back to feeling happy and well.

Lisa was a competitive cheerleader, having competed in the World Cheerleading Championships. During training, her lower back was injured. Over time the pain intensified and started affecting her sport and daily life. She hated sitting on the sidelines during training sessions and having to limit her involvement, and eventually decided to seek treatment and found osteopathy.

Natasha, a young student, and budding performing artist perforated her appendix due to significant stress, which led to several surgeries and a significant loss of weight and muscle. Weak and tired, Natasha thought she would never be able to perform again. Eventually, with the support of her family and teachers, Natasha decided to give osteo a go and went on to become a professional performing artist.

Working mum, Sarah has two young children, loves sport and being outdoors, and has lived with chronic pain for most of her adult life. She then injured her coccyx during the birth of her first child. This caused pelvic, sacral, and lower back pain spasms, which meant Sarah was unable to sit for long periods, play with her children or lift and carry her baby. When seeking treatment, Sarah discovered osteopathy.

At the age of 10, Sonia was diagnosed with scoliosis – a severe spinal curve. For more than five years, Sonia wore a brace for 23 hours a day, and then had a spinal fusion which left her with eight rods and 16 screws fused into her thoracic spine. As an adult, Sonia wanted to take back control of her body and her life by addressing the chronic pain she had been experiencing and found osteopathy.

Sue is a hairdresser but found that repetitive movements and long hours contributed to agonising chronic pain, which eventually affected her mental health. Meanwhile, Sue’s youngest daughter Brittany who was competing at a national level in dance had mobility issues that affected her ability to perform at her peak. Mother and daughter discuss how osteopathy benefits them in reducing and preventing pain.