I started my journey to become a Registered Massage therapist in 2018. After 5 years of building a busy massage therapy practice in Nelson, I decided to advance my career and complete training in Manual Osteopathy.
I credit my passion for human anatomy to over 15 years as a STOTT Pilates teacher as well as my early beginnings as a personal trainer. My pilates practice taught me to “tune” into my own body, increasing body awareness and gaining an appreciation for the small stabilizing muscles in my body.
Every client is different and I honour that by paying close attention to what their unique symptoms are telling me. I look forward of working with you and helping you on the road to better health and well being.
Manual Osteopathic Therapy is a gentle non-invasive hands-on therapy that focuses on bringing the body’s structure and function back to a state of whole-body optimal health.
Osteopathic practitioners use their understanding of the relationship between structure and function to optimize the body’s self-regulating, self-healing capabilities.
A Registered Massage Therapist, RMT, is a trained healthcare professional with over 2,000 hours of schooling, qualified to assess your condition and perform massage therapy treatments accordingly.
RMTs are regulated under the Health Professions Act and associated legislation, the Massage Therapists Act.
“The role of the Osteopath is to help the body help itself.”
Andrew Taylor Still
Founding Father of Osteopathy
Osteopathy is a non-invasive, holistic medicine based on the art of evaluating and manually treating restricted movement in the body, which can give rise to functional disorders affecting the general health of an individual. It is a preventative and curative form of therapy with the goal of treating the cause rather than only the symptom of the problem. Osteopathic practitioners view an individual as one whole unit, as each system of the body is interconnected (musculoskeletal, visceral, nervous system, circulatory, lymphatic, etc). If one part or system of the body is restricted, the rest must compensate and adapt, which can lead to different health conditions. Minimizing these restrictions provides the opportunity for the body to heal itself.
Osteopaths treat people of all ages, from newborns to seniors.
People who suffer from injuries, concussions, chronic pain or nagging aches, these are people who may not have found relief or have reached a plateau in their recovery with conventional treatments and would like to try a different approach.
Osteopathy is a preventive medicine as well as curative, therefore many people treat their bodies to a simple fine tuning in order to avoid possible future ailments. If you are experiencing pain, dysfunction or just want to take preventative measures to improve your health, Osteopathy can help.
Here is a list of some common reasons patients consult an osteopath.
Osteopathic Practitioners can help if you are experiencing problems such as:
Benefits include:
During your visit your practitioner will conduct an initial screening interview, a short evaluation and then perform an initial treatment. The treatment will focus on the most primary issues and the chief complaints of the patient. It may be quite subtle and or involve physical manipulation. You may be sent with homecare for proper maintenance to extend the effect of the treatment. Typically a series of osteopathic sessions is suggested as a treatment plan to address the patient holistically with the ultimate goal of optimizing a full expression of their health.
It is important to wear comfortable, flexible clothes that does not restrict movement in your body. For example: yoga pants and a t-shirt. No jeans please.
BC MSP does not fund treatment by Osteopathic Practitioners at this time, however many extended health plans do. A doctor’s referral is not needed to consult.
If you do not see your carrier on this list, please contact your provider to ask if they cover Manual Osteopathy. It’s also a good idea to check your individual plan to know the details before coming in.
Andrew Taylor Still, born on August 6, 1828, in Lee County, Virginia, is renowned as the founding father of osteopathy, a distinctive and holistic approach to healthcare that has had a profound impact on modern medicine.
Still’s innovative ideas and dedication to understanding the human body led to the development of osteopathy, a field that emphasizes the body’s self-healing capabilities and the importance of treating the root causes of illness.
I like to support my online and local business community whenever I can. Here are a few businesses with offerings that could be beneficial for you: