Low back pain is extremely common. Around 90% of Australians will experience an episode at some point, and for most people it settles within a few weeks. Choosing what to do can feel confusing, especially with so much mixed information. Research shows that understanding your pain, staying active and learning simple self-management strategies can speed recovery and reduce the risk of ongoing or recurring problems. Early assessment, appropriate treatment and clear education make a real difference. While serious causes of back pain are uncommon, your practitioner can refer for investigations or medical review when needed. At Fairfield Osteopathic Clinic, we use current evidence, personalised care and practical advice to help you move confidently and support lasting recovery.

Neck pain is very common and is often linked to desk work, stress, tension, over-exertion or accidents. In most cases, symptoms relate to muscular tightness and joint stiffness, which can make everyday activities uncomfortable and may contribute to headaches. A thorough assessment of your neck and daily habits helps identify the main drivers of your pain and guides gentle, targeted manual treatment to reduce sensitivity and restore movement. At Fairfield Osteopathic Clinic, we use current evidence and an individualised approach, and provide practical advice to support lasting improvement. A new pillow may help some people — supportive pillows that adapt to your needs can assist with comfort and symptom management.

No matter what sport you’re involved in our Osteopaths can assist you with all of your sporting needs from prevention to treatment and rehabilitation.

We can help you to improve your activity levels or carefully return to your sport of choice post-injury and monitor you through your recovery to help you avoid recurrence.

Stretching and strengthening exercises may be prescribed to help you manage your injury.

We have practitioners experienced with a variety of sports and their associated injuries including:

Football, Tennis, Golf, Swimming, Running and Crossfit

If you’ve recently been injured or are recovering from surgery, rehabilitation focuses on restoring your ability to move and perform everyday and sporting activities safely and confidently. It’s normal to feel weaker or less coordinated after injury — this is your body’s natural protective response while tissues heal. Knowing what is part of normal recovery and when it’s appropriate to progress can be difficult without guidance. A thorough assessment helps determine when to protect an area and when to safely challenge it to rebuild strength, control and confidence. At Fairfield Osteopathic Clinic, we support people of all ages and fitness levels with individualised rehabilitation, clear pacing and practical home programs to help you return to the activities you enjoy without unnecessary setbacks.

Knee and hip pain are common and can develop suddenly after injury or gradually through everyday movement patterns, workload or reduced activity. Knee pain is often linked to sport, overuse or age-related change, while hip pain is frequently felt around the lower back, buttock or groin and may involve both the hip and surrounding structures. A thorough assessment helps identify whether symptoms are coming from the joint itself, nearby muscles, tendons, nerves or the lower back, and whether referral for further investigation is needed.

Common knee and hip conditions we see include:

• Osteoarthritis

• Ligament sprains or meniscal tears

• Patellofemoral pain and tendon-related pain

• Bursitis and plica syndromes

• Sciatica and radicular pain

• Labral tears and femoroacetabular impingement

• Piriformis and adductor-related pain

• Iliotibial band and snapping hip syndromes

Headaches are very common and, for most people, are not caused by serious disease. Your osteopath is trained to assess your symptoms and will organise prompt referral if there are any signs that further investigation is needed. The most common headaches we see are tension-type headaches and migraine, with sinus and exertional headaches also occurring. While pain-relieving medication can help in the short term, frequent use may contribute to ongoing or chronic headaches.

Stress, muscular tension, sustained poor posture, neck pain, medications and dietary factors can all play a role. Neck-related irritation is a frequent contributor, as nerves from the upper neck supply the scalp and face. Osteopathic treatment and remedial massage offer a safe, non-drug approach by reducing muscle tension, improving joint movement and easing nerve irritation. Your practitioner at Fairfield Osteopathic Clinic is expertly trained to determine the most appropriate form of treatment that is tailored specifically for you.

Pain in the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand is very common and can affect people at any stage of life. At Fairfield Osteopathic Clinic, our practitioners assess and treat a wide range of problems, with a strong focus on active rehabilitation and long-term recovery.

Common shoulder conditions we see include:

• Rotator cuff tendinitis

• Impingement syndrome

• Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)

• Bursitis

• AC joint sprains

• Biceps (bicipital) tendinitis

Elbow, forearm, wrist and hand problems are most often related to overuse and repetitive activities, particularly prolonged computer work. The most common conditions we treat include:

• Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)

• Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis)

• Repetitive strain injury (RSI)

• de Quervain’s tenosynovitis

• Wrist strains and sprains

• Carpal tunnel syndrome

Where necessary, your osteopath will refer you for further investigation or specialist opinion.

ALL OUR PRACTITIONERS WORK WITH OLDER CLIENTS AND SOME HAVE BEEN OUR MOST VALUABLE TEACHERS.

When you work with older clients, you are exposed to the difference between natural decline and the loss of function experienced due to poor lifestyle or compromised movement habits.

You can see a history of how that person has moved, or hasn’t moved, throughout their life. Whilst we might wish we had started moving sooner, it’s never too late to challenge our bodies with paced movement and improve our own notion of capacity.

But just saying ‘you’ve got to walk more’ when your knees, feet, or shoulders don’t feel great can be an obstacle to participating in the pleasures of life. Seeing an osteopath or having a massage can help all the parts of your body that you need to walk with less pain. To move ‘younger’ and feel better.

When we hit our 70s and 80s a bit of extra care and support can keep people stay engaged with their community, sleep well, and increase their energy to cook and eat real food, and enjoy the healthy pleasures of life.

The jaw and its muscles play an essential role in chewing, speaking and swallowing. The main jaw muscle (the masseter) is small but extremely powerful, and modern habits such as prolonged clenching or grinding—often related to stress or anxiety—can overload this system.

Excess jaw tension can lead to painful trigger points and discomfort with chewing, and may also contribute to symptoms that are not always obviously jaw-related, including headaches, earache, facial pain and tooth pain where no dental cause is found. Grinding or clenching (bruxism) and clicking, grinding or locking of the jaw joint may indicate irritation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

Fairfield osteopaths can assess jaw and neck involvement, provide targeted manual treatment for pain relief, and teach simple self-management and relaxation techniques to reduce jaw tension and support longer-term recovery.

Check our knowledge base page for techniques that may begin to help you right now.

Osteopathy is a gentle and safe approach for children. From infancy through to adolescence, children can experience aches and pains related to falls, rapid growth, posture, illness and sporting injuries. While most recover quickly, some problems can persist.

With your input, we take a thorough history, examine your child and use the best available evidence to guide care. Treatment is usually brief and supported by simple, practical advice, such as changes to activity, sport loads or, for infants, sleep positioning.

We regularly liaise with other health professionals, including GPs, paediatricians, physiotherapists, maternal and child health nurses, teachers and coaches, and refer to specialists when appropriate.

All Fairfield Osteopaths hold current Working With Children Checks.

Osteopathic treatment is a safe, gentle way to support your body as it adapts to the physical and hormonal changes of pregnancy. Hormonal shifts affect ligaments and muscles throughout the body, your centre of gravity changes as your abdomen grows, and increasing load places extra demand on your spine, ribs and pelvis.

Common areas of discomfort include:

• Lower back pain

• Rib pain

• Hip pain (often worse at night)

• Pubic and pelvic girdle pain (PGP)

• Upper back and neck tension

• Carpal tunnel syndrome

• Constipation, leg cramps and indigestion

A thorough assessment allows targeted, pain-free treatment for your individual needs. Osteopathic care can also support recovery after birth, helping the pelvic floor, rib cage, neck and shoulders (especially with feeding), and lower back adjust to post-partum demands.

Foot and heel pain is quite a common presentation.  Your bone, heel fat pad, ligaments, tendons or muscles can be the culprit.  Heel pain can also be referred by irritation of nerves in your lower back.

Having your foot and heel pain thoroughly assessed ensures any subsequent treatment and advice is targeted at the source of the problem.  An Osteopath is qualified to assess and treat your foot and provide all important evidence-based advice.

Some of the more common conditions we see in the clinic are:

• Osteoarthritis of the foot

• Radiculopathy

• Sciatica

• Fat Pad Syndrome

• Calcaneal Spur

• High Ankle Sprain

• Stress Fractures of the long bones

• Plantar Fasciitis*

After concussion is diagnosed, or suspected, it is important to be assessed by a qualified therapist within 72 hours.

Early concussion management care is important for recovery. As the brain is essentially in “energy crisis mode” post concussion your health care provider may have specific recommendations for you to follow. Mark Cooper is a qualified Shift Concussion Management  provider.

Professional counselling and education provided by experienced and caring psychologist, Lisa Fettling.

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