Bairnsdale Osteopathy and Pelvic Health

01/05/2024

I should’ve been sharing this months ago but everybody please buy tickets to this amazing Monster Raffle to support Bairnsdale Scouts (and I believe a part of our sales goes towards funding my kids excursions).

The prizes include a CAR!!! And an awesome trip to Uluṟu, Pilates reformer, a dive course, paddle boards and heaps more!!

Buy tickets here (please):

https://scoutsvic.raffletix.com.au/bairnsdale?sref=gbz62gce

Good luck!! 🤞

Support Bairnsdale Scout Group by buying tickets in the Scouts Victoria Monster Raffle. Bairnsdale Scout Group will raise much-needed funds, and you'll go into the draw to win some amazing prizes.

14/04/2024

I wonder if you might take a moment with me.

Like many I am feeling the heaviness and the darkness of what is happening in the world, both near and afar. There is sadness, grief, and fear. And these feelings are valid. But what is the antidote to darkness… light. How can we contribute lightness to a world that feels dark at times. How can we be a candle that has the potential to light a million more…

I’m going to invite you to do a little embodiment exercise with me. If you like.

Just where you are right now, you don’t need to change a thing. Feel where your body is supported - your bum, your feet, your back, soften in to wherever there’s contact. Take a long soft breath down into your belly, and let your body soften on the out breath. Take 3 or 4 of these long, slow, connected breaths, softening a little more each time you breathe out.

Then tune in. What is there for you inside the boundaries of your own skin, right now, right in this moment? Physical or emotional. Feel the sensation of what is present, acknowledge any discomfort, let it know it’s seen, deeply acknowledge its presence is there as a wise communication from your body.

You may feel anxious, grief, anger, fear… let whatever comes be felt, for as long as is comfortable, if only a minute. Thank the sensation for showing itself.

Now imagine everyone in Australia or worldwide that might be holding those same feelings of anguish. Feel the connectedness for a moment. Now come back to your breath, those long soft breaths down into your belly, relaxing your body on the out breath. Maybe you’d like to invite that breath into the area of your body you feel the painful feelings. Each breath saying hey, I see you there, with compassion. As you breathe allow the feelings to transform from one to another if needed. Often fear or anger may turn to grief. Feel whatever is there and gently invite that soft, sweet breath in for as long as needed until you feel rest. Maybe then you might feel a flicker of your own inner candle flame and the things that are born from that - joy and love.

Know that as you felt that shared heartache with humanity, you have now also shared some lightness.

19/03/2024

Like most other things in recent months there will be some price adjustments (increases) from mid April. Prices have been updated on the website.

18/01/2024

Anyone else have a baby starting prep this year and NOT OK WITH IT? 😭😭😭 I had 3 babies in 3 years so when my eldest 2 were ready to start school I took that opportunity to take a breath. But when it’s your youngest, your BABY, that’s different. I want to hold onto that breath and our precious time together. 😭

What this does mean though is that my availability will be increasing a little in 2024, adding Mondays to my calendar. Yay to more capacity and less wait times.

At this stage I have some availability from the week of Feb 5th. Online bookings are the easiest way to nab an appointment: https://bairnsdale-osteopathy.cliniko.com/bookings

28/06/2023

While we’re talking about viruses, let’s consider what happens to the pelvic floor during this time, and the considerations are many!

Have you noticed your leakage / urgency / prolapse / pelvic pain is worse since being unwell. Let’s unpack why that may be…

❄️ Stiffness associated with a general systemic immune response, causing our whole lymphatic system to work harder and often leaving a low level systemic inflammation, aggravating underlying issues.

❄️ Fatigue. Coughing is one of the things that puts the most strain on our pelvic floor. A cough increases our abdominal pressure and the pelvic floor has to lift and contract to meet this pressure, to support our organs and keep us dry. Imagine doing hundreds (or thousands) of biceps curls in a day. Think your arm might lose some strength and want a break after a while? The pelvic floor gets tired too.

❄️ Breathing. Our pelvic floor moves in sync with our diaphragm when we breathe. The diaphragm descends to open up space for the lungs, the pelvic floor descends too. A virus, with our without a cough, will often stiffen up our breath, causing tension ➡️ pelvic floor gets right too.

❄️ Inactivity. If you get flattened with a flu and you’re in bed for a week, some of those postural muscles might need some time to get activating again.

So what can you do? While you’re sick and after you’ve recovered connect to your breath every day. Feel that motion descent through your diaphragm and down into your pelvic floor, out into your hips. You can do this lying in bed or sitting on the couch feeling miserable. Keep that breath moving. When you feel well enough some gentle pelvic floor activation to get those muscles firing, and then moving into some gentle strength work through your hips and abdominals. And generally just get that body moving - walking, swimming, whatever feels good. Be aware that it can take some time for your pelvic floor to recover so you may feel symptomatic for a few weeks. If symptoms don’t resolve, a pelvic floor assessment is a good idea.

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27/06/2023

If you’re like my family, you’ve been hit with one of the many viruses doing the rounds at the moment. Nearly everyone I’ve seen in practice in the last month has had something - colds, fever, coughs, vomiting.

Have you come through the other side and feeling some of your old injuries flare up? It is so common after having a virus for our bodies to feel stiff and sore, leading to back or neck pain, sore ribs, headaches. In kids I often seen an aggravation of growing pains.

When our bodies come into fight mode against viruses everything works harder. The lymphatic system is on overdrive, our breathing is often laboured and especially with a cough, our diaphragm and ribs are working HARD.

So we recover from the virus, but often the affects of all that hard work can linger for a long time, leaving stiffness and soreness.

So what can you do? Move! Walking, stretching, breathwork, yoga. Especially lots of rotation around the rib cage to get the lymphatics and diaphragm freed up. Lots of hydration, good nutrition. Meditation to help manage any stress.

And if needed, treatment can help to melt away those tensions and get you moving like your fluid self again.

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18/06/2023

It’s been a great weekend of learning with the amazing ladies from .institute

I’ve been working with pregnant women for my whole career but now I’m armed with a whole heap more knowledge about supporting women and their pelvic floors during pregnancy and birth. 🤰

I’ll be posting more on this in the weeks to come, but in the meantime reach out if you have any questions.

29/05/2023

Pelvic Health Appointments

Who are these for?
Everyone! Had babies, not had babies, in your 20s, in your 80s… pelvic issues do not discriminate and help is available.

For years people have been suffering in silence about bladder leakage, feeling like they need to rush to the loo, prolapse symptoms, pain with intercourse… but one thing I’ve noticed over the last 5 years or so is that people are now finally getting comfortable talking about it! Someone quietly confesses to their friend that they’re getting some wee in their un**es and their friend replies “Me too! And it feels like my vaginal is falling out!”. So the conversations are happening. And the next step… is knowing that these symptoms are common, but not normal. And that help is available.

So what does a pelvic health appointment look like?
A thorough history, where you tell me EVERYTHING (that you feel comfortable telling me) and I ask you a thousand questions and we start to problem solve your symptoms. Then if appropriate and if you’re comfortable, we may proceed to and external and internal pelvic floor assessment. This helps give us information about how your very individual pelvic floor is functioning. Is there tension? Muscle imbalances? Scar tissue? Fascial strain? Previous trauma? Every pelvis is holding its own story and it can be helpful to work out what that story is when it comes to managing your symptoms.

Based on what we find in our assessment we may then want to do some internal release work, external work around the pelvis or the rest of the body, look at breathing dynamics, mobility and strength. Lifestyle factors are also important and I’ll refer out for help in areas that are beyond my scope.

The main thing to remember is that though we can do very specific targeted assessment of the pelvic floor, the pelvis works as one part of an integrated whole, ie our very intelligent bodies. And that is how I will incorporate any treatment or exercises I may give you to do at home. Out: thousands of kegels. In: connection to breath, gentle stretching and mobility, stress management, identifying triggers, functional movement and strengthening.

So have those conversations! And know there’s help here waiting when you’re ready.

Please DM with any questions. Jess

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25/04/2023

Anyone with kids 5-10yo interested in starting basketball, Aussie Hoops has availability this term on a Wednesday or Friday 4.15-5pm.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=721852143066074&id=100057238848057&mibextid=qC1gEa

🏀AUSSIE HOOPS 🏀

Aussie Hoops is an introductory program designed for 5-10 year olds to introduce them to basketball and learn the required skills in a fun and supportive environment!

We have a couple of available places left in our Aussie Hoops Program for Term 2.

For more info, please follow this link: https://www.playhq.com/basketball-victoria/register/9cb093 or email Alisha at bdaba3875@gmail.com