My interest in how the body moves began as a teenager when I started my own fitness company in my small town in Ontario at age 17! My learning path diverted from Kinesiology to the Social Sciences through my undergraduate degree. After studying in England and India, I completed my BA in Anthropology with a focus on health perspectives in International Development from Simon Fraser University.
Evolving intrigue for health empowerment, informed choice and awe for the magnificence of the body during pregnancy and birth led me to next pursue a BHSc in Midwifery. I practiced as a midwife for 14 years. Having the privilege to bear witness to the amazing capabilities of the human body solidified my understanding and confidence in the body’s ability to self-heal and self-regulate. As part of the osteopathic philosophy is to focus on finding the health, I fell in love with this optimistic view of health and healing. The more I inquired about Osteopathy’s philosophy and its incredible stories of healing, the more I wanted to pursue this hands-on craft and acquire the tools to be able to share this holistic therapeutic practice with my community.
About Janet
Osteopathic Manual Practitioner BA, BHSc, MOMSc
I completed my Masters in Practice diploma of Osteopathic Manipulative Sciences (MOMSc), a 4 year principles based education in Classical Osteopathy at the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy (CAO). I am registered with Osteopathy Canada (OSTCAN), a national organization that adheres to the highest international standards in education and professionalism. OSTCAN’s members must complete 4200 hours of education and a minimum of 1000 hours of supervised clinical practice and training. Although I have acquired the tools to hone my craft, my learning of the fascinating intricacies of the human body will never end. Everyone’s pattern of disharmony in their body is different. For each of my clients, I am committed to explore and problem solve how the structure of their body is influencing their function, their symptoms and their day-to-day well being.
What is Osteopathy?
Osteopathy is a gentle, hands-on manual therapy that seeks to remove obstructions or imbalances in the body. The goal of osteopathic treatment is to establish an environment in the body where it is able to self heal and self regulate. The job of an osteopathic manual practitioner (OMP) is to find and treat the areas of restriction that are holding back the body’s ability to do this.
At your appointment, I will be motion testing your body, looking for asymmetries and motion restrictions. Osteopathy views the body as a whole from top to bottom, but also takes into consideration tissue layers from superficial to deep. There is often a pattern that develops with areas of restricted mobility and compensations for those areas of reduced motion. Therefore what is happening in one part of your body may be the result of what is happening somewhere else. There may also be compensations between layers of tissue. I may be treating fascia, muscles, ligaments and/or bones, depending on what is needed.
Everyone’s body has a different history and different daily influences, so your treatment will be tailored to your specific presentation of restrictions. Following nerve and blood pathways from your symptoms to their origin, treatment is directed at finding the cause and understanding the relationships that exist between the altered structures and the altered functions in your body. Treatment aims to restore proper distribution of forces through the body so that all the parts can work together in a connected and integrated way, as a whole dynamic body.
By freeing up restrictions in the body, this allows for enhanced drainage of lymph and venous pathways, optimization of the healing capacities of arterial blood (bringing nutrients, oxygen and hormones) to the areas of restriction, and improving nervous system communication and balance. All of this helps to increase the resources available to your body to self heal and better self regulate after the treatment. The better your body moves and the more coordinated the different parts of your body, the better the internal workings of your body function. Better sleep and less pain are also great goals in the therapeutic process.
Why RHYTHM?
Rhythm is a key principle in osteopathy. The body exists harmoniously in a rhythmic flow. Restrictions that occur in the body abate rhythm, disrupt coordination between structures, and restrict symmetry and range in mobility. We have rhythm in our gait cycle, rhythm in our circulation, our breath cycles, our autonomic nervous system tone, our sleep-wake cycles, and within each joint. Rhythm also matters in treatment as how a practitioner handles the body can influence how the body’s nervous system responds to and accepts treatment. Rhythmic handling optimizes the yielding capacity of bodily tissues and reduces the body’s reaction of guarding. There is also rhythm in how an osteopathic manual practitioner thinks through their treatment, as they prioritize and sequence their assessment findings while always correlating to other parts of the body. Mental rhythm is the “meticulous application of a thought process throughout the body”.
Johnston, Robert. (2016) Osteopathic Principles: Applied in Mechanics and Treatment. CAO Press
A smooth coordinated rhythm between all parts and systems allows for a body equilibrium that sets the stage for enhanced vitality.
Why Choose Osteopathic Care?
You may choose Osteopathic care for a variety of reasons including recovery from an injury, alleviating aches and pains, preventive or maintenance care, help to reduce stimulation of the stress part of your nervous system, or freeing up restrictions in the body that are reducing the energy you have for the things you really want to do in your day.
An osteopathic assessment is always inclusive of whole body functioning as I problem solve through the possible reasons for why you are experiencing the symptoms that you have. My goal is help your body achieve better balance and move with more coordinated rhythm.
Photo credit: Robert Sargent
How Osteopathy Can Help You
When the structure of your body is out of its normal alignment, how the body functions will be influenced. Symptoms are an effect of this disequilibrium. In my search for alleviating your symptoms, I will be looking for the connection between the altered structure and altered function. When I am able to open areas that are restricted, these areas gain better access to resources that will help them to heal. The longer an area has been obstructed, the longer the therapeutic process will take. I cannot undo permanent damage, but enhancing circulation has benefits in maintenance care of reducing the symptoms from the areas of dis-ease. It takes a few days for the changes made on the treatment table to have an effect on your overall body.
Pain Relief
Relieve pain and discomfort caused from various conditions such as back pain, neck pain, headaches and joint pain.
Range of Motion
Improved joint range of motion and general body mobility.
Better posture
Through improved alignment, the body is better able to load gravity so that force is more evenly distributed, which contributes to body system disharmony.
Maintenance care
Although you may have a condition that is not going away, osteopathic care can help to improve circulation and reduce symptoms to help you better manage day to day living between treatments.
Prevention care
Often times the ground work had been laid for disease or injury to occur. The areas of restriction that OMPs find that you may not have noticed (yet), are that ground work.
Equilibrium
Improve overall health and well being by addressing imbalances in body systems that work together in unity to create equilibrium and balance in the body.
Reduction of stress
By reducing compression and tension in body tissues and reducing nervous system tone, this also promotes relaxation.
Improved organ function
Through enhancing lymphatic and venous system drainage, enhancing arterial blood flow and improving nerve communication, organs are better able to carry out their jobs with normal function.
Osteopathy offers many benefits in helping people to overcome different health challenges. Some of the main benefits of osteopathic care are:
Frequently asked questions
-
Do I need a referral or medical clearance before seeing an Osteopathic Manual Practitioner?You do not need a referral. If you are in fairly good health, you do not need medical clearance before scheduling an osteopathic appointment. If you have been diagnosed with a condition or recent injury and you see a physician or nurse practitioner for regular visits, it is a good idea to ask for medical clearance to see a manual therapy practitioner. Copies of medical reports and/or diagnostic images may be helpful to inform treatment. You are welcome to bring in a copy which will be kept confidential in your file.
-
What will a treatment look like?In your appointment, I will be motion testing different parts of the body and using palpation to assess body tissues. You will mostly be laying still, but I will ask you to take deep breaths and to gently engage certain muscles throughout the treatment. What I am doing may feel like stretching, compressing, or rocking/oscillating. At no point should the treatment be painful, although sometimes it can feel like a very deep stretch. Please let me know if you experience pain and I can adapt what I am doing. As I work through the body, I will be moving you into different positions, depending on what your body can do.
-
Do I need to prepare for my appointment?For your initial new patient appointment, you will need to fill out and return the online Health history and Consent form. Please come to your appointment wearing comfortable, loose fitting clothes. Please arrive early for your appointment. If you are late, you will only have the remaining time for your assessment and treatment.
-
How often will I have appointments?When you are new to my care, the usual schedule of appointments that you can expect will be: Once a week for 3-4 weeks Once every other week for the next 2 months Once every 3-4 weeks Once every season for maintenance, if you choose to do so Often people with recent injuries or pain improve in 3-8 sessions. For people with pain that has been an issue for a long time or people with chronic illness, it takes longer to bring about improvement. There may be initial improvement within 6-12 sessions with progressive improvements happening over a longer period of time.
-
How long are the appointments?The initial booking appointment is 60 minutes. You have the choice of booking a 30 minute, 45 minute or 60 minute follow up appointment. This is the time allotted for initial check in, post treatment discussion and time for payment, not just treatment time. I treat according to what your body requires, so I may recommend a particular length of time according to individual needs.
-
What can I expect after my osteopathic treatment?Immediately after treatment, you should take it easy. No strenuous activity. Your body needs time to process the changes made. It takes about 1-3 days for your body to integrate the treatment and adapt to the changes made. The treatment may stimulate parts of your body that have been under-performing or not keeping up on their part of things. These parts may get “cranky” and cause you to experience some muscle soreness for a few days. This is normal. Good ways to take care of yourself after a treatment include: Light walk, bike or swim to get general range of motion activity and circulation going Hydrate - give your cells water! Heat or warm bath, especially if you experience sore muscles Sleep - be mindful of your body’s needs
-
Are osteopathic treatments covered by private health benefits plans?Manual osteopathic practitioners who are part of recognized associations have a billing number which allows their services to be submitted to insurance companies. Please check with your benefits provider to confirm your coverage for osteopathic care. Once payment has been received after the treatment, a receipt will be emailed to you to submit for reimbursement. At this time, I do not offer direct billing. This may be an option in the future.
-
What methods of payment do you accept?You can pay for services with credit card, debit, cash or e-transfer, done in the office at your appointment.
-
What is your cancellation policy?Please give more than 24 hours notice to cancel your appointment. You may be charged if you cancel within 24 hours of your scheduled appointment time.
-
What happens if I miss an appointment?You are responsible to pay for missed appointments. You may obtain a receipt for a missed appointment, but it is not eligible to be submitted for benefits reimbursement.
-
What happens if I am late for an appointment?You will receive treatment for the duration of the time remaining according to the time allotment that you booked for your appointment. You will be billed for the appointment time booked.
-
Do you offer reminder emails and/or text messages?Yes! When you make an account through the osteorhythm.noterro.com booking webpage, you can sign up for appointment reminders via email and/or text message.
-
Can I get an emergency appointment?Examples of emergency cases include acute or chronic flare up of muscle strains or a fall that does not involve the possibility of a fracture. You can reach out to me via text message 705-718-8118 to see about scheduling last minute appointments. Leave me details about what’s going on and I will call you back when I am able. If you experience sharp, sudden or unexplained pain anywhere in the body, have had a car accident, sports injury or head trauma, please seek medical attention first to be evaluated before seeing me.
-
If I am pregnant, can I receive osteopathic treatment?Yes! Osteopathic treatment in pregnancy can help your body adapt to the transformations occurring. Many of the common physiological challenges such as back pain, hip pain, digestive complaints, and circulatory issues can be alleviated with treatment. Osteopathy can also help to optimize the environment for baby development and positioning. The ideal time to start treatment is the second trimester. During the postpartum period, osteopathic treatments can help to reduce musculoskeletal issues that come from adaptation to caring for baby and restore your body back to balance.
Say Hello!
I'm here to answer your questions. Please contact me.
705 718 8118
Booking: osteorhythm.noterro.com
