Using proven osteopathy practices, Active Health Osteo is committed to giving back patients their quality of life. Verve caught up with Kendyl and Simone to find out how.
Kendyl
Simone
What led to your career as an osteopath?
I injured both hips badly going from competitive rhythmic gymnastics in South Africa to rowing during my teen years once we moved to New Zealand. For around five years, ongoing pain impacted my health. I tried everything, but nothing helped. Someone suggested an osteopath, and after a couple of sessions, my pain was manageable! I’d always wanted to help others and had assumed the best way was to become a doctor. However, the calm, safe environment and hands-on treatment of osteopathy, combined with the wonderful results from treating the root of problems, rather than the symptoms, struck a chord. I’ve never regretted my decision to make osteopathy my career.
Why do you have a particular interest in the areas of pregnancy and rehabilitation?
Rehabilitation has always been of interest as I was continually getting sports injuries growing up. The way the body heals itself is incredible and rehabilitation is a way we can observe its miraculous healing powers. Patients soften share their experiences of repetitive injuries due to not having the correct rehabilitation support post-injury. Repetitive injuries can be prevented by retraining the brain to trust the injured body part, strengthening the area, and slowly reintroducing impact training. A full recovery from injury is possible if the patient and practitioner work together and stick to the programme.
How does this passion for competitive sports feed into osteopathy?
I understand the pressure high-performance sport has on athletes. I can talk them through coping mechanisms. I’m also able to correspond well with the entire management team where needed. Working with competitive athletes requires not only treating injuries but enhancing the performance of injury-free athletes, like increasing runners’ stride lengths, swimmers’ reach, and generally improving form, flexibility, and strength.
You’ve extensively researched osteoarthritis, can you tell us more?
A covering of cartilage exists over the bones that make up most joints. Osteoarthritis is the process where that covering of cartilage is worn down. Currently, there are no ways to reverse the process of osteoarthritis, which everyone will experience at some point in their lives. However, we can slow the process down and preserve the cartilage that we do have by doing a few simple things such as keeping fit and active, managing weight, and eating healthily. Osteopathy helps slow the process of osteoarthritis by decompressing the joints, maintaining range of motion, getting the joints moving smoothly, improving blood supply to the area, and strengthening muscles that stabilise the joint.
Why did you become an osteopath?
During my first year studying to become a physiotherapist, I injured myself playing rugby and was recommended to see an osteopath. Incredibly, the osteopath not only diagnosed me, but found out why my body was more vulnerable to getting this injury. I had no idea other areas of my body were connected to the injury site, contributing to the pain I was experiencing. The osteopath eliminated my pain and gave me exercises and advice specific to my situation and my body. From then on, I knew I wanted to be an osteopath. I not only wanted to help people gain short-term pain relief but equip them with the tools and knowledge necessary for long-term relief.
Pregnancy is a reasonably new interest. I’ve more recently become aware of the wider stressors of pregnancy on the body. There are so many women out there doing an incredible job of carrying their precious little ones. However, it’s common to experience body aches and pains due to increased weight distribution, as well as hormonal changes. I’ve had the pleasure of supporting so many lovely mothers-to-be with their aches and pains, which many had no idea could be fixed.
