Up until now Osteopathy has looked after itself itself or by different regulating bodies in each state. In the past Osteopaths in Victoria shared their regulation board with the Chiropractors. Different states had different rules and Osteopaths moving interstate had to register in each state.

The Australian Osteopathic Association and the Chiropractors and Osteopaths College Association acted as supportive bodies for all Osteopaths and was responsible for the continuing education of its members, but by no means all of the eligible osteopaths joined .

Now we have a new National body which will govern all Osteopaths and act as a public watchdog.

This will probably not affect any patients at all or change the way the vast majority of Osteopaths work but it should eventually guarantee a minimum standard of competence of all Osteopaths in Australia.

Of course someone has to pay for all this. Some may be sought from you and me (the tax payer) and some will definitely be sought from us Osteopaths. So if you see long faces at the practice in July it will be because our registration fee has tripled. Such is progress!

Miles James

Fortunately we still get good sunny days which means that for those are tied to work during the week can usually get a sunny spell at the weekend for a walk or bike ride.

Shorter days mean time is often of the essence so a long stroll along the beach may not be possible.

Twenty minutes of concerted exercise is certainly enough to give us benefit so a short but as brisk as possible walk is always good to have. As long as we are aware of our body condition and always increase the effort gradually there should be little to go wrong.

If just walking fast is not enough for your fitness requirements a long gentle jog again is not always the best way to go. Try the “fartlek” style of interval training or in old fashioned parlance “Scouts pace”. Walk fast then run at three quarter pace for the distance you walked. Return to a more leisurely pace until you feel able to up the speed again to brisk walk then run. Here you can use time or distance to increase or decrease the effort. This system offers you a wide range of possibilities and means you can vary the effort with how the weather or time will constrain you and – importantly – how you feel.

For example :

Using the short way across the footy oval first of all and then gradually change line until you are full length for twenty minutes will have even the fittest of us gasping.

In the street lamp posts are useful measurement goals but running on grass is always favourite rather than the unyielding tarmac.

If its really nasty outside substitute indoor exercise for the outside stuff. The simple mini-trampoline can give even the most unfit of us a good work out. Even if you dont feel able to bounce just walking on the tramp will not only give you leg movement, heart and lung exercise it will also give you good balance work.

Cycling indoors can be jazzed up to make it interesting, either an exercise bike or the simple stands that you can support the back wheels of your bike on is a favourite base for exercise. You can easily make it more palatable with music, T.V. (or if you are that committed) reading work papers.

At the lowest of levels just a few minutes of walking/running on the spot, taking in a few flights of stairs, or doing some simple exercises with elastic resistance or impromptu weights will help keep the feeling of well being going through the winter.

What is important is that the type and level of exercise you do is matched to your physical ability at the time. If you have flu, a chest infection or any debilitating illness this is not a good time to exercise and especially not to your normal level.

Some of us like to exercise every day but there is little proof that this is any more beneficial than every other day. The harder you exercise the more the need for recovery days. Try and vary the pace timing and activity of exercise. Some of us are better in solitary exercise and can push ourselves without outside encouragement. Some need the company of similar sufferers to keep them going.
Identify which type you are. Find a friend for a sunny day walk to the beach or just get out in that rain again and push yourself up that hill one more time.

Normally we know ourselves and know what we can achieve . Not sure how to go about it ?

Let us advise you . We know what your body can and will do safely. We are well versed in exercise induced injuries and can help you avoid them.

Roll on Spring!

Miles James

Vertebroplasty, as it’s known, is a procedure that involves an X-ray guided needle insertion into the bone fracture followed by the injection of medical grade cement with the aim being to stabilise the fracture and help the spine heal more quickly with less pain.

The treatment is regularly recommended by doctors and specialists around the world with more than 600 Australians undergoing the procedure every year. Previously scientifically weaker studies led to an interim listing on the Medicare Benefits Scheme.

Professor Rachelle Buchbinder of the Monash Department of Clinical Epidemiology at Cabrini Hospital who led the study, published the results in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine in August. In the same edition, the results were published of a study by an independent research team at the Mayo Clinic in the US which also found the procedure inadequate.

“Our results indicate that there are no benefits of vertebroplasty over six months, but there are some potential risks. These include infection and leakage of bone cement outside of the broken vertebrae,” said Professor Buchbinder.

She believes those risks should not be ignored. “The cement is a permanent medical implant. The procedure might also increase the already high risk of having more spinal fractures, particularly in vertebrae adjacent to the treated area.” Based on these results, Professor Buchbinder also said “I don’t think there is any place for vertebroplasty in routine care.”

Getting the right work environment is often a bit of a challenge and sometimes we all succumb to the “pressure of work” and and its resultant misery. These days with “hot desking” and people moving between different offices finding a comfortable and efficient position to work is something we all have to be responsible for. Read more here…

2009 Premiers the Frankston Bombers defeated Pearcedale by 99 points in Round 1 of the 2010 MPNFL Nepean League Football Season.

Rachael had a busy day down at Pearcedale as there were a number of injuries.

- A full knee reconstruction is required for one unlucky player, needing Rachael to liase with local Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Gerard Bourke to organise appointments, scans and surgery. Pain from a ligament rupture tends to disappear quickly, so as much as the player was convinced he hadn’t done much damage, Rachael’s experience knew otherwise!

- A dislocated finger which Rachael quickly relocated to ease the discomfort of the player and most of the crowd who witnessed it!

- A severely ‘corked’ thigh, which was causing great concern, so much so that an Ambulance was on standby.  The injury was stabilised and the player will be under Rachael’s care for the next few weeks.

- Another player fractured his collarbone for the third time.  The bone was so ‘lumpy’ from the previous breaks that Rachael had a hard time telling if it was fractured. However the pain on Rachael’s assessment painted a bleak picture and the X-Ray confirmed the worst - he will be out for 4-5 weeks.

- On the less serious front – a split chin requiring 4 stitches, a blood nose, leg cramps and last but not least, the Frankston Bombers Netball Team – the “Bombshells” needed assistance with a rolled ankle.

We hope you never happen come in with any of these injuries – but if you do – Rachael knows how to handle them!

Plenty of space in the new rooms in Frankston. And we need it! With the demand we’ve had we’re pleased to announce we are doubling our time at TSIC with Rachael now available on Tuesday and Friday mornings.

In fact the creator of the blood test used to detect prostate cancer has admitted it has become a “hugely expensive public health disaster” and should be abandoned.

Richard Ablin, who developed the prostate-specific antigen test 40 years ago, used by about 1 million Australians a year yesterday agreed it had been proven inaccurate and was “hardly more effective than a coin toss”. ”PSA testing can’t detect prostate cancer, and more important, it can’t distinguish between the two types of prostate cancer – the one that will kill you and the one that won’t,” Dr Ablin wrote in a column in the The New York Times.

An American survey of 77,000 men concluded there was no decrease in the death rate in those who had yearly tests compared with those who were not offered testing. In the European trial, involving 182,000 men, it was found the death rate did decline slightly but 48 men would need to be treated to save one life.

Hamish Bonner

Has there ever been a more pathetic sight then Hamish Bonner who went for the cat and ended up under a car instead?

By all accounts he’s not being the best of patients with several veterinarian staff currently nursing small wounds. Diana is preoccupied with her granddaughter at present so perhaps this is attention seeking, in which case this is the dramatic turn of the decade!

Relay For Life is the world’s largest fundraising event, and supports of the Cancer Council Victoria’s cancer research, education and support programs. These events are already held at regional and suburban venues across Victoria and Melbourne.

The event involves teams of individuals coming together to support a common cause, using their team spirit and teamwork to create a unique and special atmosphere.

Miles James took the challenge and here’s how he fared…

Practice Manager Diana Bonner is having her multi-tasking skills put to the test with the arrival of her first grandchild. Madeleine Joyce Bonner born to Teisha and son Matthew on February 1st 2010. 7lb15oz. Prepare to hear all the details next time you visit the front desk!