Hands-on osteopathic treatment for back and neck pain, combined with the movement and load advice that stops it coming back.
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Osteopathy is a hands-on approach that assesses and treats how the body moves as a whole, rather than only the spot that hurts.
In practice, a treatment session uses a range of manual techniques — soft tissue work, stretching, articulation of joints through their range, muscle energy techniques, and joint manipulation where it is appropriate and you are comfortable with it. Techniques are selected for the person: what suits a 25-year-old with an acute back strain is not what suits an 80-year-old with osteoporosis.
Hands-on treatment is genuinely useful for symptom relief and for restoring movement. It is also not sufficient on its own for most back and neck pain, and any practitioner implying that a series of treatments will permanently fix a recurring problem is overselling.
What keeps pain away is usually a change in how the area is loaded — strength, activity, work setup, sleep, and confidence to move. Treatment makes that possible sooner and more comfortably. We do both, and we will be clear about which part is doing the work.
A fair question, and the honest answer is that the overlap is substantial.
Osteopathy typically offers more extended hands-on treatment within a session, with a whole-body assessment approach with rehabilitation and exercise prescription.
Physiotherapy typically weights exercise prescription and loading programs more heavily, and is the usual choice for post-surgical rehabilitation, neurological conditions and structured return-to-sport work.
Remedial massage focuses on soft tissue and is often used alongside either.
For ordinary back and neck pain, all three are reasonable, and the practitioner and the plan matter more than the profession. If we think physiotherapy or another discipline suits your situation better, we will say so — we have those teams in-house, so there is nothing to protect.
See a practitioner for back or neck pain that has not settled within a couple of weeks, that keeps returning, or that is limiting work, sleep or activity.
Call 000 or attend an emergency department if you have:
See your GP before starting hands-on treatment if you have:
We screen for these at your first appointment. Where anything raises concern, we refer rather than treat.
The first appointment runs around 45 to 60 minutes.
Your osteopath will take a full history — how it started, what makes it better and worse, your work, activity and sleep, previous episodes, and your general health and medications. This is the screening described above as well as the diagnosis.
Assessment involves watching you move, testing range and strength, and hands-on examination. You will be asked to move into positions that reproduce the pain, which is informative rather than gratuitous.
Treatment usually starts in the first session. You will get an explanation of what is going on in plain language, hands-on treatment, and specific advice about movement, activity and any exercises to begin with.
Manipulation is optional. If you would rather not have joint manipulation, say so — there are effective alternatives, and it is never a required part of treatment.
On the number of sessions: most straightforward back and neck problems respond within a small number of treatments. We will give you an expected number at the first appointment and review it. We do not sell treatment packages or book long courses of care in advance, and if you are not improving as expected we will reassess or refer rather than continue.
Osteopathy is delivered from our Roxburgh Park clinic in Melbourne's northern suburbs, serving Craigieburn, Greenvale, Meadow Heights, Broadmeadows, Westmeadows, Attwood, Gladstone Park, Campbellfield, Mickleham, Kalkallo, Epping, Sunbury, Glenroy, Pascoe Vale, Fawkner, Coburg and the surrounding corridor. This is currently the only location for osteopathy; home visits are not available.
If you are outside that area, our Physiotherapy team works across Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales, including in-home appointments.
Simple Process
Call 1300 765 456 or book online. No referral needed for private or private health patients.
Our team asks how long the pain has been present, how it started, whether it refers into an arm or leg, whether you have had imaging, and about your general health and medications — partly to screen for anything that needs a doctor first.
Full history, movement assessment and hands-on examination, including screening for conditions requiring medical referral.
Hands-on treatment in the first session where appropriate, with an explanation of what we are treating and why.
Movement, activity and load advice, plus specific exercises. This is the part that keeps the pain away.
Reassessment at the expected point. If you are not responding, we reassess or refer rather than continue treating.
Got Questions?
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Contact inOne Healthcare on 1300 765 456, email info@inonehealthcare.com.au, or submit a referral online.
Monday to Saturday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. Closed Sunday.
Related: Lower Back Pain · Neck Pain · Sciatica · Headaches & Migraines
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Make A Referral 1300 765 456 info@inonehealthcare.com.auReviewed by Aidan Koukach, Osteopath, OST0002741662. Last reviewed 15/09/2026.
This page provides general information only and is not a substitute for individual clinical advice. Loss of bladder or bowel control with back pain is a medical emergency — call 000.