Osteopath

Sheryl’s interest in health & wellbeing began with 14 years of intense volleyball training and competition at the club and university levels in Canada and overseas. Her pursuit of knowledge led her to complete a Master’s degree in physical education & sport psychology in 1992. Sheryl continued to test her limits with numerous challenging activities until she discovered and fell in love with the precision, science and art of osteopathy. While immersed in her studies at the Collège d’Études Ostéopathiques, she also wholeheartedly explored the spiritual and meditative practice of yoga - becoming a dedicated yoga practitioner and teacher. She continues to deepen her knowledge, passion and skills in osteopathy with international conferences, post-graduate courses, advanced workshops and various holistic trainings.

Sheryl believes that the role of the osteopath is to listen & work with the body tissues and individual so that the person will be able to fully express, move and enjoy life to their full physical, mental, emotional and spiritual potential.

Member of the RITMA professional association in osteopathy. Insurance receipts provided.

Kindly give 24 hours notice of any cancellations to avoid a full fee being charged.

Please do not hesitate to contact Sheryl if you would like an appointment or have any further questions about how osteopathy can help you.

About Osteopathy

Osteopathy (including Cranial Osteopathy) takes advantage of the body's natural tendency to strive toward a state of health and homeostasis. An Osteopath is trained to palpate (feel) the body's "living anatomy" (i.e. flow of fluids, motion and texture of tissues, and structural makeup), and dialogue with it. They address health problems with the healing abilities of touch in order to restore normal function in areas impaired by trauma, chronic illness, acute health problems, etc.

The osteopath has a global view of the body as a whole inter-related functional unit and has an extensive knowledge of human anatomy. The therapist’s main tools are observation and palpation in order to assess and treat tension zones, lines of gravity, circulation, mobility, vitality, and posture, which may be causing discomfort and pain.

How Does Osteopathy Work?

Osteopaths hold to the common sense principle that a patient's history of illnesses and physical traumas are written into the body's structure. It is the Osteopath's developed sense of touch that allows the physician to palpate (feel) the patient's "living anatomy" (i.e. flow of fluids, motion of tissues, and structural make-up).

The Osteopath's job is to bring the body back to its healthy alignment so that it can efficiently heal itself and maintain its inherent health. To restore this normal function, the Osteopath gently applies a precise amount of force to promote movement of the bodily fluids, eliminate dysfunction in the motion of the tissues, and release compressed bones and joints. In addition, the areas being treated require proper positioning to assist the body's ability to regain normal tissue function..

What Happens In Treatment?

The first visit involves a thorough investigation.  This includes an extensive medical history taking, and testing motor and sensory modalities.  With this information, the osteopath begins treating.  The first visit is 90 minutes in length.  Subsequent visits are 60 minutes. Through the extensive information gathering, the osteopath understands where the body’s primary needs are and works with the body’s tissue to strive toward its state of health, homeostasis.
Many patients frequently report feeling a deep sense of relaxation, tingling, and/or flow of fluids as their pain is relieved.
Although treatment varies, Osteopaths primarily concentrate on normalizing the body's "mechanism".

What Does Osteopathy Treat?

Treatment is aimed at removing the obstructions to the person’s health through the anatomical and physiological blocks present, not the disease entity. One of the osteopathic philosophies is that the body is a functional unit whose parts integrally affect each other. Therefore, dysfunction in one area affects other areas as well. For example a young man suffering from pain due to a cervical disc problem wanted to know why his practitioner was spending time treating his legs when it was his neck that hurt. The doctor explained that due to past traumas the man's legs was pulling on his neck, restricting its motion, and that unless he freed up the area, the pain would persist. Much to the patient's amazement, a great deal of his pain disappeared, before his neck was treated.

Some common illnesses treated with Osteopathy include:

How Long Does It Take To Get Better?

A chronic condition often takes years to develop. With this in mind, it stands to reason that it will require time to resolve: the ratio is often one month of treatment for every year of illness. (Although every body has its own time table, this is the average course of treatment). For a patient with an acute problem (flu, muscle strain, etc.), the course of treatment is shorter because the condition is not as deep as a chronic illness. Much is also dependent on a patient's level of vitality (i.e. immune system). In other words, a patient in generally good health will respond more quickly to treatment than a patient with lower vitality (i.e. weakened immune system).