Osteopathic Musculosketal Medicine & Pain Management
Osteopathy is a form of manual medicine which recognises the important link between the structure of the body and the way it functions.
Working in partnership with Dr Nick Penney
Nick originally qualified as an Osteopath from The British School of Osteopathy (now the University College of Osteopathy) in London, going on to complete a doctoral degree in Musculoskeletal Medicine at The University of Queensland in 2009.
Nick is one of the few Osteopaths to hold vocational registration in pain management, is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Medicine and practices from a scientific, evidence-based perspective.
More about Dr Nick Penney
I hold vocational registration in pain management as an Osteopath with the Osteopathic Registration Board, and a PhD in Musculoskeletal Medicine from the University of Queensland. During my time at The Centre for National Research on Disability and Rehabilitation Medicine at UQ, I was both a member of the expert panel on low back pain, and the steering committee of the Australian Acute Musculoskeletal Pain Guidelines Group where we produced evidence based guidelines for the management of acute spinal pain, shoulder, and anterior knee pain.
On returning to New Zealand I was involved in the design of the current ACC chronic pain contract, and ran one of the most successful chronic pain patient contracts, based on objective patient outcomes prior to relocating from Auckland to Christchurch with my family.
The Osteopathic profession still tends to rely on passive treatment, including ‘maintenance’ treatment for which there is no evidence. The evidence for incorporating exercise and the impacting on pain management not having made its way into usual care.
I also incorporate Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and Acceptance Commitment Therapy into my practice and teach the UK mindfulness in schools program to schools across New Zealand.
Services
Available at Restore on Fridays, for Private and ACC cases.
- Acute Pain & Injury
Diagnosis & treatment of acute musculoskeletal pain and injury (new symptoms or the reoccurrence of old ones). Early evidence-based intervention being important to prevent long term pain and disability.
- Chronic Pain & Injury
Diagnosis & management of chronic pain and injury (pain that has persisted longer than 3 months). Chronic pain is not just acute pain that persists, and does not respond to the usual care for acute pain. This may include chronic post injury or surgical pain, chronic primary pain where no signal incident created it, as well as pain that arises from altogether different causes including physical and emotional trauma, personally meaningful negative life experience, post concussion syndrome or PTSD.
