PK OSTEOPATHY

10/11/2025

📨📨📨 I just returned from a fantastic 4-day course working with the thorax, thoracic inlet and anterior neck structures, also including the collar bones, ribs and muscles associated with breathing, as well as all the organs inside the ribcage and ligaments that can get tight as a result of injuries, surgeries, illnesses or just normal life.

The Barral Institute UK is an organisation with high quality courses for manual therapist, and I love the fact that they bring together all kinds of practitioners leading to great little collaborations amongst osteopaths, chiropractors, physiotherapist and other manual therapists.

I met a fantastic practitioner Elodie Gauthier who is based in Glasgow. Elodie is a physiotherapist specialising in performing arts medicine, amongst others she is working with BAPAM - British Association for performing arts medicine - the medical charity for the performing arts.

We have Holly Elliot at Helping Hands Health with background in dance here in Orkney, and for those involved in performing arts based in Glasgow needing a little bit of assistance, I recommend looking Elodie up:
https://www.bapam.org.uk/practitioner-search/elodie-gauthier/ 🌺

04/11/2025

🌺𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵🌺

A lot of updates are happening in female health (although research is still hugely behind!).

I find it vital for my practice to stay up to date with the latest information - I really enjoy autumn from educational point of view as the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG) are delivering some fantastic events. Osteopaths are recognised as Allied Health Professionals in England (sadly, not in Scotland), so I am able to attend and I make sure I take that opportunity.

Here is a little summary of what I attended so far this autumn. Please note that this does not qualify me to make any diagnoses, this is only for educational purposes, and to be able to signpost my patients to the right care & resources, as well as to refer appropriately.

Topics covered:
Chronic pelvic pain - RCOG
Female sexual function/ dysfunction and pelvic floor - RCOG
Post-reproductive health - RCOG
Latest advances in reproductive health - RCOG
Reproductive Endocrinology - RCOG
Urogenital atrophy - EACCME®
and other events by ISSVD on vulvar health 🌺

30/10/2025

📯📯𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦' 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘 📯📯

Please note that I will be accepting new patients again as of December 2025.

You will be put on my waiting list until a new place becomes available. This is for two reasons:
✅ to ensure continuity of care for my existing patients - a new patient can only be booked when someone else is discharged
✅ to ensure continuity of care for you - so I can make sure that I offer you follow-up appointments in line with our treatment plan agreement

The approximate wait time may be about 2 weeks.

🌺 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩. 🌺

𝕆𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕆𝕣𝕜𝕟𝕖𝕪 𝕡𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕤:
Holly - osteopath at Helping Hands Osteopathy
https://www.helpinghandshealth.co.uk/
Teenie - sports therapy at KC Therapies
https://www.facebook.com/KcTherapies
Mary - neuro physio at REACH Rehabilitation Physiotherapy
https://www.reachrehabphysio.co.uk
Bel - acupuncture at 5 Element Acupuncture
https://www.facebook.com/westoxfordacupuncture
Graeme - chiro at North Isles Chiropractic Clinic
https://www.facebook.com/ggscott27
Kevin - massage at Sinclair Massage
Karoline - human & animal physio at Physio Phix
https://www.physiophix.co.uk/
Gemma - podiatrist at Walkabout Podiatry
Paula Hemsley - physio at Orkney Physiotherapy
http://orkneyphysiotherapy.com
Payal Gupta - physio at Orkney Therapy Services
https://www.orkneytherapyservices.co.uk

13/10/2025

🌺 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗲𝘀🌺

As a registered osteopath, I am required to complete 30 hours of CPD (continuous professional development) annually. As I love the work that I do, I often complete this requirement every 2 months, this enables me to grow as a practitioner.

I recently attended a 2-day course in Edinburgh on primitive reflexes in Osteopathy - on how it presents when they are suppressed, retained or reignited in babies, children, and adults and how to potentially help with osteopathy.

I was introduced to Retained Primitive Reflexes (RPR) and sensory-motor integration issues as an undergraduate student 13 years ago during an evening lecture by Bob Allen from Access Potential.

I used to refer patients to Bob and observed during some of their appointments. Since then I completed other courses on PRP in osteopathy but it was this course that answered a lot of my questions. I will take some time over the next few months to integrate the newly gained knowledge and skills into my practice.

To find out more about RPR and how that might be affecting you or your child, visit Rob's website:
https://www.accesspotential.net

RPRs are not (yet) well recognised, and there are other approaches around the world you might have heard of:
INPP - The Institute For Neuro-Physiological Psychology
MNRI® Method - The Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration
RMTi - Rhythmic Movement Training International

I would like to thank the family who lent me their doll for the training weekend - she was perfect - popular with the tutor and I think she really enjoyed her travels with me...she was also a great conversation starter 🌺

06/10/2025

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 talk this time on 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘆, 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟭𝟵𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 - I hope the winds will be kind during my crossing 🌺
Please see details for booking your place.

Another opportunity to hear from Petra about womens pelvic health! As it’s over lunch time, we are going to have some soup and nice bread available for anyone who’d like some! This event is subsidised…

03/10/2025

🌺 𝗣𝗘𝗟𝗩𝗜𝗖 𝗚𝗜𝗥𝗗𝗟𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗡 🌺

I knew that I wanted to work with women and children already when I was half way through my osteopathy degree - this meant completing my final 2 years of osteopathy, and then 2 more two-year post-graduate diplomas to achieve my goals (one in paediatric osteopathy and one in women’s health osteopathy)…and I did that…although my learning journey didn’t stop there.

There are many fantastic charities proving support to women, yet I am afraid many do not survive long-term due to funding issues.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙞𝙘 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨 was established in 2002 supporting women with pelvic girdle pain (PGP). PGP is pain experienced during pregnancy around the pelvic area. Sadly women still nowadays are told that pain in pregnancy is normal - it really isn’t and it can be helped, or at least supported so that the pregnant person isn’t suffering and is coping instead.

I provide my patients with a link to my article that I wrote on PGP:
https://pkosteopathy.weebly.com/pelvic-girdle-pain.html

As well as The Pelvic Partnership's website:
https://pelvicpartnership.org.uk/

The Pelvic Partnership recently announced that this year has been the most difficult for them financially. I made a donation towards their cause and I am writing this post, hoping to spread the word - could you also contribute to help other women in the future?...because every little helps 🌺

Thank you 🌺

The Pelvic Partnership is a national charity offering support and information about pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain (PGP).

22/09/2025

🌺 𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗦𝗟𝗘𝗘𝗣 🌺

One of my favourite training organisations, 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢, held an online course on infant sleep which I attended.

The course consisted of 14 high-quality lectures delivered by specialists from around the world. Despite their different backgrounds, they all agreed on several key points:

❤️‍🩹new mothers continue to be poorly supported

😞 expectations around how babies should sleep at night are heavily influenced by the Industrial Revolution, shaped more by convenience than the biological clock. These ideas became prescriptive over time, giving rise to myths and misinformation about infant sleep.

😔 these unrealistic societal expectations can be incredibly damaging to new mothers, who may wrongly believe that something is wrong with their baby, or that they are failing as parents.

I might share a summary of the course in the future, but for now, if you’re expecting a baby👼, or know someone who is 🤰, I recommend downloading and completing a 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣:https://www.tommys.org/sites/default/files/2024-08/Wellbeing%20plan%202024.pdf

Ideally completed in the third trimester, a wellbeing plan helps a new mum explore what services are available and encourages early conversations with friends and family to establish a support network.

It might sound simple, but when you're sleep deprived and overwhelmed by guilt, it can be hard to think clearly or ask for help. Having a plan in place beforehand makes all the difference and requires very little effort when the time comes. 🌺

My personal highlight was the number of specialists in their fields who appreciated the need for bodywork (that's what I do) for all babies and new moms 💞

04/09/2025

📯📯𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘 📯📯
(𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵, 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴)

I will no longer be accepting new patients until further notice.

This is due to my current waiting list being up to 8 weeks long, multiple educational trips down south to improve my skills, and to ensure good continuity of care for my existing patients.

🐦𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 🐦
✅𝘽𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙙 (𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣) 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 1-2 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙨.
✅𝘐𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘖𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘵, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵.

The approximate wait time for 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 is anything between 2-8 weeks, and I will continue supporting them if they are in need.

🌺 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩. 🌺

Other Orkney practitioners:
Holly - osteopath at Helping Hands Osteopathy
https://www.helpinghandshealth.co.uk/
Karoline - human & animal physio at Physio Phix
https://www.physiophix.co.uk/
Teenie - sports therapy at KC Therapies
https://www.facebook.com/KcTherapies
Mary - neuro physio at Move4ward Orkney
https://www.instagram.com/move4wardorkney/
Bel - acupuncture at 5 Element Acupuncture
https://www.facebook.com/westoxfordacupuncture
Graeme - chiro at North Isles Chiropractic Clinic
https://www.facebook.com/ggscott27
Kevin - massage at Sinclair Massage Therapies
Gemma - podiatrist at Walkabout Podiatry
Paula Hemsley - physio at Orkney Physiotherapy
http://orkneyphysiotherapy.com
Payal Gupta - physio at Orkney Therapy Services
https://www.orkneytherapyservices.co.uk

25/08/2025

🌺 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 🌺

Please note that I’ve recently qualified as a Marine Mammal Medic! 🐬🦭🐋

This means that I may occasionally be called away at very short notice to assist in rescue emergencies. I will always do my best to minimise any impact on my clinical practice, but please be aware that there is a small chance that your appointment may need to be rescheduled at a very short notice. If this happens, I will make every effort to rebook your appointment within one week.

Thank you for your understanding and your support for the wellbeing of our precious marine wildlife 🌺

25/08/2025

A lovely trip over to Hoy yesterday to deliver my talk on Introduction to female pelvic health - thank you all for such lovely feedback and thank you Hoy and Walls Wellbeing Project for inviting me 🌺

11/08/2025

🌺𝗕𝗔𝗕𝗬 𝗗𝗢𝗟𝗟 (𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲)🌺

I will be doing some paediatric training down south to further my skills and we were advised to bring a baby doll for some of the practical parts.

Would anyone be able to lend me a baby doll, that is as real life size as possible, for a week between 14th & 21st September, please? ...hopefully not upsetting any child in the process...

I promise to look after it really well 🙃

Thank you 🙏

28/07/2025

📯📯𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘 📯📯 (edited 25/8/2025)

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟭𝟭𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱, 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻.

The approximate wait time for all new & existing patients is anything between 2-8 weeks.

🐦𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 🐦 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝟭 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸.

Thank you for your understanding and continuous support. 🌺