ABOUT
Osteopaths
in
and
Back Pain Specialist
Christchurch
ABOUT US
SHELLEY JOE
I have been in practice for over 26 years and over this time have treated representative sportspeople as well as expectant and new mothers and babies, children and students through to homebodies, working professionals and retirees; all coming through my door with a wide range of injuries and conditions.
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My aim in practice is to
'find it, fix it and leave it alone'.
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I don't prescribe long programmes of treatment. I encourage you to work with me, be informed and to make good decisions for yourself, not become dependent on someone (or something) else to do it for you.
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Make choices that help you
get back into life.
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I like to
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help my patients understand what is happening within their body;
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build awareness of how it functions and responds to their experiences;
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work with them to reduce pain, restriction and dysfunction; but especially to
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give them the confidence and knowledge to better manage their condition themselves; and
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provide tools to prevent or minimise their recurrence.
Dr AT Still - Founder of Osteopathy
More about Shelley
I graduated with my double degree from RMIT University in Melbourne in 1996. I returned home to begin practice and was immediately co-opted onto the steering committee to set up New Zealand's first osteopathic course at Unitec in Auckland which enrolled it's first cohort of students in 1999.
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Enticed by the warmth of Queensland, I later moved over the Tasman to work in multiple clinics eventually building up my own successful practice on the Sunshine Coast. During this time I was fortunate enough to treat members of the Australian Paralympic team - who incidentally came home with several medals from Athens and Beijing, thank you very much!
On becoming Mum to Alice and Lucy (now 17 and 13 years respectively), my husband Nick (an osteopath and pain specialist) and I decided to bring them home to begin their schooling in 2012. We recently returned to Christchurch to be closer to family (I'm an Oamaru girl born and bred!) and to settle permanently.
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I am very much looking forward to this new chapter in our lives and hope I can help you get back into the swing of yours.​​​​​
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Masters of Science in Medicine (Pain Management) - Sydney University and Royal North Shore Hospital
Moving to Australia in 1998 led me to furthering my medical knowledge by completing postgraduate study as the first ever osteopath to be accepted onto this prestigious programme which is renown internationally, and attended by medical specialists from around the world. This was groundbreaking stuff as I had to fight for the right to enter the course but as a result of my success I am proud to see that several other osteopaths have since been able to follow in my footsteps.
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Bachelor in Applied Science (Clinical Sciences), Bachelor of Osteopathic Science - RMIT University
Consistently performing in the top 15% of all universities worldwide throughout my five years of undergraduate study, I was invited into the prestigious Golden Key International Honour Society. I also received recognition from the New Zealand Register of Osteopaths, being awarded for Outstanding Academic Excellence.
I am an active member of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) and the New Zealand Pain Society (NZPS). I regularly attend medical conferences constantly updating my knowledge with the most up-to-date research and evidence-based practice.
Due to popular demand, I introduce Dr Nick Penney, an osteopath with over 40 years hands-on experience and more recently in the field of chronic pain management, having earned his Doctorate in Musculoskeletal Medicine in 2009. His expertise expands our scope of practice offering both acute and more complex chronic pain management consultations in addition to the odd osteopathic consultation here and there.
NICK PENNEY
I am an internationally recognised expert in low back pain.
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I specialise in low back pain; chronic pain conditions arising from injury or surgery; and obstacles to recovering in all cases of persistent, unremitting, physical symptoms.
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There are many factors that are known to contribute to the sensation of pain, so it follows that a single pill, injection or any intervention delivered in isolation - including surgery - is unlikely to be successful in relieving your pain.
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I provide a carefully planned, stepped-care integration of multiple, evidenced-based treatments into a personally tailored treatment plan specifically for you, and this plan will be guided by best practice clinical guidelines.
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Treatment plans may include, but are not limited to:
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Answering any uncertainty as to what is causing your pain, and what you can do about it;
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'Hands on' manual therapy;
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Stress management;
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Activity, work and exercise management;
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Sleep hygiene;
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Identifying and overcoming personal obstacles to recovery (including anxiety and depression);
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Focused attention exercises;
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Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy;
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Acceptance Commitment Therapy; and
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Medication optimisation (in conjunction with your GP/other medical specialist).
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My specialised knowledge and care previously contributed to Integrative Pain Care in Auckland where we consistently produced some of the best patient outcomes of any pain management provider in New Zealand.
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More about Nick
I originally graduated as an osteopath from The British School of Osteopathy (now University College of Osteopathy) in 1980. Completing an internationally recognised course in sports medicine in 1981, I was appointed Honorary Osteopath to both the England Men’s Volleyball Team and Otley RUFC in conjunction to working in practice with my lifelong friend and mentor, Professor Kim Burton.
Emigrating to New Zealand in 1989, I opened a practice in Howick, Auckland and was elected as the president of the New Zealand Register of Osteopaths in 1991. At the time we were working to achieve statutory recognition and regulation of osteopathy as well as setting up the country's first full time osteopathic degree at UNITEC. My role also included working on the first New Zealand evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the management of low back pain with ACC and the National Health Committee. These guidelines were the first to recognise how the stress of our everyday lives, and past experience, can influence recovery from low back pain. This led to my decision to enhance and expand the knowledge and experience gained from my first 20 years in practice, whilst in Australia.
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PhD in Musculoskeletal Medicine, Centre for National Research on Disability and Rehabilitation Medicine (CONROD), Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Australia
I completed my doctoral research in 2004 following the upgrade of my original qualification to a BSc(Hons) in Osteopathic Medicine. My research was based around the multitude of factors (biomedical, psychological and social) that intertwine to create and maintain pain, particularly low back pain. During this time, I was also appointed onto the Australian expert panel on low back pain, and the steering committee of the Australian Acute Musculoskeletal Pain Guidelines Group, where we developed and published extensive evidence based clinical practice guidelines for the management of acute musculoskeletal pain.
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Pain Management
On our return to New Zealand, Shelley and I set up Integrative Pain Care, combining our knowledge and experience, integrating them into a biopsychosocial understanding of pain. Pain is best viewed from this complete (holistic) understanding, but it remains poorly understood by most clinicians, who continue to treat pain from a single biomedical or biomechanical perspective. We combine osteopathic treatment with pain education, paced exercise, sleep hygiene, relaxation training and the ‘third wave’ of psychological therapies of Mindfulness and Acceptance Commitment Therapy into our clinical care. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to musculoskeletal pain, we tailor our approach and treatment to the individual needs of each patient. The evidence shows that this approach is clearly effective in both acute pain (less than 3 months) and chronic pain (more than 3 months).
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Osteopathic care for acute pain - in the past 12 months the number of consults I required to help our patients on ACC was 50% less than the average for the osteopathic profession.
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Pain management for chronic pain - our approach produced the best objective patient outcomes of all ACC pain contract holders with many of our patients being independently assessed as no longer suffering with chronic pain. Whilst we no longer hold an ACC contract, pain management can also attract an ACC osteopathic subsidy.