Daniel Skaer was drawn to study Osteopathy through his personal experiences with sporting injuries, a fascination with the science behind the human body and a passion for helping people achieve quality of life.
“The complexity in the human body won’t adapt to change unless you create a change,” he says. “Treating injuries for their causing agents can become a preventative rather than a band-aid approach.”
Daniel is a strong believer in Osteopathy’s philosophy of treating the body as a whole, rather than simply treating the dysfunctional region. “No two patients are the same, which is why it’s so important to work with each patient to create a tailored management plan, empowering them through education and support.”
He prides himself on his ability to communicate and comfort every individual that may find seeking an Osteopath daunting as well as educating patients to help them achieve their goals.
Daniel has a specific interest in chronic pain management, hypermobility dysfunctions and structural strength assistance and uses a range of techniques including soft tissue, manipulation and mobilisation techniques.
Daniel hopes to continue to develop his skillset and contribute to research. He is also currently completing a Diploma in Equine Osteopathy with the London College of Animal Osteopathy.
Away from the clinic, Daniel loves running, going to the gym, travelling, going for walks, working with equine athletes and spending time with friends and family.
After multiple injuries and different rehab experiences, Julia Meeuwissen found a love and appreciation of myotherapy.
“I like that myotherapy has a holistic approach that empowers and supports people to take responsibility for their own rehabilitation journey and to gain more confidence, trust and respect for their body and its innate capacity to heal and recover.”
With an interest in the human body, anatomy and biomechanics, Julia enjoys treating tendinopathies, tension headaches, neck pain and TMD.
“I have had all of these issues myself so can empathise and share techniques that have helped me. I’d like to further investigate optimal load management strategies for tendinopathies and posture as well as mind-body connection for stress related tension headaches, neck pain and TMD.”
As a myotherapist, Julia hopes to empower patients to live an active and healthy life knowing that injuries can be overcome and aches and pains are part of the journey.
Julia was attracted to the multimodal aspect of CSSM where each practitioner can learn from other modalities to ensure the best outcome for each patient.
“I like CSSM’s philosophy including best practice, patient education and exercise as an integral part of treatment.”
When she’s not working, Julia enjoys going for multiple day hikes, camping, and going to the beach as well as reading fiction, putting on incense and listening to records, or walking her dog Zephyr.
Physiotherapist Grace Rutter believes patients should feel supported whilst being provided tailored education and a comprehensive management plan based upon their rehabilitation and lifestyle goals.
“I have grown up surrounded by family that have been living with chronic pain for multiples years and have seen how impactful it can be to someone’s life.”
Grace has a particular interest in neck injuries (including neck related headache), sporting injuries, women’s health, knee rehabilitation, as well as running injuries.
“I love being able to have the opportunity to help people do what they love, no matter their stage of life. My aim is to help people feel empowered about their rehabilitation journey to achieve their goals.”
With an additional degree in sports and exercise science, Grace also worked with various high performance athletes including the Port Melbourne VFL club.
Grace has experience working in acute hospitals (cardio/ musculoskeletal/neuro), subacute settings (geriatric evaluation and management), and women’s health (acute, private, continence clinic). She has also had experience working in private practice.
Away from the clinic, you’ll find Grace on the driving range, playing netball or out for dinner with friends. When time permits, she also loves to cook and hanging out with her pet Corgi Henry.
While working in the fitness industry and looking to further his career, Eliot Hird found osteopathy was an obvious next step. “I saw quite a few people with injuries throughout my time working in the fitness industry and those who regularly saw osteos as part of their injury management or regular routine were usually able to achieve their fitness and health goals.”
Eliot enjoys treating neck and shoulder issues as well as sporting injuries and the rehabilitation of those injuries, helping people get back to their sport or hobbies.
“I like treating issues with the neck because I often see a great response to treatment,” he says.
“Shoulders are interesting because they are a complex joint with many common presenting complaints. I like the complex problem-solving aspect of these issues.”
Eliot believes everyone should be able to participate in the sport or activity that they enjoy and finds being able to help a patient get back to the activities that they enjoy through injury management or education is one of the more rewarding aspects of being a health professional.
“I want to be the osteo that people seek out when they have specific issues and one that people recommend to their family and friends when they are looking for treatment of their musculoskeletal injuries.”
Eliot enjoys being part of a team of health care professionals all working towards a common goal.
“The CSSM facilities have everything needed to provide patients the best quality care possible.”
Away from the clinic, Eliot enjoys training in the gym doing a mix of strength training, CrossFit and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. On the weekends, you’ll find this Essendon fan watching AFL and the UFC.
CSSM Podiatrist Paula Alarcon become interested in Podiatry after an ACL reconstruction. “I visited a Podiatrist who helped me stabilise my knee after I had noticed the changes that orthotics made in my running cycle when I went back into sports.”
“I have always led an active lifestyle, growing up with sports and dancing. This inspired an interest in how the body moves, and a passion to help people move.”
Paula’s sporting background has provided her with a particular interest in the recovery and management of foot and ankle injuries.
“Our feet are what keep us moving every day, they are the wheels in our daily journey, and they work very hard all year around. Therefore, prevention and proper management of foot problems are essential for our mobility, comfort and health.”
Joining CSSM, Paula says she enjoys being able to work with a great variety of health professionals allowing patients to have a more holistic approach as well as contributing to her own learning process by exchanging opinions and ideas from other practitioners.
While Paula believes Podiatry enables her to choose her own pathway from rehabilitation of the foot and ankle, biomechanics, running gait analysis to skin conditions, she hopes to specialise in the rehabilitation of injuries and sports Podiatry.
A true believer that movement is medicine, Paula is an elite Ultimate Frisbee player having participated in the under 24’s championships world cup with the Colombian team in 2018 held in Perth and the under 24’s Australian team in 2019 held in Heidelberg, Germany. Away from the clinic you will likely find Paula training with her Ultimate frisbee team called Spicy Chilly!
If she has any time left, Paula also enjoys going for hikes on the weekends or going to the beach as well as Salsa dancing thanks to her Latino background.
Studying dancing led to Tahlia Austin’s interest in Osteopathy. “The aches and pains that often led to dancers either pushing their bodies to the extreme or sitting out of dance practice drew me to learn more about the complexities of the human body and pursue my passion of helping people overcome their injuries.”
Tahlia has an holistic approach to treatment, treating the body as a whole and working alongside her patients to achieve optimal health outcomes. “To put it simply, I love Osteopathy because I love helping people achieve both their health and personal goals!”
Throughout her career, Tahlia has worked in a variety of settings including VAFA Premier League football teams, which has given her exposure to a wide variety of acute sporting injuries and from that, the ability to accurately diagnosis and apply effective evidence-based care. “I enjoyed sharing my knowledge on rehabilitation advice and working closely with athletes to get them back onto the field.”
While Tahlia enjoys treating patients from all ages and walks of life, she has developed a passion for working with pain – both acute and chronic. In particular; low back, neck pain and sports related injuries.
“I love working at CSSM as we have built a great team environment, and all strive to provide the best service of care for all our patients.”
Away from the clinic, you’ll find Tahlia outdoors with friends, most likely walking a few laps around the Tan over the weekend. You’ll also find her fuelling her Italian food addiction by going to restaurants around Richmond and South Yarra.
CSSM physio Katie Maxted is born and bred in Adelaide but we won’t hold that against her!
Katie has always led an active lifestyle and grew up dancing, fascinated by biomechanics and how the body moves.
“I enjoy supporting individuals throughout their lifespan to feel liberated, comfortable, and proud of their bodies, whilst empowering them to achieve both their health and personal goals.”
Having worked in both private practice and inpatient care, Katie is passionate about post surgical orthopaedic rehab and return to sport injuries as well as pre and post natal clinical pilates. As part of a large team at CSSM, Katie says it’s the can-do attitude of the practitioners that motivates her.
“What I’m passionate about, is taking the time to really get to know the individual, their goals, interests, and expectations, and collaboratively developing a treatment plan that enables them to achieve these factors.”
Away from the clinic, you’ll find Katie on a Pilates reformer, a bike at spin class, or enjoying the sunshine on a casual weekend run.
“I love trialling new food places – so I am always open for restaurant recommendations.”
You’ve come to the right town Katie!
17 years of dance training, 12 years of tennis and 7 years of competitive rock climbing fueled Kelsey’s interest in sport and associated injuries. “I’d always been interested in health and fitness and Physiotherapy was a great transition from Personal training into the treatment and rehabilitation of a lot of the issues I saw in the gym. It came with a stronger understanding of the human body.”
While sport is her passion, Kelsey believes that creating solid foundations of strength and rehabilitation are key components in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, whether you work in an office or as an elite athlete. “Having participated in a fair few sports over the years it’s given me a better understanding of the demands the body can be put through, the movements required to succeed and the difficult task of taking time away from the sport you love when injured.”
Kelsey employs a hands-on approach when treating muscular pains and joint dysfunction, complementing treatment outcomes with modalities such as cupping, dry needling, trigger point therapy, and taping. “Shoulder joint issues really fascinate me because they can be unpredictable and complex. I really enjoy the process of breaking down why the injury has occurred in the first place and rehabilitating the joint structures.”
Away from work, Kelsey is an avid participator in rock climbing and has competed in both state and national events. “I can also be a great couch potato when I need some down time and enjoy meeting up with friends.”
Senior physiotherapist Caroline Szafranski was drawn to physio during her four years spent living in the United States on a tennis scholarship at Arkansas State University. “I was training six days a week and spending a bit of time in the medical rooms!”
She studied Exercise Science and then spent 6 months working in California. “I think my involvement in tennis and triathlons has helped me enormously with treating patients and understanding their emotional ride as well.”
After completing a Bachelor of Physiotherapy at La Trobe University back home, Caroline has worked with various sporting organisations including the AFL Umpires Association in addition to grass roots football clubs.
“I’ve also worked in various roles both in private practice and in a hospital environment, both in the UK and Australia, giving me extensive experience in treating patients with both acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions,” she said.
Caroline has a special interest in biomechanics, rehabilitation and Clinical Pilates training having completed mat and equipment Level 1 Certificate in Pilates and Level 1 Dry Needling Certificate, and several other courses. “I treat all areas but but enjoy treating backs, neck and doing pilates, plus post surgery rehab especially total hip and knee replacements.”
Away from the clinic, Caroline continues to play tennis and still has that competitive nature participating in ironman triathlon and marathon running, competing in several races including the half ironman and long course world championships and completing two Melbourne marathons! “I’d like to say that my competitive spirit is a little more tame these days but I can’t help myself sometimes!”
Caroline is at CSSM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Senior Practitioner pricing applies.
After 15 years of international competitive Taekwondo, Adele sustained several injuries. “I was always so fascinated by how the human body functions and heals – seemingly myotherapy was the perfect fit. An enthusiast about health, fitness and being the best version of yourself is a key factor”.
Adele feels that analysing the main components of people’s everyday lifestyles and interests allows her to identify and provide specialised ways for a specific individual to help aid in strengthening, rehabilitating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Adele enjoys working with people “to help get them back to the activities they love”.
Adele executes this through a “hands-on approach”, which includes trigger point therapy, dry needling, cupping, myofascial release and treatment of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. Adele is a firm believer on educating her clients about their condition and what their recovery process will entail to improve their ability to manage, maintain and overcome their injuries.
Adele has worked with NICA (National Institute of Circus Australia) and amateur basketball, netball and football leagues across Melbourne.
In Adele’s spare time, she loves to participate in pilates, rock climbing, hiking, baking and spending time with family and friends.
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