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‘It's our level of care that sets us apart’ - Lisa Thomson, Senior Partner
Click on the links below to learn about the CSSM team.
Julia Update – As of March 2024, Julia has re-located to the UK to live. For your ongoing care please book in with one of our Osteopathy team.
Osteopathy provides me with the tools to make a difference – find the source and manage someone’s pain effectively.
“The principles of osteopathy really resonated with my own values and how I wanted to help people.”
“Osteopathy is all about the holistic approach to assessment, treatment and management. Finding the source of issues and focusing our management around this is key.”
Julia enjoys treating and managing headaches, neck pain and sporting injuries using an assortment of soft tissue, mobilisation and manipulation techniques.
When she’s not at the clinic, you’ll find Julia at the Caulfield Grammarians Football Club where she has worked since 2019 as a sports trainer, hanging out with friends or out for a run along the Yarra River.
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.
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.”
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.
James has always been interested in how the body works, sport and strength training. For James who has worked as a personal trainer for several years – Myotherapy was the perfect progression.
“I saw how injuries and pain impacted myself and others, from this I began to appreciate how important recovery and injury management was. I wanted better understanding of health and to be able to have a direct impact on the outcome of peoples recovery and their health. This went hand in hand with my interest in mechanics of movement, how systems in the body work and the best way to find solutions”
“Acute conditions can be stressful because of how suddenly they impact daily life and how disruptive this can be. When these are assessed they can be managed through treatment and goals which helps a lot with uncertainty.”
“I love the challenge of appropriately reintegrating people back into sport as fast as possible while minimising the risk of re-injury.”
Spending a lot of time strength training in the gym, James enjoys helping others who have any niggles or injuries to modify their program to keep them moving.
“I enjoy empowering people with the information and the tools they need to manage their own health and get back to the things they love to do.”
Away from the clinic, James enjoys finding new places for good food and coffee. Drawing, reading and spending time with his dogs.
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.
Jade was drawn to study osteopathy through her love of science, the complexity of the human body and her passion of wanting to help people.
For Jade, Osteopathy looks further than the specific site of injury and focuses on the whole person, allowing for meaningful and long lasting changes to occur.
Jade understands that seeking healthcare can be a scary and daunting process which is why she strives to make all patients feel comfortable, safe and validated. “I pride myself on my warm, approachable and empathetic nature I bring to treatment,” she says.
Jades approach is to work collaboratively with patients so that together they can set and work towards goals which are important to the patient.
“I love treating all walks of life and conditions but I am especially interested in chronic pain and workplace/study ergonomics.”
Jade uses a range of techniques including soft tissue, manipulation and mobilisation techniques. Along with this, Jade works with patients to create management plans tailored to the individual, empowering them through education and support.
Away from the clinic, Jade loves reading, travelling, going for walks, spending time at the beach and socialising with friends.
Eden was initially drawn to clinical myotherapy as a way to help her mother after a serious car accident which firmly set her focus on those in chronic pain as well as injury recovery.
“I like to educate my clients and guide them in their wellbeing. I enjoy connecting with people from all walks of life, different cultures and different fitness levels,” she says.
Eden particularly enjoys treating issues she has experienced herself including headaches, TMJ (temporomandibular joint pain in your jaw) and neck pain. “I know from personal experience that hands on work of the jaw and skull can be instantly relieving in cases of headache and jaw pain.”
Specialising in TMJ, dry needling and Pilates, Eden uses a variety of techniques including deep tissue work, joint mobilisation and exercise to treat her patients.
With a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedicine majoring in immunopharmacology, Eden firmly believes you never stop learning. “CSSM focuses on professional development for its practitioners, which allows us to grow further in our careers.”
When she’s not treating patients, you’ll find this self-confessed foodie watching UFC and boxing with her family. “I love dogs, especially Staffies and love to travel.”
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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