CSSM physio Lily Taplin is a Camberwell local.

An active individual, Lily grew up participating in sport, fascinated by biomechanics and how the body moves.  It is an interest that grew into a profession.

For Lily, being a physiotherapist combines the challenge of uncovering the cause of pain with the fulfilment of empowering others to manage their injuries and reach their fullest potential.

“That is why I love it”

“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.”

“So many people experience aches and pains in their everyday lives but there is so much we as physiotherapists can do to help and getting the right help is vital in being able to return to the activities you need to and want to do. I love being a part of the journey to help others return to what they love and lead fulfilling lives.”

Away from the clinic, you’ll find Lily getting out in nature, whether its running, hiking or simply walking her dog.

“I also love to travel and explore new places and beautiful scenery.”

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.

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.

Physiotherapist

Dance Program Coordinator

Myotherapy Team Lead

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

Kobi Phelan is a physiotherapist and a strong advocate for the role of exercise therapy in the prevention and management of musculoskeletal conditions with a particular interest in lower limb injuries.

Kobi understands the importance of tailoring treatment and rehabilitation to each patient on an individual basis when returning to sport and activity. With this in mind, Kobi places high importance on actively involving her patients in the design and implementation of their injury rehabilitation.

“I really enjoy seeing someone through the ups and downs of long term rehabilitation, and get a huge sense of satisfaction when these patients are able to return back to their desired activity.”

In the future, Kobi hopes to continue to evolve armed with the latest research and treatment techniques.

In her spare time you’ll find Kobi at the gym, taking her dog for a walk, or completing DIY jobs around the house and garden.

Senior practitioner pricing applies for consultations with Kobi.

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.

Practice Principal & Senior Osteopath

Travis is an Osteopath and the founder of CSSM.

Travis chose osteopathy because he has always liked the hands-on approach to treatment. “That, together with the high level of study and knowledge in areas such as anatomy and movement, which is inherent within the osteopathy program, really excited me.  I had already done four years of study in health before commencing osteopathy and I had the opportunity to do other things.  But I chose to pursue osteopathy, and another five years of study because of the ability of the skills I learnt to help people in a meaningful way.”

Travis enjoys treating most injuries of the “active” person.  “One of the biggest areas of interest is treating teenagers.  There is a perception that kids and teenagers are just little adults – this is a massive misconception. Growing athletes have a unique set of needs.  We are seeing a lot of kids and teens suffering significant injuries from a young age.”  Recent studies have shown that in Australia, the highest increase in knee reconstruction surgery has occurred in teenagers between the ages of 12 and 16. “The impact of that on their future is scary.”

After working at a few other clinics, Travis found that health care suffered from a lack of direction and, CSSM was born. “Osteopathy was a relatively small profession with just a few hundred of us in Australia.  I saw the opportunity to bring osteo to the masses.”

Ever since, Travis has been keen to make osteopathy accessible as a health service that can deliver a patient focussed approach to care, giving meaningful evidence-based treatment and management to patients.

“We started as a one man show, and have grown to a team of over 20.  As part of this growth and expansion we have added a team of other modalities such as physio, podiatry, myotherapy and Pilates to the clinic – a centre of excellence for the management of musculoskeletal injury.”

Travis describes CSSM as an extension of his family. “I am just as passionate about our team and the community we treat as I am about few other things.  Doing what we do and doing it well, is my biggest objective.”

The CSSM philosophy is to provide a level of care that exceeds the norm and ensures the best outcome for patients.  “Our standard appointment is what most other clinics call an extended appointment. It is a source of amusement to us when we see other clinics promote their guarantees of extended care.  From our perspective, you do not need to guarantee it, if it is what is ingrained in you.”

Just as families continue to grow, Travis hopes CSSM will too and continue to serve the community. “As a larger clinic, we are able to offer more specialised services to our patients, such as our running gait analysis and pre-pointe assessments.  We hope to continue to grow this suite of programs (golfers and cyclists stay tuned).  From there, we also hope to spread our reach to other locations when the opportunity presents itself.”

When he’s not working within the Practice, Travis looks forward to catching up on some much needed sleep. “CSSM is all-consuming but nothing is more important than watching my kids do their thing and celebrating their achievements. If I get the time, I do enjoy hitting the trails with some mountain biking and trail running through the Dandenong’s. I love the solitude of being out there working up a sweat, lost in my own thoughts.”

Clinic Lead – Clinical Pilates

After 15 years of intensive dance training and working as on osteopath, Kim was looking for a pro-active way to help people manage their conditions.   “Pilates was the perfect fit.”

Rather than “treat” conditions, Kim says Pilates improves movement and helps to relieve pain.  “I work to help people overcome their back and neck pain, manage restrictions with arthritis, rehabilitate joint injuries,  improve balance, build strength and increase bone mass in osteoporosis.  I also love keeping people strong throughout their pregnancies and beyond.”

According to Kim, clients are surprised at how easily a problem area can be identified. “We have elite athletes coming in who are very strong and fit but have pain or an injury. We can find a muscle not doing its job properly and they are surprised at how quickly that muscle tires and how we can progress exercises to keep Pilates continually challenging.”

“I love that my clients are very pro-active leading to great, long term results.  There is a huge variety in the people and conditions I see, keeping each class interesting.  I also love getting to know people and hearing about their lives.”

Kim has first-hand knowledge in the role pilates can play in pre and post-natal health but also has extensive experience treating and rehabilitating AFL and dance injuries.

Away from the clinic, Kim enjoys spending time with her three boys and getting involved in sports, activities, camping, and bushwalking.  She also loves walking her dogs.

Hamish Williams has always been interested in how the body works, sport and strength training. For him, Myotherapy was the perfect fit. 

“It’s also a great combination of problem solving and working with people.” 

Hamish  has previously worked across a number of private practices as well as a variety of local sporting teams . 

“I love the challenge of appropriately reintegrating people back into sport as fast as possible while minimising the risk of re-injury.” 

A runner and footballer himself, Hamish 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, Hamish enjoys music – as well as reading and strength training.