About us

Established in April 2013, our clinic is located in the Melbourne inner-city suburb of Yarraville. We serve patients from all nearby suburbs including the Melbourne CBD, Williamstown, Port Melbourne, Footscray, Seddon, Werribee, Newport, Spotswood, and West Footscray.

We offer osteopathic treatment and health care for women, pregnancy, babies, children… and everyone else!

Our osteopathic philosophy is all about Growing Bones!

The growing bodies of babies and children are literally sculpted by the way they use them. In our early years it is body function, body movement, environmental and muscular forces that inform our structural growth. Holistic osteopathy for babies and children promotes balanced body posture and optimal body function throughout the early years to give little bodies a head start.

baby looking up at Osteopath for babies rattle

We also provide general osteopathic care for adults, athletes, and seniors.

For adults, the reverse is true. Our body structure is now fixed and informs the limits of body function. Our osteopaths use their hands to free up areas of structural restriction to improve pain-free body function, so that movement through life becomes easy. Holistic osteopathy for adults at Growing Bones involves whole body assessment, individualised treatment, and take home advice and exercises if necessary.

Strong in pregnancy
Osteo for adults& sports
Child-friendly osteopathy
Aromatherapy for kids

Longer osteopathic appointment times allow for an individualised approach.

We believe that sometimes it takes time to treat a patient comprehensively. We enjoy our work, and like to take the time with patients.

Your initial consultation will be one full hour to allow ample time for your osteopath to fully understand the history of the presenting complaint, thoroughly assess your condition, and ascertain the best individualised treatment approach fully tailored to your unique needs.

Subsequent consults at 30 minutes are standard. For complex or chronic conditions, you have the option of 45 minute subsequent consults.

Longer return consults are suggested for patients...

  • With complex or chronic conditions
  • With three or more body areas to be treated
  • Who have not had osteopathic treatment for more that 6 months
Children's Osteopath holding child's leg in the air

Meet the team

There is an art to osteopathy. Our osteopaths use creative thinking and clinical reasoning based on 5 years university training plus years of clinical experience to develop treatment approaches for the person, not the problem. Our work stays interesting, fun and enjoyable….and our patients receive the best treatment to resolve their concern.

Melissa McDougall

Senior Osteopath & Advanced Paediatric Osteopath
Special interests: infants and children, pregnancy, sports, adults

Janine Symington

Senior Osteopath
Special interests: infants and children, pregnancy, sports, adults, dry needling

Paris MacGibbon

Registered Osteopath
Special interests: children (5+ years), pregnancy, adults, dry needling

Jess Loughnan

Registered Osteopath
Special interests: adults, children (5+ years), pregnancy, sports, dry needling

Rebecca Gunn

Registered Osteopath
Special interests: adults, children (5+ years), pregnancy, sports, dry needling

Sonya Edmonds

Clinical Aromatherapist
Special interests: aromatherapy & massage for pregnancy, new mothers, adults & children, baby massage education

Lauren Clarke

Pelvic Floor & Women's Health Physiotherapist
Special interests: continence, lactation, pelvic pain, pre & post-natal care

Clara Browell

Clinical Nutritionist
Special interests: weight management, ketogenic diets & women's health, adults and teens

The Growing Bones Difference

We have a holistic team of practitioners that work together to ensure that we're getting you the best results for your pain, mobility and quality of life. Here's just a few things that set us apart from other Osteos in Melbourne.

3 osteopaths smiling with coffee in Growing Bones Melbourne clinic

Family-centred care

Young families come to us because we have a special interest in working with infants, children & pregnant women. We have all undertaken relevant postgraduate study and we have vast experience in the area.

97% 5-star feedback

Our customers love us because of our exceptional, highly qualified practitioners, our warm & friendly manner with adults & children alike, and how well we explain things.

Education & empowerment

We empower you to feel confident about the wellness journey you’re on. We help you to gain clarity on your treatment plan and teach you ways to continue the healing outside of the Clinic so it easily fits in with your lifestyle.

An Osteo's advice on caring for your body

Article 30 min read September 20, 2022

Flat Head Syndrome: When to Worry & What to Do

By Melissa McDougall, Advanced Paediatric Osteopath (as awarded by Osteopathy Australia in 2021) As a parent, searching for answers, you may have recently noticed or…

Article 10 min read February 28, 2022

Get back to running… and don’t get injured!

By Osteopath Jess Loughnan We’ve walked all of Yarraville during lockdown and our 5km radius seems like a distant memory… so now it’s time to…

Article 5 min read November 17, 2021

Help! My Baby Hates Tummy Time!

By Osteopath, Melissa McDougall. “Tummy time” is a procedure recommended for infants to increase muscle tone in early development. Tummy time refers to exactly that,…