Osteopath Dr Gerhard van der Merwe has recently opened his Spine Health & Back Pain Centre in George at 2 Forest Road, Heatherlands. Here he treats back pain, musculoskeletal disorders and sports injuries with an integrated approach of physiotherapy, osteopathy, musculoskeletal medicine, exercise physiology and spinal medicine.
At the core of Dr Van der Merwe’s treatment protocol is avoiding surgery where possible. He explained, “There’s always a cause for back pain and that’s the challenge. Listening carefully to the patient and taking a detailed case history, I’ll be able to identify the structure at fault. Using non-invasive manual medicine, I treat and strengthen the musculoskeletal framework, including the joints, muscles and spine. Treatment is designed to affect the body’s nervous, circulatory and lymphatic systems positively to provide balanced wellbeing. Subsequently, I complement the treatment with a rehabilitative exercise programme.”
Dr Van der Merwe [BSc Hons (Phys), M Ost, PGDip (Ortho Med), MSOMM] is a registered osteopath and member of the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa, trained in Osteopathy, Physiotherapy, Musculoskeletal Medicine and Exercise Physiology.
