Jane studied osteopathy at the European School of Osteopathy in Kent, graduating in 2015. She was drawn to the career after successful treatment for her own lower back pain by an osteopath. She joined Eyre Place in October 2016 and now works a day and a half here a week.
Osteopathy can be a relatively solitary profession, but Jane finds Eyre Place a friendly place to work. The team is warm and welcoming, and Glynis is particularly supportive as a mentor and colleague who cares deeply about the profession. Everyone is always willing to share knowledge, discuss treatments, and help each other out — it’s a stable, settled clinic with a good place in the Edinburgh community, and an excellent practice to turn to if you’re in pain and looking for help and support.
Jane’s favourite part of being an osteopath is the people. She loves treating patients of all ages, and has a particular soft spot for older patients, who often have great stories and where she can see a difference quite quickly. Her patients would probably describe her as chatty, friendly, warm, and easy to talk to. An ideal day for Jane is one where she’s busy, patients are getting better, and she can see she’s been able to help — it’s a real buzz when someone tells her they can move their neck again after struggling to before. She cares about her patients and genuinely enjoys learning about their lives and families. If she isn’t able to help someone improve, that sits heavily with her, and she’ll consider referring them on if a different approach might serve them better.
Jane learns continually from her patients, particularly through palpation — every patient is different, and her hands learn that too. Working with patients is itself a key part of her ongoing development, and as her career has progressed, so has her confidence. She favours structural techniques such as soft tissue release, joint mobilisation, and joint manipulation, while drawing on a wide range of approaches depending on what each patient needs.
Building rapport matters enormously to Jane. Part of her dissertation research focused on shared decision making, and she’s kept a strong interest in that approach ever since. She takes the time to properly listen when talking through a patient’s case history. Like all the osteopaths at Eyre Place, she explains what she thinks the problem is, talks through the risks and benefits of each treatment option, and discusses this together with the patient — important for both new patients and long-term ones, since circumstances and issues change over time.
Jane sees real opportunity ahead for osteopathy. Patient-reported outcome measures consistently show high satisfaction with osteopathic treatment, and she’d like to see the profession become more mainstream — available through NHS Scotland as well as in private practice.
Outside the clinic, Jane has danced — ballet and tap — all her life. She also loves gardening and is developing a cottage garden with roses and a wildflower meadow at her home outside Edinburgh. She once thought she’d become a midwife, and that pull hasn’t entirely gone — she’s considering further study in obstetric osteopathy, an area of healthcare that’s always fascinated her.
Jane works Monday afternoons/evenings and Thursdays at Eyre Place. You can book an appointment here.