James Traeger – Primal Physiotherapist

Introducing James:

Hey, my name’s James, nice to meet you! I’m an osteopath working between Taylors Hill and Derrimut here at Primal. I graduated from RMIT back in 2021 with a Bachelor of Health Science and a Bachelor of Applied Science (Osteopathy). Over my time in university, you’d often find my study group lying on the tables in the library cracking each other for upcoming exams. Since graduation we still share the same passion that we did back then, often communicating about the best kind of ways to provide treatment and care for whoever may come in for treatment.

I personally have a great love for camping as I have travelled away to do so at least once each year of my life. This allowed me to become quite a strong swimmer so as to not be swept away by the strong current of the Murray River. These days I generally set up camp with friends so we can go hiking along the following days. I have also recently taken to surfing, harnessing my swimming skills and my balance from skating in the past. Though as it gets colder and the snow begins to fall my friends and I try to get up to the slopes for some skiing/snowboarding. All that being said, my main love is music, and I’m currently listening through the ‘1001 albums to listen to before you die’ by Robert Dimery. But still, I’m just skimming the surface of my hobbies. I have played a lot of sports in the past and have a good understanding of how they work and what is required on a musculoskeletal level to play them.

That’s one of the reasons that drew me towards osteopathy. When I was younger my uncle was a physiotherapist, and he would sometimes come around to my house to help my parents with hands-on treatment. Taking an interest into how he could help them, he quickly taught me how to give a massage that addressed muscle tension. From there I would give out massages to my friends and family that were dealing with pain, especially in the back. With this in mind, when choosing a career after high-school, I knew that I didn’t want to be behind a desk for long periods at a time, and I still wanted to help people, so osteopathy was an obvious choice. As I have worked in clinics, I have had the benefit of personally seeing the difference that I can make in people’s lives. One such instance I saw a man who was unable to walk properly, a couple months later run into the clinic because he was worried that he was going to be late for his appointment. It’s a truly fulfilling experience to see someone get back into their normal lives after being in pain for so long.

Just like when I was younger, I tend to provide quite a lot of hands-on techniques in the way of soft/deep tissue massage and muscle release in clinic. In the way of trigger point therapy, I may provide dry needling and cupping for release. I also make use of Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) and articulation (joint mobilisation) to achieve in releasing joints and increasing their range of motion. Otherwise, I can perform HVLA (high-velocity, low-amplitude) manipulations, that may also be known as ‘cracking’, to release pressure from joints. I will also provide you with exercises to perform outside of the clinic to help you manage and self-treat your condition. All of these treatments and techniques will be explained prior to them being conducted, and if there is anything that you’re not comfortable with at any time, I have no issue in stopping and choosing a different method in assisting you with treatment. Here at Primal we are here to help you get back into the things you know and love to do.