Nathanael Tang – Osteopath in Tweed Heads
Clinic owner · Special interest in headaches, migraines and surfing injuries
Nathanael is the osteopath and owner of Medela Osteopathy & Co, at Unit 9/69 Wharf St, Tweed Heads, a five-minute walk from Coolangatta. He treats teenagers and adults for all kinds of injuries, headaches and chronic pain. His special interests are chronic headaches and migraines, and keeping surfers and active people in the water.
He sees patients Monday to Friday.
Why I focus on headaches
I know what it’s like to live with headaches because I had them almost every day.
At university I was surfing in the mornings, studying, and working in a warehouse dispatching excavator and dozer parts. Most of my day was spent on the phone, at the computer, or both at once. Before long I had chronic headaches, nearly every day.
I saw a doctor, who prescribed anti-inflammatories straight away and told me to come back if they didn’t work. But I had an intuition that something structural in my anatomy was causing my headaches. So I saw an osteopath instead, and the relief was immediate.
That experience changed the direction of my career. Through the rest of my studies I became more and more interested in how the neck and headaches are connected. Since graduating I’ve followed that path into more complex headaches, including migraines, with ongoing training each year, including headache and migraine training with Jon Marshall.
If you’ve been dismissed by a professional in the past, I understand the frustration. You deserve a proper look at what’s driving your headaches. Read more about headache and migraine treatment at Medela.
How I work
I take a whole-body approach. Pain rarely comes from one structure on its own. I look at how individual parts of your body are contributing, and also at the relationships between them. The way two muscles work together, or how a joint and a muscle interact, can change a problem in a big way.
Your first appointment
Your first appointment runs for about an hour.
We talk. I spend a good amount of time on your history: what you’re feeling, what you want to get back to, and what’s getting in the way.
I assess. I look for the link between what you’re telling me and what your body shows in a physical assessment.
We treat. Depending on what you need and prefer, that’s hands-on treatment, exercise, or both. You’ll leave knowing what we found and what the plan is.
Treatment techniques
Hands-on osteopathic treatment. Soft tissue work, joint mobilisation and manipulation to ease pain and restore movement.
Cranial therapy. Gentle techniques for the head, jaw and upper neck, trained in Structural Cranial Therapy (Levels 1 & 2) with Lisa Distefano. Often part of headache and jaw treatment.
Dry needling. Fine needles to release tight, overactive muscles (Levels 1 & 2). Useful for neck, shoulder and headache-related muscle tension.
Exercise rehabilitation. Targeted exercises to build strength and control, so results last after you leave the clinic.
Qualifications and registration
Master of Osteopathic Medicine, Southern Cross University (2021)
Bachelor of Clinical Sciences, Southern Cross University
Headache and Migraine training with Jon Marshall
Structural Cranial Therapy, Levels 1 & 2, with Lisa Distefano
Dry Needling, Levels 1 & 2
DNS Exercise, Level 1
Registered osteopath with AHPRA
Medicare provider (GP Chronic Disease Management plans accepted)
Private health fund rebates available
Surfers and sports injuries
I’m a surfer myself, so I know how much it matters to stay in the water. I treat everyone from weekend surfers to professionals.
The surfing problems I see most are shoulder pain from long paddle sessions, neck pain from holding your head up while paddling, lower back pain from arching and repeated pop-ups, and hip pain and stiffness.
Treatment focuses on settling the pain, then building the strength and mobility to keep it from coming back, so you can keep surfing while we work on it where possible. I also treat other sports and gym injuries.
If I’m surfing, you’ll usually find me at D-Bah, unless it’s a cyclone swell, when you’ll catch me at Kirra taking sets on the head.
Outside the clinic
I grew up on the northern Gold Coast and have lived in the Tweed for almost 10 years. Along the way I spent part of high school in Texas and a couple of years living in Scotland.
These days I’m a proud dad, a keen surfer, a deep thinker and a lover of learning. I started Medela Osteopathy & Co in 2024 to grow the practice I began several years earlier, and to build a clinic where people get the time and attention they deserve.
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Nathanael treats teenagers and adults with a wide range of musculoskeletal problems, including neck and back pain, sports and surfing injuries, and pregnancy-related pain. He has a special interest in chronic headaches and migraines.
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For babies and young children, Nathanael refers to practitioners with more specialist experience in that area. He treats teenagers and adults for all kinds of injuries, headaches and chronic pain.
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About an hour. It starts with a detailed conversation about your history and goals, followed by a physical assessment and treatment or exercise.
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Monday to Friday at the Tweed Heads clinic.
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No. You can book directly online. If you’d like to claim through Medicare, you’ll need a Chronic Disease Management plan from your GP first.
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Yes. If your extras cover includes osteopathy, you can claim a rebate through your health fund. Nathanael is also a Medicare provider for patients with a GP care plan.
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Unit 9/69 Wharf St, Tweed Heads NSW 2485, about a five-minute walk from Coolangatta.
