Orofacial & Myofascial Pain Specialist with expertise in headaches, migraines, Temporomandibular joint dysfunction, oral and neck pain.
As our senior headache, migraine and TMJ specialist, Raelene uses a multitude of techniques to assist people to recover from head and neck pain and become active, empowered participants in their care.
With an insatiable interest in pain science, and strong values surrounding patient-centred care, Raelene believes understanding each individual, and the lifestyle factors that make them so unique, is essential to achieving a lasting, pain-free life.
"Throughout my years treating patients, the most important principle for me, is always to be the “guide by the side, not the sage on the stage”.
My Story
My story began some 30 years ago as a remedial therapist who managed to score the job of a lifetime in a pain management clinic in Perth specialising in myofascial pain. I was paid to learn from myofascial experts flown in from the USA. I then went onto study medical science, in particular Molecular Genetics and Human Biology at Curtin University. I have always run two careers consecutively, a science one and a clinical one. During that time, I have developed expertise in the stretch and spray technique, and dry needling, honing my clinical skills to be able to quickly differentiate neuropathic pain, nociceptive pain, and myofascial pain. This skill has been integral to becoming an effective clinician. Most importantly, in determining which sort of treatment would be most beneficial to patients.
Fast forward to 2019 and two daughters later, an orofacial pain colleague suggested that in order to formalise my expertise in orofacial pain, I should study the Master of Science in Medicine (Orofacial Pain Specialty) at the University of Sydney. This proved to be a wonderful decision as my clinical expertise deepened, and expanded, to include oral health, pain education, sleep hygiene and new techniques in the treatment of headaches and orofacial pain.
Apart from work, I am a contemporary dancer, love animals and gardening, and am engaged to be married to my soul mate in December 2022.
My Approach
Throughout my years treating patients, the most important principle for me, is always to be the “guide by the side, not the sage on the stage”.
All the clinical knowledge in the world won’t help if you can’t communicate with a patient in an authentic way. Compiling a meaningful and achievable care plan, along with compassionate treatment for people who are already in a lot of pain, brings me a great deal of satisfaction. When a patient comes to see me, I actively search for their pain generator – the source of their pain. Once it is found we can usually corner it and wind it back. This can be done with “good pain” applied to the sore muscle knot that is generating the pain, a stretch and spray technique to elongate the muscle, targeted exercise prescription, plus attention to stress, sleep, biochemical imbalances and any malocclusion that maybe part of the pain picture.
