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Guest blog by Ethan Farr, Myotherapist Brazilian Jiu‑Jitsu is a lot of fun, but it’s also a real workout for your joints and muscles. All that twisting, gripping, and pressure can leave you with everything from sore wrists and elbows to bruises, or even a strained back. Knowing the usual suspects—sprains, muscle pulls, bruises, and the occasional knee, neck, or spine mishap—helps you roll smarter and stay on the mats longer without the unnecessary aches. Joint Sprains and Strains: BJJ involves a lot of twisting, turning, and pressure on joints, which can lead to sprains or strains in areas like the wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, and ankles. Muscle Tears and Strains: Intense grappling and movements can cause muscle tears or strains, particularly in the muscles of the back, neck, shoulders, and legs. Contusions and Bruises: BJJ practitioners often experience bruises and contusions due to the physical contact involved in the sport, such as from strikes, pressure, or impact with the ground. Knee Injuries: BJJ involves a lot of movements that stress the knees, such as shooting for takedowns, guard passing, and various leg locks, which can lead to injuries like meniscal tears, ACL tears, or patellar dislocations. Neck Injuries: There's a risk of neck injuries from the various chokes and submissions applied in BJJ, particularly if techniques are not applied correctly or if there's resistance from the opponent. Back Injuries: The twisting and bending motions in BJJ can put strain on the back, leading to injuries like herniated discs, muscle strains, or vertebral fractures.  By Rachael Bird, Myotherapist Here at Simple Wellness we are what you would call a “clinical practice.” But what does that mean? A clinical practice looks at more than just treating the pain. We look at the whole picture to your pain. We have a treatment plan in place to:
What is the difference? Therapeutic massages aim to help relieve pain, make the body relax and usually are quite Light-Medium in pressure, depending on their clients needs. Myotherapy is anywhere from Light to Firm pressure depending on the therapist, but will accommodate their clients needs as well as those listed in the treatment plan above.  By Rachael Bird, Myotherapist Cupping and massage are both therapeutic techniques that aim to promote health and well-being, but they differ in their methods and approaches. Here are the key differences between cupping and massage:  Technique
Touch vs. Suction
Pressure Application
Tools and Equipment
Goals and Effects
Sensation and Experience
While massage and cupping can be used independently, some practitioners integrate both techniques in a session to provide a comprehensive and customised approach to their clients' needs. Additionally, combining these modalities may offer synergistic benefits, addressing both the superficial and deeper layers of soft tissues. By Rachael Bird, Myotherapist Headaches can be quite diverse, and understanding the different types and associated symptoms can help in proper diagnosis and management. Here are some common types of headaches and their symptoms:  Tension Headaches Dull, aching pain usually on both sides of the head, pressure or tightness in the forehead or back of the head, neck stiffness or tenderness, mild to moderate intensity, not aggravated by physical activity. Triggers: Stress, poor posture, anxiety, lack of sleep, eye strain. Migraine Headaches Throbbing or pulsating pain, usually on one side of the head, sensitivity to light, sound, or smell, nausea or vomiting, visual disturbances (aura) such as flashing lights or blind spots, lasts for hours to days. Triggers: Certain foods, hormonal changes, stress, weather changes, strong smells. Cluster Headaches Intense, stabbing pain usually around one eye, watery or red eye on the affected side, nasal congestion or runny nose, restlessness or agitation, occurs in clusters over weeks to months and then may go into remission. Triggers: Alcohol consumption, certain medications, strong odours. Sinus Headaches Pain and pressure in the forehead, cheeks, and bridge of the nose, worsens with bending forward or sudden movements, nasal congestion or discharge, fever, facial tenderness. Causes: Sinusitis (inflammation or infection of the sinuses), allergies. Rebound Headaches (Medication Overuse Headaches) Dull, persistent headache that worsens with medication use, may occur daily or almost daily, tends to improve temporarily after medication but returns. Causes: Overuse of pain relievers (such as acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen), caffeine withdrawal. Hormone Headaches (Menstrual Migraines) Migraine-like headaches that occur in relation to menstrual cycles, often associated with hormonal changes, such as during ovulation or just before menstruation. Triggers: Hormonal fluctuations, stress, certain foods. Exertional Headaches Throbbing headache triggered by physical exertion or exercise, typically occurs during or after strenuous activities, may last from a few minutes to hours. Triggers: Intense physical activity, dehydration, heat. Thunderclap Headaches Severe, extremely painful headache that peaks suddenly like a clap of thunder within 60 seconds to minutes, often described as the worst headache of one's life, may indicate a serious medical condition and should be checked out by your healthcare professional. This will be more Serious Pathologies so please see a doctor. (Some examples could be: Subarachnoid haemorrhage, reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), other neurological emergencies) (These are general descriptions, and individual experiences can vary) Most of these headaches can be treated by your Myotherapist. But it's important to consult your Doctor for a proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment if you're experiencing recurrent, ‘out of the blue’ or severe headaches. By Rachael Bird, Myotherapist Ever experienced a ‘burny’ pain, sharp or shooty sensations, or that strange mix of numbness, weakness, and pins & needles—and wondered what’s actually causing it? These are all common signs of nerve-related pain. What causes nerve pain? Well there are a number of reasons; but here are some possibilities:
 Where is nerve pain felt? Nerve pain can range from mild to severe and can show up in many areas of the body. Common regions include:
How does it spread (referral patterns)? Upper body (upper limbs):
Common nerve-related patterns Upper body:
Lower body:
Knee-specific nerve pain:
What can you do? Depending on what happened it is advisable to see your Doctor if this happened after an injury, fall, or if the pain is severe (if intense severe/ OR it affects Groin area/Bladder and or numbness in ‘saddle zone’- proceed to emergency care for further help) If it is not severe, or ongoing: You can always come and see us as Myotherapists or our Osteo for further help. We are quite well versed in most common nerve pain, and could offer some relief, or even resolve your pain. It’s important to understand that nerve pain is a gradual resolve due to its slow recovery rate. It would all depend on your symptoms, and how your body recovers. Additional self care: Again depending on severity, your best step is to stop what you are doing that caused this or is making it aggravated, drink some water, use a heat pack and seek medical assistance for if you need additional pain relief (medication). Try nice gentle stretching when its calmed down a little, it's very important not to push it. Try some walking, but not running/hiking as that can aggravate your symptoms and set 3-7 days of recovery depending on pain levels. For upper body - Avoid your head sticking forward past your shoulders and any overhead actions that tense up the base of the neck/upper shoulders areas (this still includes no running) For lower body - Avoid lifting especially when it's fresh, just keep the areas relaxed and rest them. DO NOT poke the area when it's angry. Use gentle massage, or work around the area to help soften the tension. How Myotherapy can help We can help by assessing the areas affected and depending on the initial assessment, we can provide some relief and make a plan to help get you back on track. We provide different technique options depending on your symptoms and presentation. These can include:
In some cases we can also refer you in the right direction for further assistance (e.g. when severe, or with specific type of symptoms). |
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Simple Wellness Myotherapy & Osteopathy
Shop 12B/150 Kelletts Rd, Rowville VIC 3178 |
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