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Acupressure mats have gained popularity in recent years as a natural and non-invasive way to manage back pain. An acupressure mat is a simple and portable device that consists of hundreds of plastic spikes. Laying on the mat is believed to stimulate the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, and improve circulation, helping to alleviate back pain and other chronic conditions.  One of the main advantages of using an acupressure mat for back pain is that it is a drug-free and non-invasive treatment option. Unlike pain medications, which can have side effects and may only provide temporary relief, acupressure mats work by stimulating the body's own healing mechanisms. This makes it a safe and effective option for people of all ages and those with chronic back pain who want to avoid the potential side effects of prescription drugs.
Another advantage of acupressure mats is that they are simple and convenient to use. They can be easily placed on any hard surface, such as the floor or a chair, and are lightweight and portable, making them easy to take with you wherever you go. Additionally, acupressure mats can be used in the comfort of your own home, and can provide great source of pain relief between appointments with a professional. The benefits of acupressure mats go beyond back pain relief. Acupressure has been used for thousands of years to improve overall health and wellbeing. When used regularly, acupressure mats can help improve circulation, boost energy levels, reduce stress and anxiety, and improve sleep quality. They can also help alleviate other chronic conditions, such as headaches, neck pain, and sciatica. The pressure applied by the spikes on an acupressure mat can also help to increase blood flow to the affected area, and you can immediately feel the effects of this as warmth, tingling or even an itching sensation on the skin. When you feel this, you know that your body is bringing fresh oxygen and nutrients to help repair damaged tissue and reduce inflammation. This can help to reduce pain and improve flexibility, allowing for improved range of motion and reduced risk of injury. When using an acupressure mat for back pain, it's important to start slowly and gradually increase the amount of time spent on the mat. It's also recommended to use the mat on a soft surface, such as a carpet or blanket, to reduce discomfort. Some people may experience discomfort when using an acupressure mat for the first time, but this is normal and should subside as the body adjusts to the pressure. We suggest if its too intense at first to begin by having a jumper on, or laying a towel or blanket over the mat, and slowly over time you can reduce the fabric layer between yourself and the mat to gain even deeper effects. Want to know more about these mats? Discuss them with our therapists at your next appointment. Most private health insurers cover Myotherapy as part of the Extras packages. The category that Myotherapy falls under tends to vary between providers, sometimes we are in the same category as Physiotherapy, sometimes under Natural Therapies, sometimes under Remedial Massage.
We often get asked "How much will my private health pay?" but this can be impossible for us as practitioners to guess. The rebate amount varies depending on which health fund you are with and which level of cover you have. There are hundreds of options for Extras insurance. To find out your exact rebate amount, we always suggest contacting your health insurers Members Service team to ask them to check what you're entitled to on the specific level of coverage on your health insurance plan. Some health insurers will give you a set rebate amount that doesn't go up or down if you book a longer or shorter appointment. Some will give a higher rebate on your first ever appointment with a new practitioner, and then a lower amount on all your follow up appointments. And some will give a percentage based rebate, so the amount changes depending on how much the appointment fee is. All health insurers will give you a cap limit per year on the maximum amount of rebates they will give before you use up your limit. This amount varies a lot between funds, so be sure to check with your insurer what your maximum limit includes. Most funds reset the limit at the start of the year on January 1st - however! A small number of funds restart from the financial year on July 1st (including AHM, Defence Health, and PeopleCare just to name a few) and a smaller number reset your limit from the anniversary of the date that you joined them (GU Health, looking at you!) We have had some very kind, concerned patients who have not wanted to use their private health insurance in the past because they believed that it meant we had to give them a discount of the rebate amount. In case you've wondered how this works, let me explain: Using the HICAPS machine in our Knoxfield Myotherapy clinic, we swipe your private health card. The machine connects to your insurer and allows them to pay the rebate amount directly to us, so that all you need to pay is the difference between the total appointment fee and what the rebate covers - this is your "gap" payment. What happens if you don't have your card, if the card has expired, or if the HICAPS machine can't connect for some reason? In these situations, we rely on the good old fashioned method of giving you a receipt to make a manual rebate claim. You pay the full appointment fee, and then your private health insurer pays the rebate amount directly to you. We prefer to use the HICAPS machine whenever we can so that we don't leave you with paperwork to do to get your rebate, but doing a manual claim like this is still a perfectly normal and valid way of using your extras cover! Need an appointment? Book in with one of our friendly practitioners now! We're finally back after a long lockdown period, and we're seeing a lot of people with very similar pain issues in their neck, shoulders and backs. Working from home definitely seems to be taking its toll on peoples bodies, so while we're very happy to help you out by releasing those sore, tight muscles, we also wanted to give a few of our top tips on how you can shake up your daily patterns to reduce your pain.  Take Regular Breaks
We can't emphasise this one enough!! The most common thing we're hearing these last few weeks since returning to the clinic is that people are working longer hours. Even if you have the most perfect posture, staying in one position for too long can leave you feeling stiff, sore and fatigued. Think about it this way - if we asked you to hold your coffee cup out in front of you at shoulder height, you could probably do that. If we asked you to hold it there for 6 hours without taking a break, your coffee cup would feel like it weighed a ton, your arm would probably start to shake or cramp, and you would end up trying to lock your elbow joint into position to stabilise your arm. Your muscles would be tired and sore. You might even have trouble allowing your arm to lower because you had been stuck in that position for so long, or find that trying to raise your arm again afterwards felt like you'd been to the gym for 10 hours. Try to take a quick movement break at least once per hour. This could be as little as just standing up, stretching your arms above your head, rolling your shoulders or doing a little spinal twist. You could use this chance to drink some water, go to the toilet, make a cup of tea, or stand in the sun. Trust us, your body will thank you for the movement and the chance to reposition. Set Up Your Workstation You're probably not the only one working from your home right now. We know a lot of people have to share their work from home space with partners and kids, and theres only so much space to go around. As best you can, try to set up your workspace so that your equipment is at the right height. This means screens at eye level, mouse and keyboard positioned so your arms can be at 90 degrees, and your chair is at the height that allows you to have your feet resting comfortably. We know this isn't possible for everyone. Some patients we've seen this last week or so have been telling us they have to work from a low coffee table, or at a high kitchen bench, or even working from bed. If this is your situation, please keep in mind that regular breaks are going to be even more important for you! Stretch and Move! There are plenty of easily available online stretching and movement classes that you can use to help guide you through some feel-good motions. Our favourite is Erica Webb's online yoga and pilates studio, which offers a great variety of classes including what Erica calls "movement snacks" which are short 5-10 minute videos that you can do anywhere, any time! Memberships to Erica's studio are less than $10 a week, and include a selection of on-demand classes and live yoga classes. Set Strong Work/Home Boundaries The blurring of the line between work and home has been strong this last year! We're hearing from people that they are often logging in early or continuing to work late to try to get ahead of deadlines or hectic work weeks - and often these extra hours are not even paid hours of overtime! A once in a while overtime session may be occasionally needed, but we encourage you to try to avoid the temptation of working longer hours on a regular basis. Use Your Self Care Tools Massage balls, foam rollers, magnesium creams, heat packs - all of these tools that we talk about in the clinic are really great ways that you can help reduce tightness and tension in your body between treatments with us. If you're not entirely sure how to use them, ask us at your next appointment and we can show you the best way to get into your problem areas using tools you already have, and give you recommendations of new self care tools that are a great investment for your health! (We don't sell any of these products, but we can direct you to reputable stores or websites that you can purchase from) Book a Treatment! Now that you can access manual therapies again, book in with us! We'll help you make some quick improvements to tight aching muscles, and help you plan for reducing pain while you continue to work from home or once you get back to your office! |
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Simple Wellness Myotherapy & Osteopathy
Shop 12B/150 Kelletts Rd, Rowville VIC 3178 |
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(03) 8204 0970 |
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