Let’s start with the fundamental root cause of all structural problems from the physical standpoint, which is to say Overload. From here we'll look at the myriad of ways this comes into play.
When we break it down further, there can be two distinct categories of overload.

​Acute Injury vs Chronic Overuse
The obvious one is of course an injury, an acute trauma to some part of the body and the details of that event will determine what structure/s may have been damaged. 
Then there is the Overuse side of things. The main difference between acute injuries and chronic overuse is the timing and underlying causes of the pain. Again, Acute injuries often occur suddenly as a result of a traumatic event, such as a fall, an impact, a sudden or over-reactive movement, or sports-related incident, causing immediate pain, swelling, and limited mobility. On the other hand, chronic overuse injuries develop gradually over time due to repetitive movements or prolonged stress, resulting in persistent pain, localised tenderness, and perhaps stiffness. First course of  management for acute injuries will usually involve rest, ice, compression, and elevation, while chronic overuse injuries require a multifaceted approach addressing underlying causes, modifying activities, and implementing rehabilitation strategies to restore function and reduce pain.
So to sum up, while they are both still forms of Overload, one is from a sudden or Acute load, and the other from repetitive and/or prolonged Chronic loads.

Furthermore there are two main divisions when it comes to the tissues or structures of the body that may be overloaded. 1) Passive structures such as ligaments, cartilage, joint capsules, discs, bones etc. And 2) Active structures which are the muscles.   
And how does overload of the active and passive structures/tissues of the body occur?
Here are the main reasons. 

Weakness 
Weak muscles are themselves more easy to overload, and more quick to fatigue which not only can lead to muscle stress and resulting tightness, soreness and referral pain (pain which travels/radiates out to other places), but therefore can also can put additional stress on our joints and lead to pain and discomfort. Another phenomenon that can happen due to muscle weakness somewhere is that other muscles may have to work harder to compensate for it and thus then those muscles will be overworked/used/loaded.
Whether it's due to a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, or specific muscle imbalances, weakness can contribute to musculoskeletal issues. Strengthening exercises targeted at the weak muscles can improve their capacity for load tolerance, overall function, resilience, and can help alleviate pain.

Mobility (hypo or hyper)
Restricted joint mobility and limited muscle flexibility can contribute to pain and discomfort. When adjacent regions to an area of complaint lack mobility, it can result in overloading that specific area. For example, a sore knee with normal range of motion may experience overload due to limited mobility in the joints above and/or below, such as the hip or ankle. On the other hand, excessive joint mobility, known as hypermobility, caused by weak muscles, stretched ligaments, or a fairly common genetic conditions (known as generalised hypermobility and/or Ehlers Danlos syndrome) can all lead to joint instability (and are susceptible to poor positioning and frequent subluxation or even dislocation when severe), muscle tightness, and subsequent pain or discomfort. Balancing joint mobility and stability is crucial in maintaining optimal musculoskeletal health. 
Other factors such as poor posture, prolonged sitting, and lack of stretching or movement can lead to stiffness and reduced flexibility and/or pulling an overstretching of passive structures. 
Incorporating regular mobility exercises, and mindful movement can enhance joint mobility, and alleviate pain. As can stability, strength, muscle endurance programs.

Movement patterns 
The way we move and perform daily activities can have a significant impact on our physical well-being. Dysfunctional movement patterns are ones that once again load up our structures more than necessary. Things such as poor technique when lifting, twisting, or repetitive motions. All of which can strain our muscles and joints and lead to pain. 
Different from strength, Movement patterns are more to do with muscle control, or how you use and regulate any muscle power, and can also be thought of as a repertoire of skills, many ways and techniques or patterns you could move to achieve an action or task. If your repertoire becomes limited then you end up having to use the same few patterns over and over again, leading once again to overload.
Mindful movement practices like pilates, taichi, feldenkrais and yoga, functional training, and ergonomic adjustments can help optimise motor control and movement patterns and reduce the risk of pain and injury.

Alignment & Posture 
Poor posture is basically a repeated and prolonged overuse of body parts and positions and can place excessive loads at certain areas and therefore stress on our joints, muscles, and connective tissues, leading to pain and dysfunction. Factors such as prolonged sitting, improper lifting techniques, and repetitive movements can contribute to postural imbalances.
Joint mechanics also requires good alignment when moving through ranges of motion, when a well centred joint has to move it can glide without any friction at its pivot point, and so whether in static positions or dynamic movement practising good posture and incorporating exercises that promote good alignment can help alleviate pain and improve overall function by better distributing the loads across the body rather than having it overly concentrated in certain places.

Muscle imbalances
Muscle imbalance refers mainly to relationships of length and stiffness between muscles and can occur for example when certain muscles become overactive or tight, while others become weak or underactive. It’s a kind of shorthand way of conceptualising the result of any of the above combinations, and then feeds back onto itself. So for example, poor movement patterns or long standing postural patterns can turn into muscle imbalances, which then in turn becomes more likely to reinforce poor movement and posture as well as joint positioning (joint centration), new compensations etc., and thus increased stress on areas of the body. Corrective exercises with an aim of restoring balance to opposing muscle groups via targeted stretching and strengthening to help rebalance muscles and joints and offload the irritated tissues.

Sedentarism 
Sedentarism, or a sedentary lifestyle (characterised by a lack of physical activity), is (perhaps the) one factor that contributes to all the ones above simultaneously. It leads to atrophy (reduced muscle size/fibres) of muscles within just days, which in turn means that weaker muscles are more prone to fatigue and overload, which can result in muscle stress, tightness, and referral pain. Additionally, weak muscles may cause joints to become hypermobile, and/or other muscles to compensate, and all to become overworked. A loss of mobility can often be caused by prolonged sitting and lack of movement, can lead to restricted joint mobility, reduced muscle flexibility, and limited range of motion through adaptive tissue length and pliability loss. This can contribute to pain and discomfort, especially in adjacent regions of the body or vice-versa. Dysfunctional movement patterns, such as poor lifting techniques and repetitive motions, can strain muscles and joints, while limited movement repertoires can lead to overload and pain. Additionally, muscle imbalances, characterised by overactive or tight muscles and weak or underactive muscles, along with malpositioning of joints, can alter joint mechanics and movement patterns, resulting in increased stress on specific areas. Poor alignment and posture, often influenced by factors like prolonged sitting and improper lifting, can further exacerbate tissue stress. To address these issues comprehensively and reduce pain while improving overall physical well-being, including metabolic and mental health, it is crucial to incorporate regular strength and mobility exercises, mindful movement practices, and promote good posture.


To recap and distil all of this, one final important distinction commonly made is simply whether a condition is a Movement issue or a Workload Management issue. After considering all the information we have looked at, it becomes evident that both of these are essentially 'load' issues, but with different underlying causes. 
​
The first, a Workload Management issue, arises from overloading tissues beyond their normal capacity, either through excessive force/weight or prolonged duration/volume. On the other hand, a Movement issue stems from a lack of control and alignment in muscles and joint structures, reducing their capacity and tolerance to handle usually acceptable loads.

Although when simplified, load is at the base of all the physical determinants, it’s important to recognise also that there can be combinations of each and any of these various factors mentioned where the effects of overload can be compounded. For example a suboptimal movement pattern which has become repetitive, and then might be performed with extra load than usual (say a heavier item this time), and maybe even working harder to compensate for a currently stiff neighbouring joint, possibly throw in some muscle imbalances and/or joint instability and voila.. All these can obviously add up to a bit of a sore spot! Recognising these differences means we can tweak the way we might approach remedying the situation.

By addressing the physical determinants of pain, including weakness, insufficient mobility, muscle imbalances, alignment and posture, and movement patterns, we can take proactive steps towards reducing pain and improving our physical health. It's essential to work with healthcare professionals, such as physical therapists or exercise specialists, who can provide guidance and develop tailored strategies to address these factors. Embracing regular exercise, maintaining proper posture, incorporating mobility work, and adopting mindful movement practices can contribute to a pain-free and active lifestyle. Remember, each person's experience with pain is unique, so it's important to consult with a healthcare professional for a comprehensive assessment and personalised recommendations.

By Rachael Bird, Myotherapist

The time it takes for your body to start feeling better after seeing a myotherapist can vary depending on several factors, including the nature and severity of your condition or discomfort, the specific techniques used by the myotherapist, and your individual response to treatment. Here are some general considerations:

1. Immediate Relief: Some people experience immediate relief and feel better right after a myotherapy session. This can be especially true for pain caused by muscle tension because we can use techniques that relieve the tension quickly and make an immediate change to the sensation. Something to be mindful of is that this type of muscle discomfort can be from habitual behaviours like sitting in one position for too long, repetitive movements, training hard in the gym, frequent use of things that strain those areas like carrying a bag over one shoulder or carrying a baby on your hip. Although you might walk out feeling great immediately, know that if your pain builds up due to your daily activities and routines, you may tense up again quickly if you’re not doing anything to regularly unwind that tension.
2. Gradual Improvement: For ongoing pain conditions or fresh injuries, we generally expect to see a gradual progression as you follow your treatment plan. Pain that has been with you for a long time is likely to need a series of treatments as well as commitment to your home care plan. Similarly, fresh injuries like a rolled ankle or sprained facet joint are going to feel painful while your body is healing the acute tissue damage, but your Myotherapist will be creating you a treatment plan that aims to reduce discomfort and guide you through the steps you need to take to strengthen and recover.
3. Post-Treatment Effects: It's common to experience some soreness or discomfort in the hours or days following a myotherapy session, especially if deep tissue work was performed. This is typically a normal part of the healing process and should subside within a few days. We often see people feeling a little tender the following day, but then feeling the benefits the day after that!
4. Individual Variation: Each person's body responds differently to myotherapy. Some individuals may respond quickly and feel better within a day or two, while others may require more time. Some people have excellent responses to specific treatment techniques, like dry needling, cupping or MET, and other people can find those same techniques either don’t work for them or are less effective than other techniques. Our therapists aim to find the most effective treatment type for your body to give you the best outcomes possible!
5. Home Care: Your myotherapist will create a treatment plan that includes things for you to do at home to recover quicker - this includes exercises, stretches, or lifestyle changes to complement the treatment. Adhering to these recommendations can help speed up your recovery and maintain the benefits of the therapy, especially if you are being treated for an injury that involves damage.
6. Follow-Up Sessions: Consistency in attending follow-up sessions as recommended by your myotherapist can contribute to more sustained improvements in your overall well-being and returning to your full strength, stability and level of physical comfort.

Ultimately, it's essential to communicate openly with your myotherapist about your progress and any concerns you may have. If you’ve tried a new treatment technique but you don’t feel like its worked as well for you, let us know so we can give you other options. If you haven’t been as diligent with your home exercises, also let us know - not so we can grumble at you, but so we can help you understand why its important to do the home care prescriptions we give you, and so we can alter the program if you’re not doing it because its too hard (or not hard enough and you’re bored!)

Predicting how long your body will take to recover from injury or pain can be difficult, because each individual person will have many different factors that can influence their pain.
Your recovery time will depend if your pain is from an acute or chronic issue. We use the terms "acute" and "chronic" to describe your injury or pain type - acute being a new, fresh injury, usually where tissue damage has occurred; and chronic being a longer term condition or pain that continues well after expected tissue healing should have occurred.

Acute injuries can include things like ankle sprains, hamstring tears, shoulder dislocations. Usually they happen quickly and are immediately obvious that something is wrong. Maybe you've lifted something too heavy in your gym routine and felt a twinge of pain in your back as a muscle has strained, or you've missed the last step and felt a sharp shock of pain in your hip or knee. High impact blows can also cause acute injuries, like if you have a fall, get in a car accident, or get kicked from a horse.

Chronic pain can stem from an originally acute injury. Its common for people to have ongoing pain or sensitivity after an injury that causes a lot of damage. Chronic pain can also be part of many health conditions, like hypermobility and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, and other conditions that affect your nervous system or connective tissue. Chronic pain also describes pain that comes from repetitive patterns of movement or positioning, usually starting as a mild irritation that can build up to be very painful, like De Quervains or "Mummy Thumb" which a lot of new parents experience as intense wrist and thumb pain from holding and feeding their new baby.

As a very generalised observation, acute injuries tend to follow fairly predictable recovery pattern as long as normal tissue healing occurs. In fact, the pain of an acute injury can often go away even before the tissue healing has completed, like in the case of a mild ankle sprain where you may be able to weight bear and return to normal movement within a week, even if the tissue around the ankle is still in repair mode. The severity of the acute injury will usually give us an indication of your expected healing time - a mild injury takes a shorter time to recover than a severe injury, this follows our common sense understanding even without medical training.

But what about chronic injuries or pain? How can we estimate how long an old injury will take to feel better? And importantly, can we realistically expect long term pain like a very old injury or pain from a lifelong disorder or disease to fully recover? This is where pain starts to become complicated, because in chronic pain patients there are lots of factors involved in the pain outside of damaged muscles, joints or nerves.

Chronic pain in one area of your body can lead to pain developing in other areas when your body tries to find different ways of getting things done. If gripping a heavy object becomes painful in your wrists, you may find yourself balancing it on your forearms and tilting backwards from your pelvis instead. As a short term work around this might be ok, but over time you might find yourself with chronic wrist pain AND chronic lower back and hip pain. Unfortunately, if you have a few "layers" of pain areas, this can mean that its likely to take longer to unravel some of the patterns that have lead your body to being in pain.

Chronic pain tends to be unpredictable in how long it may take to resolve. For people with pain stemming from lifelong conditions like genetic disorders, autoimmune disease or neurological disorders, the pain is likely to come and go in flares, and our aim for these people is to reduce the severity and frequency of the flares that are a part of their condition.

What other factors can contribute to how quickly you recover?
Adaptations to movements and positions:
Firstly, we need to identify movements or positions you currently do that either exaggerate or relieve your pain. Some of these will be easier to adapt than others - if you notice sitting longer than an hour increases your pain, an easy adaptation may be to get up every 30-60 minutes for a brief stretch. If you spend the majority of your day sitting at your computer, we can look at starting and ending your day with a back extension exercise to decompress your lower back. If we find some movements that relieve your pain, we can look at ways of increasing your time spent doing those movements.
We know that we won't be able to change all of the repetitive movements and actions that are needed in your daily life at work and at home, so realistically understanding that some of those things are contributors to your pain means we need to focus on the things we can influence so we can reduce the impact of the things we can't change.
There are lots and lots of options for changing some of the movement and position habits your body has built up, and our therapists can help with some suggestions during your appointment.

Exercise:
Finding a suitable type of exercise for your pain can be very helpful in building strength around the area and in stimulating your body to release its own brand of feel good hormones and neurotransmitters that reduce pain sensations. Exercise might sound very overwhelming to start off, especially if you have a lot of interconnected areas of pain, so our therapists will start you at an appropriate level for where you are at. That might be some mild stretches, a gentle walk or swim, or even a visualisation of doing certain movements.

Diet/Nutrition:
What you eat influences how your body repairs and recovers. If you have food sensitivities or intolerances this can also effect your bodies inflammatory response - the more inflammation, the more sensitive our nervous system is to pain. If you were already eating a good diet prior to your injury, you are likely in a better position to recover quicker than someone who was eating nutrient-poor food or a diet that caused inflammation. A nutritionist may also be able to recommend supplements that can support your bodies natural healing processes.

Fitness & General Health:
You may be more likely to have an easier recovery from injury if you were in fairly good health and physical condition before your injury. Your recovery may be slower if you have pre-existing health concerns, including things like diabetes or autoimmune disease. Its never too late to start working towards a healthier lifestyle!

Sleep:
Good sleep is crucial to good healing. Pain can make sleep very difficult, and this can become a bad cycle of intense pain leading to poor sleep, resulting in feeling fatigued, which causes pain to increase, and so on. Breaking this cycle and getting some proper rest can help with recovery. Using extra pillows to support your body may allow you a longer and deeper sleep. There are also lots of great sleep apps or meditations that some people find useful in falling asleep or getting back to sleep if you wake up in the night. Speak with a nutritionist or pharmacist about night time supplements that can help aid with sleep.

Nervous System Health:
Chronic pain is often just as much about your nervous system as it is about your musculoskeletal system. This means if you are highly anxious, stressed, depressed, or just have a lot on your plate right now, that your pain levels may be higher than normal. The nervous system controls your entire body, so while we're not saying "your pain is in your head, you're making it up!" what we are saying is that if your nervous system is working overtime then its much more likely that your pain will be noticeable even in response to small actions. Think of it like a kettle that has just boiled, it takes much less time to reboil the kettle because its already hot. The nervous system is similar, it will take much less action for your nervous system to turn up the volume on your pain because its already on high alert.
Finding ways of supporting your nervous system is crucial for long term chronic pain conditions. This is also why medications for anxiety and depression are often prescribed for people with ongoing pain. There are lots of natural or herbal supplement options available through Naturopaths and health stores. Setting a nervous system health routine for yourself is also a hugely valuable part of managing stress and overwhelm, and this might include things like mindfulness, meditation, relaxation, affirmations, or anything else that helps you to tone down nervous system activity.

Self Care Tools:
Treatments with your practitioner are great, but having the tools and know-how to apply treatment principles at home goes a long way to helping you take charge of your recovery. We can teach you how to use a range of tools for releasing tight spots in your body so that you have some tricks up your sleeve for between treatments.

Treatment:
Get the type of treatment that your body responds to. Some people respond best to hands on treatments like massage, cupping and dry needling. Some people go better with active exercise based treatments. Our therapists can advise you of the treatment types that have been reported to work best for your type of pain, but ultimately each individual body can react differently, and we'll work towards finding the best combination of treatment techniques for you.
Be aware that trying too many treatment types at once for the same issue can make it very difficult for any of your health practitioners to determine which treatment is effective. This is also why we'll often pick a small number of Myotherapy techniques to use in each treatment, because if we use absolutely everything we know all at once, its very hard to know what worked and what didn't.
Go into your first treatment expecting that it might take your body a little while to start making long term changes, especially if your pain has been there for a long time and if repetitive movements and positions seem to be a big part of your pain hanging around.

Try your first appointment with us for $97 (normally $115)
Book an appointment with us now.

Does this sound familiar?

• Aching hip pain when you wake up
• Hard to stand up if you've been sitting down for a while
• Hurts to walk up or down stairs
• Painful to sleep on your side
• Night time pain that can wake you up

These can be signs of hip bursitis, which is an inflammatory condition that can be a very common cause of hip pain.

The good news is that we help people with this all the time, and we can get you started on a treatment program to help reduce the pain and build up the strength in your hip!

What is Bursitis?
Bursitis is the name of a condition where the bursa in your joints become inflamed. Bursa are the fluid-filled sacs that help cushion joints and reduce friction as the joint moves. Healthy bursa are important in pain free movement.

When the bursa becomes inflamed it swells and becomes highly sensitive. The joint doesn't move easily, and the muscles surrounding it can become painful and tight trying to protect the joint.

Bursitis can cause acute pain that increases with physical activity. If the inflammation remains active for a long time, the pain can progress to a chronic state.

What causes hip bursitis?
The most common causes of bursitis are things like overuse or strain on the hip joint. This can happen through a high level of exercise or activity, or through repetitive unbalanced activities like holding a baby on one hip, or leaning your weight to one side to avoid pain in other areas like your lower back, knee or ankle.

Other causes can be less common things like infection or gout within the joint. People with autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis can be more vulnerable to developing this inflammatory condition.

How can we help?
Remedial massage and myotherapy can help relieve painful symptoms of hip bursitis. We can reduce muscle tension around the hip joint, and assess the other areas above and below the painful hip so that we can address any issues that are contributing to your bursa becoming irritated. Taping for stability and support can be very useful, and can help relieve pain for longer. We can give you a program of exercises to gradually strengthen  your hip without increasing the irritation.
Book a time with us to get the ball rolling.

Should I see a doctor?
If your hip pain has been ongoing for quite some time, it can be a good idea to check in with your doctor.
Your GP can advise you if a course of anti inflammatory medication will be helpful for you, or you can ask your pharmacist for an over the counter recommendation for symptom relief.
We're lucky to be located inside Together Medical Family Practice in Knoxfield, where you can get access to a fully Bulk Billed GP in the clinic with us and an understanding pharmacy team downstairs.

Have you recently been diagnosed with bursitis, but aren’t quite sure what that means? We’ve got you covered. Here are the basics you want to know about bursitis and what can be done about it.

What is bursitis?
Throughout your body, you have bursa – small fluid-filled sacs that prevent friction between your bones, tendons and muscles around your joints. Bursitis is when a bursa becomes irritated and inflamed.

Bursitis commonly occurs in the shoulder, elbow or hip. However, you can experience bursitis in any bursa.

The most common symptoms include pain, swelling and stiffness of the joint. Pain will often increase during the night time, and becomes worse when you move the joint.

What can cause bursitis?
There are many factors that can cause or contribute to bursitis. Some of the most common include:

• Injury of the joint
• Repeated pressure and overuse of the joint – this is commonly due to repetitive movements at work or during certain sports
• Chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout and diabetes
• Infection in a joint (e.g. after surgery)
• Age – bursitis is most common in adults aged 40+
• Being overweight – this can increase risk of hip and knee bursitis

How is bursitis diagnosed?
This depends on who you see. Any health professional will take a case history and do a physical examination.

If you seek help from your doctor, they may order imaging tests to rule out other problems that might be causing your symptoms, or they may order a test of the fluid from your bursa to see if there is an infection.

How is bursitis treated?
The focus of bursitis treatment depends on what caused the problem in the first place. But it’s likely that treating your bursitis will include:

• Avoiding activities and movements that make your pain worse
• Resting the area and raise it to reduce swelling
• Managing pain and inflammation

If the cause is an infection, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to resolve the infection. A small percentage of people may be recommended surgery if other treatments have been unsuccessful.

How myotherapy can help with bursitis
When it comes to bursitis, there are a few steps that your myotherapist will take.

Firstly, we will assess the joint itself for swelling, inflammation, pain and movement. Once we know what we’re working with, we’ll put together a treatment plan to address the issues.

A treatment plan for bursitis often includes:

• Massage, trigger point release and gentle mobilisation to reduce the load on the bursa
• Taping the joint into a more comfortable position to relieve pain and pressure
• Prescribing movements that stretch and/or strengthen the supporting muscles
• Working with your GP to continue management of your pain and inflammation

Another useful therapy that may be discussed is hydrotherapy – exercises and movements performed in warm water. This can reduce pressure on the joint, making therapeutic movements easier and less painful.

If you’re dealing with bursitis, the team at Simple Wellness Myotherapy are here to help. To book an appointment with one of our qualified myotherapists, click here.

Have you just had surgery, or are booked in for surgery in the near future? Wondering how to deal with the pain that you experience after the procedure is finished?

Pain management can make a big difference for your recovery and overall wellbeing. Let’s take a look at how you can manage pain after surgery.

​Why is post-surgery pain management important?
Getting a good hold on your pain levels after surgery is important for your comfort. But there are a few other reasons why managing your pain is essential for recovery.

Some of the most important reasons include:

• Pain can impact on appetite, so you will often eat very little when you’re in severe and even moderate pain. If you’re not eating, you’re not getting the nutrients your body needs to heal effectively!
• Pain is a major stressor for the body. This can further deplete nutrients and resources your body needs. But it can also affect other factors such as your sleep and inflammation levels.
• Poorly managed pain after an acute situation such as surgery can affect the way that your body processes and interprets pain. This can put you at a higher risk of developing chronic pain or a chronic pain condition.

So as we can see, pain management needs to be top priority after surgery!

How to manage your pain post-surgery
Looking for ways to deal with your post-surgery pain? Every case is unique, but there are some simple tips you can try to relieve your pain.

Follow your surgeon’s advice
Your healthcare team will give you guidance on how long before you can do certain tasks, and how frequently to take your medication. These are given to you for a reason – to manage your pain and healing!

Make sure you follow your surgeon’s advice, and seek their consultation if you need to make any adjustments.

Find a way to relax
Pain can be taxing for the nervous system. But relaxation techniques such as guided meditation may be helpful for controlling the sensation of pain. There are plenty of free guided meditations online and on YouTube to try.

If meditation isn’t your thing, find other ways to relax such as reading or spending time in nature.

Focus on resting frequently and deeply
Your body does its best healing when it is resting. Even if you feel that it’s ‘lazy’, your body is actually hard at work when you’re taking a nap or sleeping! Make sure you prioritise rest that is both frequent and high-quality.

Aim for 8-9 hours of sleep per night as a minimum. If you’re not back at work, switch off your alarm and allow yourself to wake naturally. You might also like to make time for a nap in the afternoon, even it’s only a quick 20-minute rest.

How myotherapy can support your body post-surgery
When it comes to post-surgery pain, myotherapy can offer a variety of support techniques depending on the type of surgery and how long ago your surgery occurred.

For example, your myotherapist can:

• Help to shift excess swelling and fluid that may be inhibiting the healing process
• Address any muscular or joint issues that may be negatively impacting the injured area – for example, your hips, thighs and calf muscles can affect recovery from ankle surgery
• Relieve muscular tension and pressure on other areas of the body that have been ‘picking up the slack’ from the surgical area – for example, using crutches can put pressure on your upper back and arm muscles
• Create a tailored plan for safe movements you can do to strengthen your body as you recover – this allows you return to your usual activities as quickly and safely as possible

Here at Simple Wellness Myotherapy, we are experienced in working with a variety of clients who have undergone minor and major surgeries.

Our goal is to help you on your journey back to your ‘business as usual’ – whatever that may be! To book an appointment with one of our qualified myotherapists, click here.

You’ve been told you have Tennis Elbow, but you don’t even play tennis?
The pain can catch you off guard, and make normally simple tasks feel really difficult - opening jars, turning door handles, shaking someones hand, maintaining your grip on something.
This type of pain can feel like a deep muscle aching, a stretch in the muscle, sharpness when you move, or a combination of these feelings.

Our Myotherapists and Remedial Massage Therapists can help by creating a treatment plan for you that relieves the pain and gives you back your strength and ability to turn, twist and grip again.

Tennis Elbow is a painful condition of irritation and inflammation of the tendons around the outer side of your elbow. Its normal to feel the dull, constant ache throughout the day, and have the pain turn into sudden, sharp or shooting pain when you move your elbow or wrist, or try to grip something or twist a lid or door handle.

It can happen if you spend a lot of time doing repetitive wrist movements like typing, using tools, carrying something heavy for a long period of time. We see it with people who play musical instruments too, or video gamers who get so into the game they forget to take a break for hours on end.

Our typical treatments for this kind of pain will look at assessing your movement and strength first so we can plan out some short and long term goals. Our short term goals are usually the ones you want the most - to get rid of this awful pain!! But its also important to plan for the long term goals of recovering the strength in the area so that this feeling doesn't come back.

A series of hands on treatments can help to reduce the pain and sensitivity in the area, and we'll give you a few movements that help that you can focus on between treatments. This is a pain that tends to respond well to doing some stretch and strengthening movements each day, starting with small easy movements, working up to more challenging or weight resisted ones.

The hands on part of your treatment may include some remedial massage, cupping, active release techniques, dry needling, and trigger point therapy. Afterwards we can support your elbow with kinesiotaping to reduce pressure over the joint and tendons.

Do you need help with elbow pain?
Our therapists are ready to help assess your pain and work with you to create a treatment plan to reduce the irritation and restore your movement and strength.
Book your first consultation with us now!

Whether you’re an athlete or a weekend warrior, an injury can set you back when it comes to your exercise goals. How you handle an injury can make a big impact on the recovery process. If you want to speed up your recovery and minimise the risk of injury in the future, this is the guide for you.

​What to do immediately after an injury
So you’re reading this right as you’ve hurt yourself. Props to you for Googling the answer!
But on a serious note, it’s good to have the injury assessed by a GP if you suspect a fracture, dislocation or muscle tear. That way, you know right away whether you will need any significant treatment such as surgery or a cast.

In the meantime, start with elevating the injured body part. This helps to reduce fluid retention in the area. It also means you’re not on it, so you’re less likely to keep injuring it!

Rest and elevation are also a good idea for minor injuries such as sprains and twisted ankles. If you have a pre-made support or brace for the injured part, you can pop it on for some stability and compression. If not, you might like to bandage it if compression feels supportive for you.

There is a bit of debate out there about whether heat or ice is best for an injury. Ice is the old-school treatment, and may be useful for reducing pain sensitivity and fluid retention. On the other hand, if there is pain without any swelling, a heat pack or warm bath might help increase blood flow to the area and reduce pain.

Once the swelling has gone down
This is the time when it’s good to see your friendly local myotherapist. We can’t really help if you’ve just done a significant injury such as a break or a muscle tear. But after the first few days, we can put together a treatment plan to get you back to your everyday life ASAP.

Some of the therapies we can offer to help you recover include:

• Joint mobilisation
  
• Taping to gently support the injured body part
  
• Massage, dry needling and trigger point therapy for surrounding areas that cop the load while you’re unable to use the injured part properly
  

How to support recovery and reduce risk of re-injury
Are you ready to jump back into it after an injury? Here are some tips to maximise recovery and minimise your risk of getting hurt again.


Start slow – I know you want to jump straight back in, but this is a recipe for disaster! When you’ve been injured, your body part often needs time to strengthen and get back to your pre-injury levels. Begin with low impact versions of movement such as yoga and walking, and build up over a period of 4-12 weeks depending on your injury.


Use rest and compression after exercise – if you do find your injured area aching or swelling after exercise, head home to rest and a support or brace. This can minimise the fluid retention and ease any pain you might experience.


If you experience sharp or shooting pain, stop – some aches are common as you get back into movement. But sharp, shooting or severe pain is a sign that something is not ok. Stop whatever you’re doing until your pain has been checked out by a qualified practitioner.


Eat plenty of nutrient-dense foods – even if your rehab program is perfect, your body can’t recover without the good nutrients you need for healing. Eating plenty of fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices and high-quality is protein is a good start, according to our nutritionist friend Samantha Gemmell.


Work with a myotherapist – a myotherapist can help you with rehab exercises to rebuild strength. But they can also keep you on track with supportive taping and addressing any muscle imbalances.



Are you dealing with an injury? Our myotherapist Emily works with people with sports injuries, particularly muscle tears, joint injuries and rehab. Her goal is to get you back to training, events and everyday life as soon as possible while minimising your risk of re-injury.


To book an appointment with Emily, head to our booking page and select ‘Emily Wells’ as your practitioner.

If you work at a desk for hours on end, you know that it can be uncomfortable at the best of times. Office workers have just as much risk of injury and chronic pain as other more physically strenuous occupations. You may be at risk of issues including back pain, neck pain, repetitive strain injury or RSI and carpal tunnel syndrome.

So how can you minimise your chance of hurting yourself and stay at the top of your game? Our myotherapist Emily shares some of her tips for staying healthy and preventing pain and injury for office workers.

Stretch often
When you’re focused on your work, you often forget to shift position. Unfortunately, our bodies weren’t designed to stay in a position for hours at a time. That’s why the simplest tip is to stretch whenever you feel stiff, sore or fatigued.

Stretching can also help to boost blood flow to the brain, which means you are more focused and productive.

You can simply stretch at your desk if needed – stretch out your neck, shoulders and back, and do some circles with your ankles. But you can also do a standing stretch, which brings us to our next tip.

Set yourself reminders to move
Small amounts of movement throughout the day add up when it comes to preventing office injuries. But when you’re in the zone, you might forget! That’s why it’s useful to set yourself a reminder or alarm on your phone or computer.

Aim for at least 1-2 minutes per hour of movement. This might be standing and stretching, going and getting a glass of water, making yourself a coffee or tea, going to the toilet or just walking around the office to get your muscles and joints moving.

Give a sit/stand desk a try
Desks that can alternate between a seated and standing position have become popular recently. They allow you the best of both worlds – you can sit for a bit, then switch to standing as a break from sitting.

Have a chat to your employer about whether you can trial a sit-stand desk. The good thing is that many people find sit-stand desks boost productivity, so employers are often open to them.

If you work for yourself or you are the boss, you can hire sit-stand desks and other equipment before purchasing.

Make the most of lunchtime
It can be tempting to eat lunch at your desk and power through the to-dos. But your lunch and break times are an opportunity to move around and give your muscles and joints a break as well.

Get up and get moving. Head to a local park to have your lunch if it’s sunny outside. Grab a coffee from the café around the corner. You can even go for a brisk 5-minute walk around the block at the end of your break to wake up your brain and your body. That way, you’ll go back to work feeling refreshed.

Get moving before or after work
Some days you won’t get much time to move at work, so make the most of the hours outside of work. Find a way to get your body moving on a regular basis.


This doesn’t mean you need to slog away at the gym for an hour every day. You can do some yoga stretches at home, walk the dog or go to the playground with your kids.

If you do find yourself too tired to move after work, try getting up 15 minutes earlier and go for a walk around the block before work. It seems counter-intuitive, but exercise actually boosts your energy and relieves fatigue. Even a little bit each day will add up!


Get a regular remedial massage or myotherapy treatment
Your muscles and joints need care, just like every other part of you. That’s why regular treatments can help to prevent injury and pain.

Our desk worker clients find that a treatment every 2-6 weeks helps to relieve tension and pain. Many report that they have fewer headaches, lower stress levels, improved sleep and mood and greater movement in joints and muscles. So if any of those are on your wish list, regular massage and myotherapy might be the answer!



Is regular massage or myotherapy on your to-do list? Our myotherapist Emily is currently open for new clients. You can book with a session with her here.

Looking for an excuse to get a massage? We hear you! Massage can have a variety of benefits, especially when you are treated by a qualified remedial massage therapist. Here are our top 10 reasons you might want to get a massage this week.

You’re stressed out
Let’s face it – most of us live pretty hectic lives. Between family, work, social life, hobbies and more, there isn’t much time for stress-relieving activities.

Putting aside an hour for massage isn’t just about feeling good. Research has found that massage therapy can reduce the level of your stress hormone cortisol, as well as boosting up your feel-good brain chemicals. So it relieves stress physically as well as mentally.

You’ve been hitting the gym lately
Whether you’re doing a 12 week challenge at your gym or getting outside for a bootcamp, increasing your exercise can mean a lot of aches and pains.

Massage is a great option for after a workout to aid with recovery. But you can also book yourself in regularly to address any tightness or discomfort in the muscles that can limit your gym efforts.

You want to be more flexible
Our bodies are designed to be flexible. But our modern world has had a big impact on how flexible the average person is. Between office jobs, Netflix and cars, we spend a lot of time sitting on our muscles instead of stretching them out.

When a massage relieves tension in a ‘tight’ area, it can help your muscles, ligaments and tendons to be more flexible.

You have a new fitness goal or event in mind
Set a goal to run a marathon in 12 weeks? Signed up for Tough Mudder or a Spartan race? Want to be the next Ninja Warrior? Maybe you just want to get back to doing a proper push-up.

Whatever your fitness goal or event, a massage will relieve tension. A remedial massage therapist can also let you know if you have any significant areas of tension or muscle imbalances that may increase your risk of injury.

You’re sore or aching
There are many reasons for feeling sore. But one of the simplest solutions is to get a massage. Massage can soothe away the aches and pains.

If your pain is more chronic, massage can still help to relieve symptoms. In fact, research suggests that multiple massages may be more beneficial for relieving symptoms of pain for issues such as chronic neck pain. Sounds like a good reason to book in a few appointments!

You’ve got a headache
A nasty headache can really screw up your plans and leave you grumpy. So why not get a treatment that can relieve those symptoms?

Research has shown that massage can reduce the duration of a headache, as well as reducing frequency for those who experience chronic tension headaches.

Think it’s more of a migraine? Massage can still help. One study found massage can reduce migraine pain by up to 68%. Just make sure you’re safe to drive, or ask a friend to drive you to your appointment.

You haven’t been sleeping well
If you’re not sleeping soundly, your body and mind can suffer some nasty consequences. Poor sleep can have many factors involved – caffeine, food choices, technology use, lack of sun exposure, stress, family, work, the list goes on.

The good news is that massage can help address many of these factors as well as priming your body for sleep. There is plenty of research showing that massage can help with sleep. It can even help with sleep concerns for specific groups such as people with chronic pain or pain conditions, heart failure or post-menopausal insomnia.

Your mental health has been a little low lately
Whether you’re feeling blue or are getting anxious over little things, mental health is something to take seriously. When you’re not feeling ok, it can be hard to take steps to help yourself feel better. But one simple and enjoyable step is a massage!

A review of 37 massage therapy studies found that the greatest impact of massage is its ability to reduce anxious and depressive symptoms. In fact, they suggested that a course of several massage treatments showed similar benefits to psychotherapy!

It’s been a while since you’ve taken care of you
Most of us are great at taking care of others. But we’re not so good at taking care of ourselves – physically, mentally or emotionally.

Massage is a one-stop shop treatment for all of these aspects of self-care. Your body feels good, your stress levels drop and you are looking after your mental wellbeing.

Because you can
We think this is the best reason of all! If you’re looking for an excuse to get a massage, that in itself is a good enough reason for a massage.

To book a massage with our remedial massage therapist Helvi, head to our booking page and select ‘Helvi Topia’ as your practitioner.