When we make New Years Resolutions, we usually focus on what we want. We want to be fitter, thinner, better organised and able to give up bad habits. But have you ever wondered what resolutions your body might like you to make?
Our head myotherapist and resident body-whisperer Mel has 5 resolutions that your body is begging you to make this year. Move more throughout the day Our bodies were not designed to sit at desks for hours every day. They were designed to move constantly in a variety of different ways. Unfortunately, most of us can’t change jobs just to suit the body’s preferences! But you can find little ways to move more frequently throughout your day. For example, you could:
When you get up and change position regularly, your body will thank you. Regular movement can also reduce the risk of injury and pain that can occur when you’re physically inactive. Stretch out regularly Another important way that your body loves to move is with a good stretch! But when we sit for hours at a time, our muscles can tighten up and leave us feeling sore. So whether it’s at work, at home or even at the gym, find a way to incorporate a regular stretch. Make sure that you stretch until you can feel the muscle stretching out. But don’t go too far – pushing a stretch too deep too quick can lead to injury. If you do feel any sharp pain while stretching, you might have just stretched too far. But you might have an underlying injury that needs to be checked by your myotherapist. Focus on good quality sleep Our bodies do their best healing work as we sleep every night. So if you’re not getting enough deep and restful sleep, your body can’t maintain itself properly. A good rest isn’t just about how many hours you sleep. It’s also important to get quality rest, so your body can go into healing mode. Sleep is particularly important if you experience chronic pain. A poor night of sleep can worsen your pain the following day. But this goes both ways – worse pain during the day can impact on your sleep that night. Find a healthy way to manage your stress A lot of the less healthy choices we make can come back to stress. How we eat, move our bodies and unwind in our spare time often reflects how we deal with stress. But on the flip side, these factors can also make a big difference with how we manage stress. That's why it's a good idea to find a healthy way to manage your stress. There are plenty of options out there, including:
Take a proactive approach for body care When it comes to our health, most of us wait until something goes wrong before we actually do anything about it! But if we can switch to a more proactive approach to taking care of our bodies, we can get onto issues early or even prevent them. Book yourself in for a check-up with your GP, dentist, optometrist and any specialists you see regularly. When it comes to your muscles and joints, the team at Simple Wellness Myotherapy are here to help. To book in for a tune-up your body would approve of, head to our booking page here. Need a massage and it’s only day 2 of the school holidays? We’re open, and although we know you’d probably prefer the time to yourself, we want you to know that our clinic is kid friendly! There are toys for the little ones, or your older kids can choose to read, or of course every kids favourite, play games or watch YouTube.
We can help you save your mobile data by connecting you to our wifi during your treatment, so the kids can keep themselves busy and you don’t have to wait til they’re back at school. We’ll also be open throughout the AFL Grand Final weekend, including on Friday the 27th (the Grand Final eve public holiday) and on Saturday the 28th. Time to make a booking? We’ll see you soon! Have you wondered if yoga might help you? Yoga has become the "in thing" over the last few years, and you only have to do a quick search online to see everything from traditional styles of yoga, to beer yoga, chicken nugget yoga and goat yoga! (Not even kidding!) But is yoga a good option if you have pain?
Here's a lot of reasons I like yoga as a pain-friendly exercise.. Low Impact Movements Many yoga sequences are slow, gentle, low impact movements. There's no need for jumping, running, hopping, or other high energy movements that can put a lot of force through your joints. Moving in these slow, controlled ways can help keep your muscles and joints happy and healthy. Improve Your Balance Practicing yoga can challenge your balance, it can be a little tricky at first if you're not used to shifting your body weight or if your proprioception is a little out. But practice makes perfect, and by improving your balance you can reduce risks of things like trips, falls or rolling your ankles. It Can Be A Full Body Work Out Unless the class specifically is targeting a certain area, most of the time you'll get a pretty well balanced work out for your whole body. You'll also be doing stretching and strengthening moves without needing to push yourself too hard. Of course, there are many types of yoga classes, and some are designed to be much more physically challenging, so if you have pain choose a gentle class like a Slow Flow or Yin style, and talk to your yoga teacher about any limitation you have so they can keep an eye on you if they need to. Stress Buster Exercise naturally produces amazing brain chemicals that help reduce our stress hormones. Combine that with mindful breathing, purposeful movement, and the calming environment and you have a very powerful stress buster! So Many Choices! There are just so many choices in where, when and how to practice. Yoga studios are abundant in Melbourne. But with the internet, YouTube and smart phones, you can also choose to practice at home, at the beach, in the park, literally anywhere with enough space to roll out a mat. Online classes also means that you can pick the length of class you can manage on the day, even if thats just 5 minutes per day. Join A Community By joining a class at a studio, you can meet people who are there for similar reasons. A lot of studios also offer memberships to make it affordable to go regularly, and run workshops or events. Build Great Habits By booking in for the same yoga class each week, you create a routine. Even one class a week makes a difference! Its your You Time, your time to move your body, push thoughts out of your head, breathe a little deeper, and know that you've nourished your body and brain. You Can't Win At Yoga There's no prizes or championships for yoga. No medals for being the most flexible. Winning isn't your purpose in yoga, you can just be exactly how you are on the day and move your body in a way that feels good. Some days you'll feel more or less mobile, but its all about you, not the person next to you. Modify The Moves To Suit You A lot of poses have different stages, and its unrealistic to expect to jump straight into the most advanced version of a pose. Speak to your teacher and they can modify poses to make it gentler and more comfortable for you. Taking a modified position that isn't painful is always better than forcing yourself into an advanced position that hurts. Want to try yoga, but you're not sure where to start? If you're local to our Knoxfield clinic, then my favourite yoga studio near us is Hark Yoga on Burwood Hwy, Ferntree Gully. You can try an intro pass for $30 for 14 days of unlimited classes - personally I can highly recommend their Body & Mind classes, its a great combination of movement and meditation. Hark Yoga also have a 21 Day Challenge starting on 2nd September, and we're contributing some Myotherapy gift certificates to the goodie bags! If you've chosen to see a Myotherapist, theres a good chance that you've got a pain or injury that you're concerned about and you know that it needs more than just a bit of a massage. There are some cases where follow-up may not be needed. But for the majority of pain conditions or injuries, the best long term pain relief comes from a series of treatments specifically designed for you by your Myotherapist. Why do I want to see you for a follow-up treatment? Let me tell you all of the reasons!
Seeing how you responded to the treatment This one is pretty self-explanatory. When you receive a myotherapy treatment, you might respond well, or you might not. A follow-up allows us to check in and see how you recovered, and how the original problem is going. This lets us know which treatment techniques to keep using because they were effective for you, or which ones to drop from your treatment plan. Checking progress with at-home care and exercises Most clients receive either suggestions for at-home care and modifications and/or exercises. During your follow-up appointment, we can check in and see how these changes went for you. Found yourself struggling to do a particular exercise? We can prescribe an easier alternative until your strength or balance improves. Forgot how to do one of your stretches, or not sure if you’re doing it right? This is our opportunity to review it for you. Getting to the root cause of the original issue For most people, one treatment isn’t going to fix the issue completely. In most cases, there is an underlying cause that needs to be looked into. This is particularly important for those with chronic conditions and chronic pain. There are multiple contributing factors to chronic symptoms and pain. Unfortunately, we can’t address all of those factors in just one session! That’s why follow-up appointments can make all the difference. Helping you achieve long-term health goals Do you dream of running your first marathon? Or maybe you want to do an obstacle course with your friends? Perhaps you just want to chase the kids around the park and not pay for it later? Whatever your long-term goals are, we can work on them during a follow-up appointment. Follow-up sessions can really pay off when it comes to long-term goals, even if you experience chronic pain. One of my long-term clients with a chronic pain condition recently achieved her goal of going back to full-time work. She also goes to F45 several days a week – talk about smashing goals! Preventing future injuries Unfortunately, once you’ve had one injury, you are more vulnerable to future injuries. But we can help to minimise the risk of this occurring through follow-up sessions. During a follow-up, we can assess how strong and stable the surrounding muscles and joints are. Myotherapy treatments such as stretching, taping and exercises can all support the area while it heals and minimise the chance of future issues. Ensuring that your injury or symptom doesn’t warrant further investigation If you come in with some pretty impressive muscle tension or pain, it can be difficult to fully assess your situation. Your first session gives us a chance to release those muscles and reduce the pain. But in some cases, tension and pain can be covering up a red flag sign or symptom. With a follow-up, we have the chance to investigate your concerns further. If we do see any red flags, we can immediately refer you to your GP or specialist to get it sorted. Is it time for you to book your follow-up session? You can do that right here. Anytime Fitness in Ferntree Gully are having a one day sale on Wednesday 21st August, and they've invited us along to talk to you about Myotherapy and how it can help with your training or recovering from an injury.
We'll be there from 5-7pm, and have some Myo vouchers to give away, as well as bringing some of the tools of the trade for you to see. Of course, Perry will be trying his best to get a work out in as well! If you've been considering joining a gym, I can highly recommend Anytime Fitness. I go there myself and always find the place clean and neat, the staff are friendly and helpful, the personal trainers are happy to help you figure out how to use the equipment and they offer a selection of group classes that are free as part of your membership. If you have pain, there’s a good chance you’ve used or been prescribed pain relievers. There is a lot of stigma around the use of pain relievers because of issues such as addiction or long-term health effects. In my opinion, it’s ok to use pain relievers if you are experiencing pain, as long as its not the only pain relief strategy you're using - I like to see that you know why you have pain, and that you're making changes to any of the factors you can to reduce ongoing pain in conjunction with taking medication. Pain relievers can play an important part in injury recovery and pain management, particularly for those who experience chronic pain. What are pain relievers, and what do they do?
Pain relievers are any form of medication that do exactly what the name says – relieve pain. Different pain relievers work on different parts of the body to produce different pain-relieving effects. Some pain relievers such as ibuprofen stop damaged cells from producing inflammatory compounds, which can slow down the pain message. Others, like paracetamol, work directly on the brain to reduce how your brain perceives the danger signals. You’ll often see pain relievers referred to as ‘pain-killers’. I avoid this term, because ‘painkiller’ implies that it totally and permanently eliminates your pain. But pain-relievers are a tool that reduce pain for a period of time. They can’t ‘fix’ your pain, but they can make you feel better for a little while, so you can continue to actively work on recovery through rehabilitation and treatment. Pain relievers are part of your treatment plan You can get all of the massage and myotherapy treatments, but sometimes, pain strikes when you aren’t able to book in a session. That is where pain relievers can come into play. Often, pain relief is needed to allow you to get to sleep and stay asleep for at least a few hours. Sleep is when the body does its most healing, so good sleep is critical to long-term pain reduction. Research has also found that sleep deprivation can make you more sensitive to pain. So if pain is keeping you awake, using pain relief may be the better option, rather than ‘toughing it out’ and lying awake. The only thing I don’t recommend is relying on pain relievers as your only method of pain relief. Pain relievers by nature are temporary – they don’t fix the root cause. Whether your pain is caused by physical damage, a sensitised nervous system, inflammation or something else, the only ‘fix’ is a plan that addresses the underlying issue. If you’ve experienced pain for longer than a week or two, it’s time to seek professional help. If you’re using pain relievers long-term, speak to your GP Pain relievers, like any other kind of medication, can have long-term health consequences and side effects. Even over the counter medications can be problematic long-term – that’s why they put oodles of warnings inside! If you are needing to use pain relievers for more than a few weeks and it hasn’t been prescribed by your GP, make an appointment. They might be able to recommend a more effective prescription for your specific type of pain or offer you the safest option if you do require long term medication. At the very least, they know you are taking it and can monitor you, so they can spot any side effects in the early stages. If you don't have a regular GP, come and meet Dr Wajib Dib at Together Medical on Ferntree Gully Rd in Knoxfield. Our treatment room is inside the Together Medical practice, and Dr Dib is a fully Bulk Billed GP with an interest in musculoskeletal health. You can also ask for advice on medications from the Pharmacist at Knoxfield Pharmacy. We have a staircase with direct access into the pharmacy from our clinic reception. Massage and myotherapy can play a supportive role in the healing journey if you’re experiencing chronic pain. At Simple Wellness Myotherapy, chronic pain is our passion. To book in an appointment, head to our booking page here. When you experience chronic pain, you just want to feel better. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix
for chronic pain – it can take time and effort. But there are lifestyle tweaks you can include in your everyday life that can help with pain. Some of these can alleviate pain, and some can help you to cope better with the pain. Since every person is unique, some might work better for one person than another. So start with one, give it a good go for a few weeks, and see how you go! Try out meditation & mindfulness Before you roll your eyes, hear me out! Meditation and mindfulness does not have to be sitting cross-legged on the floor, chanting. It does not mean you need to ‘stop thinking’ or ‘clear your mind of any thoughts ever’. Meditation and mindfulness is more about being aware that your thoughts are just one part of you. It allows you to tune into your body and senses, and most meditations use long, slow and deliberate breathing patterns. We know that taking time to focus on breathing and calming thoughts can help to slow down a really active nervous system. When it comes to meditations that are designed for pain, they don’t stop pain, but they do help you to recognise where the pain is coming from and what it might mean. The research suggests that it’s worth giving meditation a go. A meta-analysis of 38 controlled trials found that meditation helps to reduce pain, improve symptoms of depression and increase the overall quality of life. Most apps and meditation websites have guided meditations for pain, anxiety, stress, or all of the above. Our favourite nutritionist (who has a condition that can cause chronic pain) Sam is a big fan of the pain (#14) and stress (#31) meditations over at Meditation Oasis. Introduce gentle movement It can be tempting to avoid movement when you’re in pain. But gentle movement that doesn’t cause severe discomfort or pain can be incredibly therapeutic. The research shows that exercise can increase your pain tolerance and decrease your perception of pain. It can relieve pain and improve quality of life in those who have chronic pain of some kind. To start moving again: Start slow. Begin with gentle movement, and work your way up over a period of weeks or months. Use non-painful joints and muscles. Endorphins are systemic, so if your pain is in your back, moving your arms or legs will still help to relieve that pain. Get yourself a paced rehab program. Working with a practitioner is best for this, as we can monitor your progress, adjust movements that are too painful or difficult, and cheer you on as you achieve goals! Seek social support Feeling supported doesn’t just make you feel better mentally and emotionally – it can influence your experience of pain. Countless research papers from the 1970s up until today have highlighted how important it is for people with chronic pain to have social support. The care of friends and family can make a big difference. Partners can play an important role in helping you to feel supported, too. You don't even need to talk to people about your pain if you don't want to, but talking to people about anything can be helpful - even if its small talk about news, weather, music, films. It can be tempting to push through and struggle, especially if you’re someone who doesn’t like to bother or burden others. But asking for help or even just a chat with someone you trust can make all the difference. Consider joining an interest group, like a coffee club, social group or walking group. Spend time with pets This is by far my favourite tip, as I’m a certified crazy cat lady! But it’s also backed by some science as well. When you play with a pet, your body releases a hormone known as oxytocin. Oxytocin can increase your pain threshold, drop your stress and anxiety levels and reduce inflammation. It can also decrease blood pressure and heart rate by activating your ‘rest and digest’ mode. The best part is that you don’t even have to own a pet – you can borrow a friend’s! And the benefits go both ways. When you cuddle a furry friend, they also feel happier and healthier. Work with practitioners who empower you A good team can make a huge difference for someone who experiences chronic pain. It’s important to work with qualified practitioners who understand how complex pain is. But it’s also best to work with practitioners who want to give you the tools to recover from that pain. We can’t ‘fix’ you, but we can empower you with the facts about pain, the latest research findings, and the best quality care possible. Want to work with a myotherapist/remedial massage therapist who fits that bill? Book in an appointment with a Simple Wellness practitioner here. Most people think of painful, deep pressure and extreme stretching when they think of Thai massage. But is that really what its meant to be? I'm currently in Thailand doing a Traditional Thai Massage course, and I want to share some of what I've learnt with you! My teacher, Achang Rin, says there are two main traditional styles of Thai Massage: Royal Style and General Style.
Royal Style is what I'll be learning this week. Its the relaxing full body sequence designed with the King (or person of importance!) in mind. Its less intense, and more "polite" - meaning the therapist doesn't get too up close and personal with the client. This style works well for people who don't have a highly physically demanding lifestyle, who need to relax and be gently stretched. Royal Style uses thumb and palm pressure, and gentle stretches. General Style becomes a bit stronger, because its designed for the every day worker, traditionally people like farmers, builders, and other people with heavy labour-intensive jobs. General Style can also feel a bit more "in your face" - this is where the treatment can start using elbows, knees, feet, and strong stretches. The therapist might even use their body weight, so it can be common for them to climb on top of the client! A thai massage can take anywhere from 90-120 minutes, and covers the whole body. The client starts off laying on their back, then moves to each side, then laying on their front, and finishes in a seated position. I asked Achang Rin if Traditional Thai Massage is really supposed to hurt? She told me no, the purpose of the massage isn't to inflict pain! Why does Thai Massage have a reputation for being a really painful style? Achang Rin explained that in Thailand, many therapists don't complete official massage training. Many of the salons offering massage in Thailand have an in-house training program, where therapists get taught the techniques by one of the other practitioners. She said that often the line of people being trained by untrained people can be quite long, so what is being offered as "Traditional Thai Massage" is really a chinese-whispers version of a Thai Massage. Combine that with the expectations from tourists that the massage will be fairly intense as well as the people who specifically ask for it to be super firm, and the end result can become very different from the treatment you'd get from a properly qualified Thai Massage Therapist. Traditional Thai Massage is done on a floor mat, so while we won't be offering Thai Style treatment in our Ferntree Gully clinic, there are some stretches and techniques that we can adapt to suit a treatment being done on a massage table. I'll be back from Thailand and back in the clinic from June 24, book a time to come and see me and we'll see if any of these Thai Massage skills can be modified and used in your treatment! Do you love your heat pack? Me too!
There are plenty of reasons to keep your heat pack close by, and not just because we're entering winter! Heat treatment is great for muscle pain - its cheap, effective, and drug-free! Have you ever wondered why heating your sore muscles helps them so much? Some pains are categorised as ischaemic pain - that means that the tissue has a reduction of oxygen supply which is needed for normal cell activity. This tends to happen if we're in positions that compress or over stretch areas for a long time - like sitting at a desk for a few hours without getting up to move around. Heating an area increases the local blood flow, which means the blood vessels widen to get more fresh, oxygenated blood into your muscles and joints. What kind of pain should you use heat for? Many kinds of non-inflammatory pains will respond really nicely to heat, including things like cramping and spasming, stiffness and persistent tight or pulling muscles. Heat packs are easy to use for neck, shoulder, lower back or hip pain. If you have a lot of painful areas, a warm bath can be another great way of getting heat into your muscles - why not add some Epsom salts for the added magnesium benefits for sore, tight muscles! When should you not use heat? Avoid heating up any fresh injuries, especially if you have open wounds or if the injury has become infected. These kinds of injuries will be in the inflammatory stage of healing - you'll be able to tell because the area may be swollen, red and hot, and most likely it'll be much more sensitive than usual! Of course, you do need to be careful with heat packs or hot water bottles to make sure you don't burn yourself. Always wrap your heat pack or hot water bottle in a something like a pillow case, thin blanket or a towel so you don't have the hot surface directly on your skin. Using heat for too long might give you heat rash, so I usually suggest about 20 minutes at a time. Heat on its own is more for symptom relief than for resolving the underlying issue. If you have an injury or feel that you have a lot of long term tension built up in the muscles, book a treatment with your local Myotherapist. I'm very excited to welcome our new Myotherapist, Emily Wells, to the Simple Wellness Myotherapy team! Emily is a Myotherapist and Remedial Massage Therapist, and she'll be joining us 3 days a week starting at the end of May! You'll find Emily in the clinic on Wednesday mornings from 9am-2pm; on Thursdays for the majority of the day between 9am-7pm, and alternating mornings/afternoons on Saturdays.
Her official first day is Wednesday May 29th, and we couldn't be happier to have her onboard! Want to book a time to have a treatment with Emily? You can already jump onto the booking page and get an appointment with her! |
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