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As Myotherapists, one of our most important jobs is setting expectations with clients and giving our clients all the tools to be accountable for your own healing. Healing is not a passive process, it's a partnership, hands on treatment is crucial for pain relief and enabling healthier movement patterns but where most of your healing comes from is outside your appointments with us, it comes from what you are or maybe what you aren’t doing every other day of the week. 
Whether you're recovering from an injury, managing chronic pain, or simply trying to move and feel better in your body, being an active participant in your care can dramatically improve your outcomes and has been shown to reduce recovery times. That’s why we’re so passionate about empowering you with knowledge, tools, and strategies that extend far beyond the treatment table. As your myotherapist, our role is not just to treat the symptoms, but to help you understand the why behind your pain, and guide you toward habits and routines that support long-term healing. Follow through with your homecare and treatment plan! I get it, life gets busy. It's very easy to run out of time and skip your exercises/stretches for the day. But the truth is, what you do between sessions matters more than what we can do in a single appointment. That 10-minute stretch session you skip, the poor posture you slump into at your desk, or the sleep you sacrifice night after night all of it adds up. Small, consistent efforts are what create lasting change; it's all a snowball effect. Think of your home care as a tool that prolongs what we work on in sessions. Without it your body instinctively wants to go back to how it is used to, the “normal” and with continued home care we help you create a new “normal” the pain free kind. We're here to support you every step of the way, but we can't do the work for you unless you want to see us every week which very quickly becomes a costly endeavour. Healing isn't about being perfect, it's about being consistent and intentional. If something in your home care plan doesn’t feel right, is aggravating your pain or isn’t working for you, don’t ignore it. Communicate with us. That feedback helps us tailor your treatment to suit you, there is no textbook version of recovery. At the end of the day, your healing journey is exactly that yours. As myotherapists, we’re here to guide, support, and provide hands-on treatment that jumpstarts your progress, but the real transformation happens when you take ownership of your care outside the clinic. Consistency, communication, and commitment to your home care plan are the foundations of lasting results. Small daily choices matter, and they build upon each other to create long-term change. So, stay curious, stay accountable, and remember you're not in this alone, but the power to heal is ultimately in your hands. By Rachael Bird, Myotherapist If you’ve just had your first myotherapy treatment, you might be wondering what comes next. It’s completely normal to experience a few changes in your body as it begins to respond and adjust. Some of these effects are short-term and part of the healing process, while others are positive signs that your muscles are starting to function more freely. We’ll walk you through what you can expect after your session and share some simple ways to manage any discomfort so you can get the most out of your recovery.  Muscle soreness:
Why? This is your body adjusting to the work that had been done Muscles have been stretched, released, or worked in a new way to aid in restoring function. What you should know: Over the next few days, you might notice other muscles getting tight.
What can help?:
Posture & Movement
Follow-Up & Home Care
Please contact Your Myotherapist If:
Remember, every body responds differently, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns after your treatment. If you’re ready to take the next step in your recovery journey, book your next appointment today and keep your body moving at its best. By Dr Sarah Varmalis, Senior Osteopath At Simple Wellness in Rowville, one of the most common questions we hear is: "Should I see a myotherapist or the osteopath?" With seven skilled myotherapists and one osteopath working side by side in the clinic, it’s no surprise people want to understand how each approach works, and which one might suit them best. The truth is, both therapies offer real value, just with different tools and treatment styles depending on what your body needs.  What Does a Myotherapist Do? Myotherapy is focused on relieving pain, tension, and dysfunction in the muscles and connective tissues of the body. It’s an evidence-based, hands-on therapy that supports everything from muscle tightness and sports injuries to postural imbalances and everyday aches. At Simple Wellness, our myotherapists draw from a wide range of techniques, such as:
What Does the Osteopath Do? While myotherapy often focuses directly on muscles and soft tissue, osteopathy takes a broader view of the body, looking at how the musculoskeletal system interacts with the nervous, circulatory, lymphatic, and even organ systems. At Simple Wellness, our osteopath uses a unique approach called Fascial Counterstrain. This gentle, highly specific technique works by identifying and releasing tension held in the fascia, the connective tissue surrounding everything from muscles and joints to nerves, blood vessels, and organs. Each session begins with a cranial scan, a subtle but powerful assessment method that helps locate areas of restriction throughout the body. Treatment then involves positioning the body into a place of ease, allowing the nervous system to let go of protective patterns and promote healing. It’s a calm, non-invasive approach that’s suitable for sensitive, complex, or long-standing issues. So, Which One Should You Choose? Both myotherapy and osteopathy can be incredibly effective—the best choice really depends on what your body needs and how it responds to treatment. And sometimes, a combination of both is ideal. Here’s a general guide to help:  The Power of Working Together One of the best parts of the Simple Wellness approach is the way our team works together. It’s not uncommon for someone to see a myotherapist for muscular tension, then the osteopath for deeper system-wide regulation—or vice versa. We believe in personalised care, not one-size-fits-all solutions. That means listening to your goals, understanding your body’s needs, and making sure you’re booked in with the right person at the right time.  Hey!
I'm Jacqui the newest member of the Simple Wellness family! I'm so excited to be able to offer you my unique blend of my 18+ years of experience in the natural therapies industry. When people ask me what do I do for a living, I will often simply say, I am a Remedial Massage Therapist. I have been doing it so long, it is a natural response for me. However there is so much more to what I do now compared to when I started my journey as a massage therapist. I have always had an interest in mind/body connection and how mental/emotional & spiritual health can all have an impact on our physiology. In my early years of practicing, I began to realise that I could be helpful in treating & managing people's pain and discomfort physically, but I felt that I was only treating one aspect of the person, not their whole being. I wanted to know more about the mind/body connection and how I may be able to be of service in my own unique way with a truly holistic approach to the individual's wellbeing. Being an avid yoga enthusiast for many years, I could clearly see the correlation between movement and health/wellbeing. I could also feel it! And it wasn't just about less pain and better movement, I felt fantastic! On so many levels. Levels I had forgot even existed! It seemed to balance me in a way that was so satisfying and sustainable. I was curious to know more about the mind, the energetic life force flowing through all of us, and how to harness the power of my breath. So naturally I felt drawn to meditation and mindful movement practices. I have studied a range of other modalities including Meditation & Yin Yoga teacher training, Reiki & Qi Gong. I am now also a meditation coach for new meditation teachers in training with Australian Centre for Meditation & Mindfulness. My passion for wellness extends far beyond the physical. Clients often see me for stress & mental/emotional-related conditions that can lead to imbalance and physical pain. These include headaches, migraines, tension, aches, poor sleep quality, fatigue, malaise. As well as all manner of muscular pain conditions. I believe in the power and need for human touch. The clinical applications of my treatments may be similar for certain symptoms and conditions, however I have a unique and tailored approach to each individuals wellbeing needs which includes an intuitive and holistic treatment style. I look forward to working with you to begin your wellbeing journey with me. Book your appointment with me during school hours on Mondays and Wednesdays, or in the afternoon on Thursdays. Yep! We're open on Saturday April 3rd and Sunday April 4th, so if you find yourself in need of a remedial massage or myotherapy appointment we are here to help!
We will be closed on Good Friday (April 2nd) and Easter Monday (April 5th) for the weekday public holidays, but you can still catch us over the weekend. Appointments are going fast, check our availability and book in soon! We hope you have a happy and safe Easter! Thats right! We have a new face in the clinic! Meet Duke Autret, our new Remedial Massage Therapist!  Duke got his Remedial Massage qualifications in 2019 from Australian College of Fitness & Bodywork, which is the same college that Mel studied her Myotherapy qualifications.
He is also close to completing his certification as a Pilates instructor, and interested in leveling up to become a Myotherapist! He's a body and movement nerd - and you know how much we love nerds here at Simple Wellness Myotherapy! In addition to a feel good remedial massage, he will be able to give you some great take home movements that help which you can use between your treatments to boost your recovery! Our long term plan is that once Duke has finished his Pilates instructor training, we want to offer combination treatments where you can experience half the appointment as manual therapy, and the other half as a tailored pilates program. You can book with Duke for remedial massage on Thursdays 3pm-7pm and Sundays 12pm-6pm. 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! Have you or someone you love been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis? The symptoms of this condition can range from uncomfortable to debilitating. But the good news is that manual therapy techniques that fall under the scope of myotherapy can help to alleviate some of these symptoms. Let’s take a look at how myotherapy can help with multiple sclerosis.  What is multiple sclerosis? Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is an autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system. ‘Sclerosis’ means ‘scars’, which occur throughout the central nervous system. These scars interfere with the nerve impulses within the brain, the spinal cord and the optic nerves. Because the scars can occur anywhere throughout the central nervous system, different symptoms can manifest. Over 25,000 Australians have been diagnosed with MS. Most are diagnosed between the ages of 20-40, but it can occur in people who are younger or older. Women are far more likely to be diagnosed with MS. What are the symptoms of multiple sclerosis? Because multiple sclerosis can occur throughout the nervous system, there is a wide range of symptoms that people with MS may experience. No two cases are the same. However, symptoms will typically fall under five main categories:
How can myotherapy help with multiple sclerosis? This can really depend on the primary symptoms you’re looking to manage. However, myotherapy has a diverse range of tools and techniques that may help to minimise symptoms related to motor control, fatigue and neurological issues. Some of the symptoms myotherapy may help to relieve include:
Massage and multiple sclerosis One of myotherapy’s tools that has some promising research to back it up is massage therapy. There have been several small studies into the benefits of massage therapy for MS. They found that massage therapy was able to relieve pain, fatigue and quality of life. One study found that massage was more effective at relieving symptoms compared to exercise therapy. It also suggested that combining massage with exercise therapy could have even greater benefits. Managing multiple sclerosis symptoms with Simple Wellness Myotherapy Here are Simple Wellness Myotherapy, we have had patient outcomes such as:
Every case of MS is unique, so we cannot guarantee that you will achieve the same results. But we can say that our practitioners are experienced when it comes to MS, and will go the extra mile to help you find as much relief as possible. Simple Wellness Myotherapy also works as a healthcare provider for those receiving employment assistance through MS Employment Services. If you are receiving employment assistance, you can have a chat with your Occupational Therapist to see if myotherapy can be incorporated into your package. Ready to make a booking? Click here to visit our booking page. Does this sound familiar? Terrible pain in your first few steps in the morning. Pain on standing up if you’ve been sitting for a little while. Putting weight on that foot can be agony. You feel it strongest in the heel or arch of your foot. Once you get moving it seems to calm down. If you're saying yes to these symptoms, you could be dealing with a condition called Plantar Fasciitis. Its quite common, and one of the most frequent foot pains that our myotherapists help people with.  Plantar Fasciitis is a very painful condition that affects your heel and the sole of your foot. Often the mornings are the worst pain, people often explain they feel like they have to hobble about for the first few minutes of their day.
Usually it affects one foot or the other - some very unfortunate people can get both feet affected at the same time. Symptoms include heel pain; arch pain; altered walking patterns; cramps or spasms in the sole of the foot. Usually the pain reduces after getting moving, but those first few steps can be uncomfortable through to excruciatingly painful. What kinds of treatments work best for Plantar Fasciitis? The techniques I've found that work the best for people with Plantar Fasciitis are:
The hands on treatment sessions are only part of the recovery plan though. Like with most pains or injuries, looking at the way you move and stretch outside of your time in the clinic is important to helping you feel better, quicker. Our therapists will show you some simple but effective movements that help you to stretch your foot and leg to reduce the pain. We can also offer you some temporary pain relief suggestions like ice bottle rolling and using spiky physio balls. Ready to look at a plan for kicking Plantar Fasciitis? Book a 60 Minute Initial Consultation with us. We'll assess your movement and muscle balance, give you a feel-good hands on treatment, and walk you step by step through your treatment plan. Headaches are one of the most common issues our Myotherapists and Remedial Massage Therapists help people with.  There are a bunch of variable ways that headaches can turn up - sometimes affecting only one side or the other; sometimes just the top, sides, or back of your head; sometimes very pinpoint spots like right behind your eyes; squeezing tension bands across your temples and eyebrows; starting from your jaw and spreading upwards; or just generally your entire head.
No matter which type you get, its never a good day if you need to persevere with a headache. There are a lot of factors that can influence headaches. Trigger points in your neck, shoulders and face can send some intense referred pain headaches, and these trigger points respond particularly well to hands on treatments like remedial massage, cupping and gentle mobilisations. Dehydration and exhaustion can be linked with headaches. If you suffer regularly, keep an eye out for your usual water intake and sleep patterns. By improving your quality of sleep and the amount of water your body has available to use, you may find your headaches reduce or go entirely! Stress and hormonal changes can also lead to headaches. Have you ever noticed how your neck, shoulders and face become much tighter when you're under stress? Do you clench your teeth, or hunch into a protective position? Some women find that they get a headache at specific times during their cycle due to changing hormone levels. Hormones are something that are outside of our scope as remedial massage and myotherapists, but many of our patients have found Acupuncture to be a useful tool in balancing hormones. Our good friend Amanda at Upwey Acupuncture can help you explore hormonal treatment options, including menstrual and menopausal symptoms. Eye strain can bring on headaches, as I found out last year! We got a new TV and I got intense tension band headaches every time I watched it for longer than about 10 minutes. My optometrist checked my vision and prescribed my glasses to help reduce the strain on my eyes, and it helped resolve my headaches! If you already wear glasses, is it time for a check up? If you don't wear glasses, perhaps an eye test could be helpful for you. Aside from taking over the counter medications like Panadol, how can you get help with easing and resolving a problematic headache? A great first step is to book with one of our therapists so we can assess your headaches and determine if they have a musculoskeletal origin. We can often help people get rid of their headache and set them up with a plan to prevent future headaches. A Short 40 Minute Initial Consultation is ideal for your first appointment to investigate your headaches. |
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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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