By Jacqui Mulholland
Headaches and Migraines are a common complex and varied condition that may affect most of us at some point in our lives. The frequency, duration and intensity can vary, as well as the types of symptoms that can indicate whether you are experiencing headaches, or migraines. I used to be so confused about how to categorise my symptoms as a longtime headache/migraine sufferer. I would go to GP’s explain my symptoms, how they would affect me and the “cycle” with which they seemed to occur. They had a predictable pattern, and symptoms were usually quite similar each time, only varying in intensity and duration. My experience of these symptoms was often quite an unpleasant and fatiguing process. There was not much else offered as pain management at the time from my GP, the suggestions were pain meds, rest and reduce stress. This would leave me feeling a little bit deflated and helpless to do anything to change or at least manage my condition. My headaches were classified as “menstrual migraines” or “hormonal headaches”. There is a lot of confusion and unknown factors about headaches and migraines, and you wouldn’t be alone in feeling at a loss as to where you can go and the type of treatments that may help you. You should always visit your GP in the event that you suddenly start getting headaches or your headaches are changing. There are many different treatment options now for headache/migraine sufferers that weren’t available 20 years ago so it’s always worth mentioning any new symptoms to your main healthcare provider. So how do you know the difference between headaches and migraines? Well there are several different types of headaches and “Migraines” are just one of those types. The main difference between migraines and the other types of headaches is they may include some of the following symptoms (but not all)
As you can see these symptoms should not be ignored if you have never had migraines before or if your symptoms intensity or change as this could be an indication of something more serious. Always consult your healthcare provider as a first point of call. There are other types of headaches that have similar symptoms but are not classified as migraines: some of these you may have heard of: cluster, tension, sinus. These may present a little differently in terms of the location of the pain symptoms, and intensity can vary but don't usually present with the visual disturbances, heightened sensitivity or with nausea & vomiting. So whilst there is no cure for headaches or migraines, there are treatments and preventative techniques that may help. There can be certain triggers for you that you can help by avoiding. Certain foods, alcohol, getting enough sleep, regular moderate exercise, drinking water etc. In terms of prevention and management of your symptoms, that’s where remedial massage & myotherapy can be really beneficial. When you're experiencing an episode, you might notice that you will feel like your body needs rest and quiet time to recover. Overstimulation can often exacerbate symptoms. Allowing your nervous system and inner balance a chance to restore and calm down the pain sensitivity can really assist in managing the pain. Regular massage may help reduce the intensity & frequency of your symptoms, address any muscular tightness that may be contributing to sensitivity in the head, jaw, neck, upper back and shoulder areas. Remedial massage & myotherapy can provide an opportunity for your body to rest and receive nurturing touch, warmth, blood flow and may assist in improving sleep, reducing stress, regulating hormones & nervous system functioning. Your treatment may not get rid of your headache or migraine but it may help reduce the intensity and duration. I love working to help assist headache & migraine sufferers, because of my personal experience with the condition and knowing that remedial massage and myotherapy has helped me tremendously with the management of my symptoms. I know how good it can feel to receive that attention and touch to calm my hypersensitivity and I often have a really good rest/sleep following the treatment which makes so much difference to my ability to function. If you are a headache or migraine sufferer, come in for a massage and even consider regular treatments to manage recurring symptoms. This is a condition with complex clinical presentations but a very real pain experience for many people, and I’d love to help you feel and function better with less pain. I am available to help you on Mondays and Wednesdays 9.45am-2pm, Thursdays 2.45pm-7pm, and every second Saturday 9.30am-2pm. Book in with me or one of our myotherapists via our website: www.simplewellness.com.au/treatments-bookings I look forward to working with you! Whats Causing This Pain Where My Lower Back And Hips Meet? It Could Be The Sacroiliac Joint10/8/2022
By Duke Autret Pain across the very base of your spine where your hips and lower back meet is very common. You can often pinpoint the pain as starting from "those two dimples at the lower back" and spreading out across the sides of the hips. Those two dimples, which aren't always visible on everyone, are where the back and hip join - specifically where the sacrum bone joins the iliac crest of the pelvis. This joint is called the Sacroiliac Joint. Sacroiliac Joint (SIJ) Dysfunction is an often used term to describe any issue that arises from some kind of problem at this joint, usually leading to the joint becoming inflamed, and which can commonly have subsequent implications such as sciatic pain (pain running down the leg) and/or pain from muscle spasms usually at the lower back and/or around the hip/s.
One reason for this is that the inflammation at the site of the Sacroiliac Joint may irritate the sciatic nerve much in the same way as a spinal disc problem can, although rather than perhaps a bulging intervertebral disc impinging on the sciatic nerve, instead it can be the chemical irritation and/or the pressure and compression caused by the swelling and inflammation of locals tissues and fluids. Then due to pain and irritation from the inflammation, a pain cycle may set in, with muscles spasming and tightening up in response. Our bodies are pretty marvellous in the way they try to protect us from a perceived problem, and that protection usually comes in the way of tensing, tightening or spasming. Consider if you were going to be punched in the gut, the first thing your body will naturally do before you probably even think about it is to tense your abdominals, draw in the arms and shoulders, and crunch forward in a protected position to lessen the blow. The SIJ does a similar process to try to protect around the joint area, which can lead to that persisting pain. Typically, an SIJ issue will present on just one side at a time, although it can be possible for the symptomatic side to swap from one side to the other, as when one SIJ is dysfunctional then the adjacent SIJ compensates and is therefore implicated. The good news is that you can get treatment for Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction! Treatments we can provide to help when someone comes to us in an acute phase will revolve around ways of decreasing the muscle spasm and pain to the hip, pelvis and spinal regions, and to also advise you on the best ways to manage the joint inflammation itself and ‘deload’ the structures involved. The initial stages of the treatment are likely to involve some soft tissue work like remedial massage, myofascial release, cupping or dry needling, and can also involve taping the SIJ to support that area and give those really hard working muscles a chance for a break without leaving that joint feeling vulnerable. Then once these initial symptoms are under control we will guide you towards how to regain and develop the stability, mobility and control to the specific areas needed, which are likely to include the thigh muscles and the deep muscles of the trunk, abdominals, and back. Outside of any hands on treatments the lasting success of reversing this type of condition will depend also on the empowerment of you. We will advise you on the best rehab routine and provide a layered program over time so that you can progress at the right pace and without worrying about being overloaded with homework. Or alternatively, we can refer you to connect with local practitioners or instructors in clinical exercise or other modalities like yoga for example if you prefer or if help with motivation and supervision is what you need. Personally I enjoy working with SIJ pain since I used to suffer from a lot of it myself (and know how difficult it can be) and because I’ve learned how to best deal with it, to the point where I no longer suffer from this anymore. This has been a worthy investment for me and also a gift. I hope to share this with those who need it too. If you’d like to start down the road of finding ways to improve your own challenges with an SIJ issue, I am here to help. Just call or leave a message with us at the Simple Wellness Myotherapy clinic here in Rowville, our number is 03 8204 0970, or alternatively you can visit our website to see our booking schedule and make an appointment for yourself at a time that best suits you. Getting a Remedial Massage or Myotherapy appointment is becoming even easier now that we have two new therapists joining our Rowville team! Join us in welcoming our two great new practitioners to the Simple Wellness clinic! Kel Levi will be joining us from Wednesday July 27th. Kel is an experienced Myotherapist who is currently working alongside AFL Premiers Melbourne Football Club helping their players during and after their matches. She's also a qualified personal trainer, and has a wealth of knowledge in the health and fitness realm. She has a great firm massage style, loves to use dry needling to help reduce pain and improve movement, and can use her extensive background in fitness and exercise to help you find ways to stretch and strengthen your trouble areas with ease. Myotherapy and Remedial Massage with Kel can be claimed through our HICAPS machine with private health insurers like BUPA, Medibank, HCF and all other health insurers. Kel will be available: Mondays and Wednesdays 9-12, and occasional Fridays (when Melbourne Footy Club don't need her expertise in the club rooms!) Colette Corr is our new student Myotherapist, who is starting with us on Tuesday August 2nd. Colette is a final year Bachelor of Health Science Myotherapy student, which means she's completed the vast majority of the 3 year Bachelor degree program and is down to the last few subjects, including student clinical hours. We'll be offering discounted treatments with Colette while she's finishing up her degree. In addition to Myotherapy, Colette is also a yoga instructor with over 5 years experience, and loves to work with people with chronic pain and hypermobility/Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. As Colette is a student, private health claims can't be made for treatments with her. Colette will be available: Tuesdays 2-7 and Saturdays (alternating between morning and afternoon shifts) As always, bookings with our team of fantastic therapists can be made instantly online or by phoning us on 03 8204 0970.
Like a proud mama bear, I am so pleased to congratulate Duke on his graduation from RMIT with his Advanced Diploma of Myotherapy! If you've already had a treatment with Duke, you'll know that he is pretty top notch! His knowledge of body mechanics and movement are exceptional, and he's wasted no time in putting new advanced skills into practice while he's been studying his Advanced Diploma over the last year or so.
He is also our go-to recommendation for anyone who loves a firm deep tissue massage - Duke is strong, and knows how to get the best angles to apply that intense level of firm pressure for those who need it. So what will change now that he's graduated and earned his Myotherapist title? To be honest, not a lot, because he has been integrating his knowledge as he goes. What we do hope will change is his availability!! Now that he's no longer spending time studying, we hope to be able to offer more appointments with him in the near future! He is now qualified and insured to offer Dry Needling treatments - however, we know there is a bit of a misconception where a lot of peoples understanding of Myotherapy is that its simply "a massage with added needles", but this is not the case! Not all Myotherapists choose dry needling as a go-to treatment option, and in our clinic we often try for less invasive techniques before using needles. For people who already know their body responds well to needles, it can be a fantastic tool to get quick changes in the muscles, but don't be put off from booking with a Myotherapist if you are scared of needles. Needles are just one tool in our very broad tool kit! Congratulations again, Duke, on persevering with your studies throughout the pandemic. We know that its been hard for students to maintain their focus and commitment especially to very hands on courses like Myotherapy when there have been so many campus closures and restrictions around being able to complete classes and student clinics. If you have never had a treatment with us before and are wondering what it is all about, let’s explore things step by step here and hopefully answer some of your questions to allow you to feel more confident in making your booking, and at ease with the process once you arrive. PAPERWORK
If you have made your booking online, you will have received a confirmation email & text with a link for you to complete our new patient form. This information is necessary for us to be able to proceed with your treatment. The more information you can provide on this form, the more we are able to take into consideration your holistic health and tailor your treatment accordingly. We currently offer 30 min, 50 min, 60 min and 80 min appointments. Prices can vary depending on the therapist. See “Treatments & Bookings” page on our website for current prices. If you have not been able to access this form to complete online, when you come in for your appointment you will be given a paper form to complete with your contact details. This form will also allow you to choose whether you consent to other methods used in the clinic such as dry needling, cupping & taping. These will generally not form part of your Remedial Massage treatment, however if you are referred to or choose to see one of our Myotherapists these may be techniques our Myos find beneficial for you. CONSULTATION Once the paperwork is complete you will be taken through to the treatment room by your therapist. You can take a seat on the chair provided, and your therapist will sit with you and begin the consultation. If we have your completed online form, we will reference this to begin asking you questions regarding your reasons for coming in for a treatment. Here we will discuss what you would like to address in the treatment, explain any symptoms you are experiencing and let us know what your treatment goals are. We will ask you questions specific to your symptoms to gain more information to devise a treatment plan for you for the session. This may include performing some passive or active physical assessment tests to ascertain how you're moving and if there is any restriction in your range of movement and other conditions we can test for. We will explain what the treatment will entail, which areas of your body we will be focusing on, how much to undress for the treatment, and how the draping will work. We will ask for your informed consent about our plan for your care and if there is anything you would like to add or omit before consenting to the treatment. Keeping in mind that we will be prioritising your main concerns first. We will give you clear instructions on how to get safely on and off the table and how to change positions. Once the consultation is complete, we will leave the room for a couple of minutes to enable you to remove the clothing required and place yourself on the treatment table, covering any exposed areas with the towel provided. We will knock on the door, ensure you are ready and under the towel on the table and we will come back into the room to commence the treatment. TREATMENT We are here to ensure that you are as comfortable as you can be while receiving your Remedial Massage. Please always communicate with us if something doesn’t feel right, or if you’d like to change position on the table before starting or at any time during the session. Sometimes a change of position is needed to access different muscle groups or to perform certain techniques. We suggest moving and changing positions carefully and mindfully so you can settle into the new position easily, letting us know if you are needing support to do so. We will maintain adequate draping throughout your entire treatment, we usually only need to reveal the part of the body we are targeting then we cover you back up before moving on. If at any stage you feel comfortable or cold you may request to be covered back up or add extra layers of coverage. For some treatments you may not need to remove any clothing, and for some you may wish to have the minimal amount of clothes so that we are able to make direct contact with your skin. Again you are in control of how comfortable you feel with your level of undress. We can work through clothes in certain circumstances. You will however always be asked to keep underwear on at all times. During the treatment, you will be asked for pressure feedback. This is to ensure that you are able to comfortably tolerate the amount of pressure being used on your body. Every therapist is different and has variable pressure and techniques that might feel new to your body. You are the one who is always in control. You are free to let us know at any time if you would like to change the pressure for different muscle groups. Firm pressure doesn’t necessarily equate to better outcomes for you. There are many techniques that your therapist can use to help you achieve great results, and they may not all feel deep or firm at the time. We are well trained and experienced in our field, and no matter what we do or don’t do in your treatment, we can’t predict for sure how your body will respond. It’s our first job to ensure that we do not cause you any harm and then to assist your body to heal and repair itself. We are not the healers, your body is the healer. We will support your wellbeing and help facilitate the recovery process. We will often give you some suggestions to further support your wellbeing and recovery at home. These may come in the form of exercises, stretches, and homecare advice that we believe will continue the work we have begun in your Remedial Massage treatment. CONCLUSION At the conclusion of your Remedial Massage, we will leave the room again giving you a few moments to get up and re-dress. We will then come back into the room once you are ready and reassess how you are feeling after your treatment. You may be required to repeat an assessment test as you performed before treatment to see if there is any immediate improvement in your range of motion. Please tell us if you are feeling at all unwell, dizzy or lightheaded once you arise from your treatment - this isn’t unusual as you move from laying down to standing up, and usually resolves quickly. We advise that you sit for a few moments before standing up, take your time to reground yourself before leaving the clinic. We will join you in the reception area to complete the payment and any private health insurance claims you may be eligible for. We have a HICAPS terminal for your convenience, so you can claim your treatment on the spot and simply pay the gap payment. Contact your health fund if you are unsure whether you can claim for Remedial Massage. This is usually an extras cover, and individual health funds vary as to how much they will cover for your Massage. You will be offered to rebook your next Remedial Massage appointment again before you leave, locking in the time, date and the therapist of your choice. As we are a busy clinic this is a great option to ensure you have your next appointment booked before you leave so you don’t forget, or miss out on following up with your preferred therapist. However if you prefer to book yourself in online at a later time, we have a very user friendly booking system that you can access anytime and choose what we have available. Keep in mind that we might not always be able to accommodate you on short notice, so booking ahead is highly recommended. I hope this has given you more of an understanding of how we work and what your typical Remedial Massage treatment at our clinic may consist of. We are happy to answer any questions you may have about your specific needs and conditions. Please feel free to email us at hello@simplewellness.com.au or give us a call on 03 8204 0970. Be well. Jacqui Mulholland Remedial Massage Therapist We see plenty of people who come in and tell us "I have a rotator cuff", but we know what they mean is "My shoulder hurts, and I might have injured one of the muscles". The Rotator Cuff itself isn't the injury. Its an essential group of four muscles that stabilise and move your shoulder joint. What should you do if you've injured your Rotator Cuff muscles? The same as any other injury - book in with your favourite Myotherapists to have us assess the area so we can help you determine what type of injury you have, and follow our treatment plan to let is heal and recover. Image sourced from: https://www.orthobethesda.com/blog/rotator-cuff-disorders-the-facts/
The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and their tendons that surround the shoulder joint. These muscles—supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis—work together to stabilise the shoulder and facilitate smooth movement. The tendons of the rotator cuff attach these muscles to the upper arm bone (humerus) and the shoulder blade (scapula). The primary role of the rotator cuff is to keep the shoulder joint stable, allowing for a wide range of motion. It helps to hold the ball of the humerus firmly within the shoulder socket, providing support during activities that involve lifting, reaching, throwing, and rotating the arm. Additionally, the rotator cuff aids in generating power and controlling movement in the shoulder. Common Causes of Rotator Cuff Injuries Rotator cuff injuries can occur suddenly, as a result of a traumatic event like a fall or lifting a heavy object, or develop gradually due to repetitive motions or wear and tear. Common causes include:
Protecting and Maintaining a Healthy Rotator Cuff While some rotator cuff injuries may be unavoidable, there are steps you can take to protect and maintain a healthy rotator cuff:
The rotator cuff is a crucial structure that enables the remarkable range of motion in the shoulder joint. Understanding its function and the causes of injury can help you take proactive steps to protect and maintain a healthy rotator cuff. By practicing good shoulder habits, engaging in strength training exercises, and seeking prompt treatment for any shoulder pain or discomfort, you can reduce the risk of rotator cuff injuries and preserve your shoulder's mobility for years to come. Book online with one of our myotherapists to start your treatment plan and keep your rotator cuff as happy and healthy as possible! It has been widely accepted and researched that meditation and in particular, mindfulness meditation can have many benefits for stress management and improvements to concentration and focus. Many studies have explored the impacts of long term meditation on the brain. So we know that meditation can change the brain and improve cognitive function and emotional regularity. How about pain management? Can a meditation and mindfulness practice assist with chronic and acute pain conditions? How can you access these benefits through integrating a regular meditation practice into your wellness toolkit? What is Pain? Firstly, it’s important to note that pain has two main elements. Pain consists of a physical sensation, usually described as unpleasant or undesirable, and an emotional response. Whilst you are experiencing pain in your body, a message is sent through nerve fibres through your central nervous system to your brain to signal that there may be damage or threat of damage and this area is in need of protection immediately. There is the other function of the brain that has the power to enhance or reduce the intensity of this experience. Your emotional response. Your brain will attempt to interpret the sensation, often making a quick judgement to be able to respond in the best way to keep you safe from harm. This often happens with very little thought or awareness as your body has been doing this and responding in this way your whole life. It is automatic and unconscious, initiating your fight or flight response. This has kept you safe and works very well for those moments that threaten your safety. So pain has a very important purpose. Once the initial threat has been removed however, we may be left with the emotional response to the lingering effects of whatever damage was sustained from the event. Here is where meditation can become a very useful tool to restore calm to your nervous system by triggering the relaxation response. This is where you rest and digest, and where tissues and structures of your body can receive the natural healing intelligence of your body restoring its internal balance and optimal function. There are different types of pain. There is the obvious “loud” pain and there is the less obvious, dull aches and mild discomfort which can also trigger the emotional response. These more subtle signs and symptoms of pain can be an early warning sign of things being out of balance and not functioning effectively. Overtime, the emotional effects of low grade chronic pain can impact quality of life and ability to focus, movement and performance. So pain that doesn’t resolve itself within a few days should never be ignored. What Stress & Anxiety Does to Pain? Anxiety can cause you to become hyper alert to pain, catastrophize, overthink, over analyse, even causing a sense of panic, which can all exacerbate symptoms. Stress has been known to decrease your pain threshold by inhibiting the release of Serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical that is released to assist with pain relief. Chronic stress and anxiety takes a toll on your overall health. Mental, emotional, physical & spiritual health are all connected. You cannot impact one without affecting the whole. Therefore when you start to take care of your mental health your physical health will improve. Conversely, when you start taking care of your physical health, your mental health will be positively impacted. So when you adapt practices that are holistic in their approach, you will likely feel the benefits holistically. How Does Meditation Help? Combined with other medical and/or complementary therapies, meditation can offer your body the opportunity to settle into that relaxation response and allow your body to rest and heal physically. Restoring balance and internal harmony, boosting your immune function, and increasing production of Serotonin. Serotonin not only inhibits pain perception, it also acts as a mood stabiliser. So this acts to help regulate both your physical and your emotional pain responses. The impacts of relaxation and mindfulness can help you lessen the intensity of the experience of pain. There are several meditation and mindfulness techniques that can help this process. The way to begin is just by practising and trying out different guides, teachers, sounds, a local meditation group and/or meditation app to find a few techniques and styles of guidance that resonate with you. Everyone is different, and this is a very personal preference. If you try one style that you wasn’t for you, keep exploring! There is no right or wrong may to practise, so just do whatever works for you, and allow your practice to evolve and change overtime as you become more familiar with it. Stay tuned for your opportunity to join a guided meditation group at Simple Wellness Myotherapy! We will be offering an evening group once a week of consisting of a fully guided meditation for you to experience the benefits of practising in an intimate group setting. This will help get you started and you will be able to ask questions and receive support as you develop and deepen your practice. Want to book an appointment with Jacqui, our Remedial Massage Therapist and Meditation teacher? She's here during school hours on Mondays and Wednesdays, and afternoons on Thursdays. 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. Our appointment fees are changing, and we want to be transparent about why. We know we don’t need to explain the reasons, but we also know that a lot of people are feeling like businesses are trying to “play catch up” financially by charging more for products and services due to COVID and lockdown. We want to reassure you, our change in fees is not to try to make up for lost income throughout the lockdowns. Our linen supplier has nearly doubled their rates for the new year. We registered for GST in 2019, but didn't increase our fees to include the 10% GST. We are growing our team by offering stable employment contracts that let your practitioner enjoy the benefits of a guaranteed salary, a paid lunch break, paid leave and entitlements (many clinics only pay their practitioners if they have a booking!) Our new fees are attached below and displayed in the clinic at our reception desk, and on the inside of each treatment room. Appointments for the rest of 2021 are filling up fast. Book a time online, or contact us via Facebook or email to join our waitlist.
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. |
Meet Our Team
We have a team of great practitioners available 7 days a week at our Rowville clinic. Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|