Surgery Prevention

“Doctors told me I needed surgery.  Now they are scratching their heads at my recovery.”…was the feedback we received after working with Grant, who’s follow up MRI scan revealed complete structural recovery.

After a very different prognosis from the medical professionals, Grant was referred to Advanced Myotherapy through a friend.

While an initial MRI scan showed a herniated disc causing nerve impingement, a few short months later, a new scan showed the spinal discs had realigned after the much needed corrective care, that not only was non invasive, but saved Grant from costly surgery.

Since then, Grant regained feeling in his legs where there was numbness and tingling down to his feet, and began to live more fully again.

Regardless of how an injury is sustained, there are basic principles of recovery that allow muscle and bone to heal faster. Regaining musculoskeletal stability by increasing both length and strength of the muscles is key to restoring range of motion (ROM) and mobility after injury.

Another key element of healing after injury is sufficient rest which is something most people don’t realise. Returning to normal duties at work or getting back to sport as usual too soon will prolong injury recovery where further rest often times speeds up the return of muscular stability.

Myo (muscle) therapists encourage people to ensure they reduce physical activity for a sufficient amount of time before re-introducing specific exercises that build up muscle fibres to original strength while undergoing a treatment to break up any acquired scar tissue. What this type of treatment does is free the area of injury from trauma and restriction that ultimately ends up causing further damage left untreated or unhealed, further down the track.

Myotherapists also offer education around corrective self care that reduces the likelihood of re-injury as well as helping to restore musculoskeletal integrity and general wellbeing. Many of our past, present and ongoing clients have found that even long standing injuries that reduced their quality of life, have dissipated after a speedy recovery with correct maintenance and treatment.

If you have a long standing or even recent injury, Myotherapy is a type of treatment that can help you recover fast and for the long term. For those who have never seen a Myotherapist, have tried all other avenues, we encourage you to inquire about how we can help. Many of our clients have found that after trying a multitude of modalities…finally they find results with us. So please don’t hesitate to call or email us to ask about your injury. We are always willing to chat.

Pelvic Tilt and Back Pain

Top 5 causes of the dreaded pelvic tilt that contributes to lower back pain:

1. Weak hamstrings
2. Weak abdominals
3. Weak glutes
4. Tight erector spinae
5. Tight hip flexors

The answer? Lengthen & strengthen! Want better posture? Stretching and exercising are the two most vital keys. Being fit beats being "skinny or slim" and by no means are they the same thing. Fit people come in all sizes, but generally as you will see looking at the image here, their shape indicates a better resistance to gravity and more grace of movement. 

Sitting wrong or for too long is another leading cause of the pelvic tilt, given that over time, it tightens the hip flexors which places pressure on the lower back. Most of the people we see that come to us with lower back pain have very tight hip flexors, which is a result of desk work. 

As you can begin to see, there are two essential elements in maintaining good posture and preventing premature shortening of the spine, along with other signs of ageing. These are "stretching and strengthening". The longer and stronger the muscles, the better health we have as these promote better health all round in allowing freedom of movement and increased range of motion. 

Myotherapy works to do just this, in assisting clients to restore the perfect posture by adjusting the spinal alignment with the support of muscle balance and integrity. Myotherapists are becoming more and more popular in finding solutions to musculoskeletal imbalances and conditions because they treat both together by providing the body's structure muscular support to hold the bones in correct positioning. 

If you have a posture problem and associated pain and wish to avoid depending on costly drugs or time off work, call us today for a consultation on 9347 5764

NMIT Interview with Director Matthew Cleary

Interview with Director Matthew Cleary by Trish Gallagher from NMIT

What is a career in massage really like once you leave the classroom and hit the clinic? Matthew Cleary, founding Director of Advanced Myotherapy in inner city suburb of Carlton commenced his studies at NMIT in 2001 and has since gone on to establish his highly successful Myotherapy business.  Matthew and his team of therapists are highly sought after in the industry and have worked with organisations such as the AFL, South African Rugby Union team, professional sportspeople in the disciplines of gymnastics, ice hockey and boxing.
We spoke to Matthew about his fascinating career and find out what it takes to be successful in this industry.

What made you decide to choose Myotherapy as a career?

Myotherapy was a natural career choice for me as someone who first began working as a Remedial Therapist, discovering the impact it could have on people’s wellbeing. Helping people overcome debilitating pharmaceutical addictions to costly pain medications was a great inspiration. My mother worked in a Pharmacy for 43 years and establishing my first clinic in the adjoining Doctor’s surgery, allowed me to witness the needless dependence many people had on this type of treatment. Not only did I see the potential for an incredible long term financial benefit to people finding a natural solution to postural and lifestyle related musculoskeletal conditions, I became increasingly passionate about being able to contribute to a better quality of life for people.

How does this differ from other massage careers?

Myotherapy has the advantage of more specialised training with regard to muscle health and injury recovery, especially longer term. Myotherapists are trained to a higher level than other Massage therapists as it requires more clinical knowledge for an educational approach in corrective self care understanding. Here lies the difference, where many Massage practitioners can merely offer treatment that will only suffice for a more temporary relief of pain symptoms.

Tell us about some of your clients?

Working with the Brisbane Lions football club for ten years during their historical 3-peat premierships with consecutive grand finals, I gained incredible knowledge of the important role a therapist can have in helping people achieve a much better level of physical performance and injury recovery. Many of the clients that now come to my clinic are elite professional athletes from AFL players, to Ice Hockey teams, Soccer players and professional netball players. We treat many people for sports performance with a natural approach that promotes a greater self care and recovery awareness. Our patients also include many people who are referred from other health professionals such as Doctors, Neurosurgeons, Osteopaths, Chiropractors and the like for surgery prevention with natural drug free care.

 Is there much travel involved?

Our team of therapists all live very locally, although have originally come from the country for their studies and career. Melbourne is the leading city in Australia for Myotherapy as it is much colder and our lifestyle is much faster in pace than the warmer states. There is certainly more demand for more specialised muscle health care in the cooler climates. The demand for injury recovery and pain management in this city is much higher than elsewhere, as we are also the world’s sporting capital. So if you are in or near Melbourne, there is certainly not a great need for travel when it comes to work in the Myotherapy profession.

What specialist equipment do you need to be a Myotherapist?

Though starting out as a mobile therapist, when I opened Advanced Myotherapy, It was important for me and the team to have electric tables so as to prevent muscular imbalances of our own. It’s important to have the table at the right height to avoid straining and injuring yourself as a therapist. Other than that, we have grown from a paper booking calendar to an online booking system which also saves our clients a lot of time being able to see therapists availability and booking appointments at any time of the day. This also allows for the phone to ring a lot less while we are in treatment, to keep the ambiance of a quiet practice.

What advice can you give to budding Myotherapists?

Apply all of your knowledge and keep educating yourself. If you want success in anything you must live it, breathe it and love it. You will become infectious to others when you are passionate. Don’t be afraid to start out working hard. Business success is built on a solid foundation of commitment in hours, energy and time. You must have the experience if you want to gain the confidence that goes with getting results. This is what people respect. The experience comes from a willingness to start somewhere and not give up.
Contact NMIT’s Personal Services department today to find out how you can start your career path in massage and myotherapy

Sciatic Nerve Pain – Sciatica

Understanding sciatica is key to helping heal faster and prevent the painful condition returning. So many people suffer needlessly with sciatica and with the right knowledge, it can be significantly reduced and reversed, even “remedied” with self care education, Myotherapy and Remedial Massage. Sciatica is the experience of sharp and shooting pain through the glut and down the leg, which can frighten a lot of people who do not fully understand what it is caused by.

Sciatica arises when there is an impingement of the sciatic nerve which is compressed by the discs of the lumber spine. How these discs come to close in and compress the nerve to create referred pain, is in being restricted by tight fascia surrounding the discs! That is how simple this condition is, and unfortunately so many people not knowing this will turn to medication.

The problem with pain drugs is that they do not treat the underlying cause of the pain as Myotherapy and remedial massage do. There are a number of leading factors that contribute to the onset of sciatica, which are assessed and addressed at our clinic Advanced Myotherapy Carlton. Understanding the biomechanics of the body is something we wish to instill in our clients, so as to facilitate long lasting results, through self awareness and lifestyle changes.

Some of the most important changes you can begin with today include regular (daily) corrective stretching. Focusing on the legs (particularly hamstrings) and gluts, to reverse sciatic nerve pain is essential to reduce pain and bring relief. Secondly, simply using a ball to lay on underneath the affected glut and hip, can help with “trigger point therapy”. Holding position where the pain is for several minutes or until fully released, can bring instant release.

The key to getting results with such self treatment at home is in holding both the stretches and the pressure of the (tennis sized) ball under the body for long enough to allow for full release. The trick can be not to release the stretch or remove the ball before this relief comes, so as to avoid “activating” the pain further. To avoid this, simply be gentle with yourself enough to be able to hold the position long enough for it to be effective in allowing the tight muscles causing the pain to fully “let go”.

Another incredibly effective self care method of treating sciatica is by applying heat (a wheat bag) to the area. Heat relaxes the tight muscles enough to let them soften to release the affected area, and take the pressure off the discs compressing the sciatic nerve. Along with these few very effective practical steps you can take at home, we use Myotherapy and Remedial Massage to manipulate the the surrounding area to allow softening and restoration of a better range of motion for less pain and restriction. This is the key to recovery when it comes to many neuro-musculo-skeletal conditions in the body that Myotherapy specialises in treating.

Neck Pain & Headaches

Hairdressers, office workers, students, house wives, therapists and labourers are common sufferers of tension related headaches and neck pain.  Sitting wrong and for too long, with poor posture is a large contributing factor causing neck problems as the head tilts forward and places pressure on the neck and shoulders, straining to keep the weight evenly balanced for spinal support. This is a problem we often treat that is related to poor posture. Myotherapy uses a range of techniques to reach and release the restricted areas to restore full range of motion in the vitally influential alignment of the neck and spine for pain management and posture correction.

Many people opt too quickly for drugs that mask such pain that is dissolved easily with correct care and prevention with the right awareness and understanding. By dulling the nerves and compromising the body’s intelligence, pain medications fail to deal with the root cause underlying neck pain and resulting headaches. Using modalities that free the body of restriction,  Myotherapy releases the muscles that place pressure on the neck area to prevent problems related to poor posture and lifestyle related physical imbalances.  Some find temporarily relief with various methods and modalities of treatment, however Myotherapy is considered far superior in being a holistic approach to resolving pain from it's leading core origins.

Specific stretching is one of our most effective treatment methods that help people achieve lasting results that prevent ongoing dependence on costly forms of pain management, treatment and medication. We often have clients who we don't see for lengthy periods, who thank us for making a difference in dealing with the underlying cause, rather than the symptoms alone.  These are the clients who keep us in business, because they are the people who generate further business through referrals and recommendations for friends and family in need of effective pain management. We don't keep any secrets at Advanced Myotherapy because we prefer to educate and empower rather than have people rely on ongoing treatment for temporary relief. Our success depends largely on the successful recovery from injuries and pain that people come to us for.

If you are someone, who like many of our clients, who has tried everything and still suffer from neck pain and headaches, then Myotherapy might just be your last stop, as it is for most of our client community. If you suffer from headaches and neck pain, ask us about effective treatment options for lasting results and future prevention. We pride ourselves on empowering people with the knowledge and understanding that makes the difference. Call us today to find out how we can help you become pain free for good.

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Myofascial Medicine for Muscle Health

 

As a Health fund approved clinic, you can claim with us on the spot to benefit from Private Health Insurance that doesn't roll over to next year.  Don't let your health benefits go to waste.

Providing Self Care Education and Myofascial Medicine for a Pain free life, Click here to read what people are saying about Advanced Myotherapy.

We target the muscles that are causing / contributing to pain and though little known, most lower back and hip pain is due to tight Psoas muscles, deep in our  pelvis.

  

Our aim is to educate you in how to identify and reduce such pain. From Sciatica to herniated discs and degenerative joint disease, tight hips can cause many issues including knee pain/degeneration. To become pain free, we must regain lost mobility in our hip muscles and joints. The number 1 rule is to never strengthen when you have pain or loss of mobility, or you will cause more pain, degeneration and increased loss of mobility. Many exercises and stretches can be harmful if there is any spinal damage and it's important to know what not to do in order to prevent further degeneration. At Advanced Myotherapy, we promote correct self care to increase the results of Myofascial Medicine.  

 Benefits of Myofascial Medicine Regain lost mobility in muscles and joints Takes stress off joints to prevent unnecessary degeneration Decrease and eliminate muscle pain Improved posture and balance Takes painful toxins (lactic acid) out of muscles Prevents injuries   To discover more, check us out on facebook & twitter. Also remember to check in on facebook next visit for exclusive offers. Like us here   

8 Ways to Better Your Health

Here we suggest 8 simple and practical changes that you can make to enhance your quality of life through better lifestyle choices that make the difference. Smart, easy and realistic, these ideas are small but significant changes that you can make in your life towards living healthier and having more energy.

1. When going shopping, out to dinner or on your way to work, park a few blocks away to have more walking distance. 

Fresh air is one of our most basic needs, yet today most people spend most of their time indoors. We were not born to live this way or designed for such environments. Too many buildings have millions of toxic chemicals contained just within the paint on their walls, let alone the building materials and furnishings. People wonder why there is such a rapidly growing rate of health problems, yet most of their time is spent in such detrimental environments that overload the immune system to cause weakness long term. 

2. Take the stairs when and where ever you can. 

When there are elevators or escalators, take the smarter option of doing some resistance training. Walking up and down stairs is a great way to tone up the legs and gluts. It's a small change that over time will make a big difference, especially if you work or live in a building with stairs. It all adds up.

3. Think of drinking water as the same thing as taking a shower, only for your organs.

Would you shower in soft drink? Why would you shower your organs with it? Water provides lubricant and cushioning for the organs to function better (more intelligently). "Drying is dying." So drink water, rather than coffee for energy as water is a far better source of energy. Warm water especially is the best cleanser, helping to flush waste from the body and move things along in the system for better digestion. Besides, the less hydrated you are, the quicker you wrinkle and age. 

4. Swap sugar, not for "artificial" sweetener, not for "natural" sweetener, but for Honey.

Honey has looong been used as a great healer. It's well known for its "antibacterial" properties and ability to break down mucous, clear cold and flu congestion and heal skin problems like wounds. It does matter what quality of honey you have though so be sure to buy only the best. Don't use runny honey. The best is raw, thick honey that has not been heated and treated or watered down. Raw honey is nature's gold!

5. Snack right!

Stock up on easy to eat plant food. It's simple and it's the "real" fast food. Nature prepared it, ready to eat! Celery sticks, ready to go, wash and break off. You don't even really need a knife...that's how fast it is. So don't use "convenience" as an excuse that you are hungry. That is why we call it dis-ease pre-vention. It's pre-paring, by caring...about your health. Buy plant foods like celery and cucumber, apples and bananas. They are ready to go, straight from the source. 

6. When dining out, share your meals.

Don't order two entrees and consider sharing a main that everyone or at least two of you can enjoy together. It saves money too. That way you won't feel uncomfortably full and heavy afterwards. Food is supposed to energise and nourish, not weigh down and tire. Consider down sizing everything you eat. They say "The less you eat, the longer you live." So eat a little, moderately. People too often think they are hungry, when really they are dehydrated. Next time you feel what can be mistaken for "hunger pains", drink up and see how much better you feel.

7. Quit tv or use it as time to get down and sweat it out. 

TV can be poison not only to the mind, but the body. It has been found that you burn more energy when sleeping than when watching tv. If you can't give yourself a little test of time out from tv, say a week or two, to see the difference this makes, then use the time productively. Work out when watching the set. Or swap your cooking shows for work out dvds. Sweat is fat crying, so a small half hour of power a night could change your life rapidly. It's another small change with big potential.

8. Break your dependence on the Doctor. 

Next time you feel a symptom coming on, research it and find natural home remedies that cost "nothing". Most Doctors prescribe drugs rather than educating you around the simple steps to self recovery. In fact, Doctors are not even trained in "health" at all! They are trained in sickness and drugs. It's well known that more than 96% of Doctors have not training what so ever in nutrition or health. In all those years of training, not one subject is on nutrition and natural remedies? Consider this next time you seek their "help".  

At Advanced Myotherapy our passion is helping you avoid resorting to toxic pharmaceutical dependence, that causes long term health defects. Our focus lies in leading people away from destructive means of pain management and towards conscious self care, balance and wellbeing. We have a high success rate helping people avoid and prevent surgery where recommended by Doctors and pride ourselves on the fast and long term results we have a reputation for. 

If you have concerns for your health or have been diagnosed with a musculo-skeletal condition, recommended surgery, or have a persistent injury and pain, and would like professional help to recover fully, call us to discuss how we can help on 9347 5764.

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