The importance of posture

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 power posture myotherapy
You don’t see inspired people slouching do you? Very rarely do inspired people hunch over. How we hold ourselves says much about who we are! Moods and muscles are so closely linked. Stand (or sit) tall and observe the instant mood lift you get. Slouching is for grouches! Here’s why.

 

Hunching shortens the pectoral muscles which then pulls the shoulders forward. This position long term, causes chest restriction where the stress cycle continues to perpetuate through the body-mind and energy.
 
Pelvic tilt is associated with lower back pain and is often a result of sitting too long without any corrective care.
Tight hip flexors (iliopsos muscles) can lead to a weakening of the core – or even be a result of it. Once again this perpetuates the cycle of pain and restriction through the body, diminishing vitality and wellbeing.
Being aware of your posture and maintaining spinal alignment can help prevent problems and pain symptoms long term. Many migraine sufferers look at computers or read for long durations. Taking pain medication can be costly long term so being aware and proactive in prevention is best.
Muscles hold the spinal column in line. Postural (skeletal) alignment depends of happy balanced muscles. Being tight, tense and in pain puts strain on spinal discs and alignment. This can lead to nerve impingement and disc herniation.
Keeping length and strength through the muscles of the body takes stress of the joints therefore preventing certain types of arthritis in the long term.
Regular Myotherapy and good self care can help prevent this debilitating condition.

The Core Issue

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Build Strength for better vitality & joint health.

Keeping the muscles long and strong is essential to joint health. One of the most common issues we see at our clinic is progressive weakness in the musculoskeletal system. Along with general pain and muscular tension, stiff joints is just one of the many ailments of long term postural / lifestyle imbalances.
Many people attending our clinic are seeking to correct musculoskeletal issues due to both a weak core and inflexibility throughout the body.
Myotherapy works to not only treat such imbalances, but also to address the root causes of resulting pain symptoms.
Our focus lies in promoting core balance in the body with regular resistance training, to help to prevent joint pressure and pain by maintaining physical stability and reducing wear and tear of the skeletal system. 
At Advanced Myotherapy, releasing tight fascia is central to our work in taking the pressure off painful joints and injured areas for effective relief. 
Maintaining flexibility is also an essential element of posture correction to re-align the body from the demands of daily living.Taking the pressure of joints by lengthening the muscles with specific stretches, is another key area that Myotherapy works to educate people in corrective self care.
Offering specific recovery planning to both lengthen and strengthen areas to restore postural integrity, helps us to achieve the lasting results in the work we do.
Click here to read our testimonials.
Copyright © *|2014|* *|Advanced Myotherapy|*, All rights reserved.

 

Winter Wellness

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Wellness for Winter

 

 

 

 

 

Winter in Melbourne is one of the most challenging times to stay fit and maintain muscle health. It’s the time when the body instinctively protects itself from the cold by contracting muscles. Muscles are also forced to work much harder to complete the same tasks they complete easily in milder weather. This causes stress to the muscle tissues resulting in tightness, pain and restrictions throughout the body.

When muscles contract they lose heat and slow the circulatory system, which prevents nutrients from reaching muscle cells. This results in a build up of toxins such as lactic acid in the stressed tissue, which creates pain.

Movement generates heat in the body so it is vital to keep your body moving in winter. Another great way to get the blood pumping to the undernourished muscles again by using heat packs/wheat bags. Heat is one of the most effective recovery elements for aching muscles. Heat causes blood vessels to enlarge, thus encouraging circulation into the tissues once again to allow the muscles and underlying tissues to replenish and relax.

Circulation is vital, especially in winter when it’s cold, so applying a warm wheat bag to tight painful areas is a great way to prevent further restriction and injury.

One of the fastest ways to relieve aching muscles is to spend time each day stretching. This provides the release needed and enhances blood flow throughout the muscles, key to health and longevity.   We recommend stretching at least 15 minutes every day for long term health benefits to really take shape.

A good time to stretch is first thing in the morning to help wake you up as well as allow for deeper release while the muscles are still warm and relaxed from being in bed over night. Also remember to be gentle on yourself while stretching. Forcing a stretch may only lead to injury so it’s important to simply allow the muscles to release as opposed to forcing them.

The essential keys to muscle balance and well being, are blood flow and circulation. Sufficient self care with massage or myotherapy is an optimal way to encourage this and restore mobility. Taking the time to look after ourselves is always a wise investment, and more important in the colder months. So take care this winter, stay warm and remember that your body needs movement.

 
Check out Matt’s 2nd NMIT Interview after his first in 2002, by Trish Gallagher on where a Massage Diploma can get you.
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De-stress muscles with our quality wheat bags. Buy online here.Warming foods for muscle health:

  • Cinnamon
  • Ginger
  • Garlic
  • Pumpkin
  • Nutmeg
  • Ginseng
  • Clove

These foods help to stimulate better blood flow for healthy muscles and a stronger immune system essential for the Winter season.


Pumpkin soup

Try Pumpkin & Ginger soup for nourishment this winter season.
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Autumn Self Care

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Myotherapy Melbourne Autumn
Autumn is the natural transitional time to prepare for Winter
Here are our top 5 tips to get through this season…

  1. To take a preventative approach to your health, invest time in visiting a sauna regularly to help break down and clear respiratory congestion and bacteria build up in the chest. Not only will you prevent colds and flu, but you will be reducing muscle tension and detoxifying the body. Just make sure you take a bottle of water with you to keep you cool and hydrated!
  2. Use spa jets to self massage any aching muscles and tension areas. This will help relax the tissues and increase blood flow to speed up recovery time for injuries also.
  3. If you have a bath at home, take rejuvenating hot salt baths often.  Salt is essential for muscle function, helping prevent cramping by promoting relaxation. Alternatively, a nice long hot shower will suffice in times of tension.
  4. Include plenty of un-iodised sea/rock salt in your diet. Natural salt helps us absorb nutrients, where iodised salt in fact decreases our ability to do so, hardening the arteries with added aluminium. 
  5. Use a wheat bag on tight muscles to soften them and help you relax. Any area of the body responds well to heat when tight. Heat also helps break down mucous, so it is great to help avoid and pre-vent the common colds and flu! Our quality Wheat Bags are available on clinic or online, so pop in if you don’t have one.
New to our Health Essentials range –Myotherapy Spikey Balls are selling like hot cakes! Grab yours in clinic or online here.  

Get deep into those tight spots in between tune ups. 

 

Myotherapy for Neck Pain

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Self Care is vital to maintain a full range of motion for the neck.

Too many people suffer needlessly with preventable neck and upper back restrictions. The most common symptoms of restrictions in the neck and upper back include postural imbalances which result in rounded shoulders and your neck protruding forward as well as pain in the upper back, shoulders, neck and possibly headaches. There are many simple self care exercises that can be done at home to improve posture and reduce upper back/neck pain.

Firstly, laying on a tightly rolled towel and placing it vertically under the spine is a great way to bring your shoulders back and open up the chest which will remove stress from the upper back/neck and improve posture. The best time to do this is for 5-10 minutes at night before bed, especially for someone with a desk job as they tend to spend most of the day sitting in a slouched position with their shoulders rounded forward.

There are many stretches that can be done to help alleviate neck pain and correct forward head posture. The first is done by bringing your chin forward in the direction of the left arm pit. Place your left hand on the back of your head pulling it forward for guidance and extra stretch. Once in this position drop your shoulder blades down and hold for at least one minute to allow the muscle to release. This stretch should be felt through the back of the neck on the right side.Repeat on opposite side.

Another way to lengthen the muscles of the neck is by bringing your left ear to your left shoulder, place your left hand on the right ear and gently pull your head to the left shoulder to deepen the stretch. Hold for one minute and repeat on the opposite side. The final stretch for you neck is to bring your chin towards your sternum stretching the back of your neck. For a deeper stretch pull your head forward with your hands.

Stretching the muscles at the front of the chest is also beneficial for someone suffering upper back pain. Lengthening the muscle fibers in the chest will reduce internal rotation of the shoulder, bringing your shoulder back to their natural position and taking the stress off the upper back muscles. One way to stretch your chest is by using an open door frame, position your elbows at shoulder level with your forearms at 90 degree angles. Place your hand and forearm firmly against the door frame and step forward. Hold for one minute and repeat on the opposite side.

Foam Rollers are designed to release muscle tension and improve the flexibility of specific joints and muscles and are another great way to relieve restrictions. To help ease upper back/neck pain and improve posture lay down with your foam roller horizontally under your upper back, use your legs to lift your hips off the floor and slowly roll up and down on the foam roller. Foam rollers are a great way to self massage and can be used to treat almost any muscle in the body.

Corrective sports taping methods can also be used to help improve postural alignment, reduce stress on the spine and for both the prevention and treatment of the upper back and neck injuries. Correct strapping techniques also have positive neuro-physiologial effects on the body through increased proprioception and increased blood flow to the area.

 

Self care exercises are a great way to maintain and often prevent restrictions although finding and addressing the cause of the problem is essential to long term results.

At Advanced Myotherapy we can help by assessing your lifestyle to find the cause of the restrictions which may be caused by things such as your sleeping position or posture at work.

Depending on the origin of the restriction, you will be given more specific self care exercises which can be done at home that will target specific muscles to further relieve restrictions and maintain normal muscle range of motion.

 

Lymphatic Drainage Massage

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Advanced Myotherapy Melbourne Health

The Lymphatic system is the fluid of the body flowing alongside the circulatory system on the outer layer of the body. It contains much of our immune system including glands (lymph nodes) which are responsible for the elimination of waste and toxins through the body. With many of our lymph nodes in certain areas of the body, Lymphatic drainage massage helps to encourage lymphatic fluid to move through the body for elimination, as opposed to building up causing inflammation and illness.

The importance of the Lymphatic system is found to be vital in maintaining a strong immune system, preventing stagnation in glands that are otherwise responsible for fighting infection, bacteria and disease. Swollen lymph glands are a sign of the body fighting illness and is a key indication of the need to rest and increase good self care medicine. With many of our lymph nodes residing in our throat, groin and armpits, these are important areas to keep aware of. Any swelling in these areas can be a sign that we need extra love and care to speed up the innate healing powers of the lymphatic system.

Seeking Lymphatic Drainage Massage is the best way to help prevent disease by supporting the immune system. Working to encourage the lymph flow back to the heart where it can re-enter the circulatory system for elimination is vital to help remove built up waste and fluid retention from the body. This is especially beneficial for pregnancy, to prevent swelling which is common as the body fluid increases. It is also an excellent support for pregnancy due to the fact that a women’s immune system is slightly weakened during this time given her energy resources are fed through the placenta to the baby.

Supporting pregnant women in this way can encourage her immune system to stay strong as her baby develops, which will in turn help support the health of the developing baby. Using shower gloves to self massage the skin in the direction of the heart, is a great way to encourage lymph flow. Another great thing to do to support the lymphatic system is to dry brush the skin (again in the heart direction), to stimulate the lymphatic flow. Myotherapy & Massage in general do help support the lymphatic system and can be used to support the immune system, especially be reducing stress built up within the body.

Combining treatments is a great way to encourage detoxification and waste elimination, vital for the prevention of disease. When the body is stagnant, inflammation and waste builds up to form debilitating symptoms of pain and illness. It is our job at Advanced Myotherapy to help reverse and prevent such conditions from arising. Myotherapists are trained in Lymphatic Drainage Massage and can incorporate this into your treatment if needed. So if you feel as though you need a little more TLC at the moment, please mention this to us next visit.

Inflammation & Cancer

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At Advanced Myotherapy we treat the cause of inflammation by taking the pressure off painful joints and tendons at the origin and insertion of muscles where joining to bone. Alongside this, we offer self care education, particularly around the nutritional needs of muscles that help maintain holistic health and physical functionality. With this in mind, we cannot encourage people enough in taking a preventative approach with regards to inflammation.
Our friends at the IACVF say that a low oxygenated environment, trauma and inflammation are among the leading contributing factors in the development of Cancer. So as believers in the power of Self Care Medicine and particularly nutritional healing, we encourage you to invest in the power of prevention by maintaining your most valuable asset…Your health.
Researchers are saying that Cancer can be healed with diet…where Cancer often begins. So, as Autumn approaches and our weather cools off, remember to assess your diet, particularly for the healing of inflammation. Inflammation can be the biggest cause of both pain and disease, so preventing it can be the best way to avoid chronic health conditions and musculoskeletal pain. So, until next tune up, be sure to maintain muscle health with sufficient nutritional sources of vitamins and minerals.
Our book…
Self Care Medicine

Learn the art of Self Care and the power of prevention. Discover the healing power of lifestyle medicine in our Guide to Living Well.
Copyright © *|2013|* *|ADVANCED MYOTHERAPY|*, All rights reserved. *|WWW.ADVANCED-MYOTHERAPY.COM|*

Resistance training secrets

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Weights Myotherapy Melbourne Weight (strength) training without correct understanding of the musculo-skeletal system can result in imbalances that lead to pain and injury. What we look at in Myotherapy is maintaining muscle balance for ultimate structural alignment and range of motion, essential to our bio-mechanical functioning.

So many people routinely practice weight resistance training without the knowledge required to maintain structural balance, leading to poor flexibility, restricted range of motion and tightening that places on pressure on antagonistic muscle groups.

Though weight training correctly is one of the best ways to increase physical strength, correct posture and injury prevention, training without correct principles and technique can do more harm than good. What we do at Advanced Myotherapy is educate people in training principles that lead to postural balance and alignment.

Understanding the body is key to maintaining it’s balance, especially when it comes to weights training. We recommend generally taking care and being cautious with weights training, as we do with stretching and Yoga. Light reps in sets of 15 is a great way to begin a stable routine of building muscle strength.

While some personal trainers teach people to practice low reps with high weight, there is more chance of injury as a result of such training styles. We recommend gradual build up towards greater and greater strength and caution against injury. It is also important to keep in mind, our very motto “lengthen & strengthen”. While strength is vital for our muscle health, many people do not realise how equally important flexibility is.

Our philosophy is, as much as you strengthen, you Must lengthen the muscles! People generally do not stretch enough! So we recommend stretching for a good length of time in a gentle yet firm way, every time you train. Holding stretches for a long enough length of time is also vital, as this allows for the muscles to fully release and let go, to restore blood flow and circulation.

As weights tighten the muscles, they also shorten them, which is exactly why, when done incorrectly, they can so easily lead to muscle imbalances. So to prevent and correct this problem, we must maintain good flexibility with a stretching routine equal to our resistance training regimes.

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