There are many different types of back pain that can affect the way your body works, and the reality is that most of us will experience one form or another at some point in our lives. Unfortunately, we have been programmed to think that back pain is ‘normal’ and we just have to soldier on and cope with it. Whether it’s a short-term injury or a long-term issue, it can be debilitating and stop us in our tracks. But that doesn’t have to be the case.
While back pain is common it definitely isn’t ‘normal’, nor does it have to be something that is a problem for us on a daily basis. Pain and movement restrictions we experience are our bodies way of telling us that there’s a problem that needs attention. If we only focus on pain management then the pain is going to return, or show up somewhere else in the body because we left the cause untreated.
Going deeper into the cause of back pain
Let’s look at it like this, imagine you wake up one night and your smoke alarm is going off. You aren’t going to go and open a window just to stop the alarm and leave it there? No, you will go and find the source of the fire and put it out (or at the very least call the fire brigade) because otherwise, your house is going to burn down. It is exactly the same with back pain.
Even if you have a chronic or long-standing injury or back condition, a myotherapist can help you live pain-free (or at least significantly reduced) and manage that condition so it has less effect on your daily life and capabilities. The aim of myotherapy massage is to get you back into enjoying life with less restrictions and less pain, rather than just existing and coping. Having back pain can be completely debilitating and impact every area of your life. The better tools you have to assess and treat problems with your body, the better and healthier your body will be now and long into the future.
Myotherapy vs. massage
Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good massage and usually, when I am on vacation it is one of the first things I hunt down. Massage therapy can be effective in giving temporary relief where back pain is concerned and allow you to relax overall, giving your body some space from the pain for a few days. The real magic happens when you go deeper into finding the cause of the problem, that’s what myotherapy does. Myotherapists have the diagnostic skills to assess your body and work out where the problem is originating from, not just where the symptoms and pain is occurring.
By understanding the cause we can work with you to provide relief from back pain, but also assist to help you understand your body and help you create changes to support your body back into balance and better working condition. While massage can make up part of your treatment, the real key difference is that a myotherapist takes the time to assess your body and find the treatment that will work for your situation.
I have seen so many clients over the years that thought their back pain was just something they had to live with and just get on coping with the pain. Most clients that I treat have a huge spectrum of trauma, pain, and injury to their backs and all of them have seen a significant change in the first session, with lowered pain, better movement capability and most importantly, hope.
A look into Myotherapy
In a myotherapy session, you can expect some initial assessments both in the form of questions about your movement and injury history and the type of pain you are experiencing. There will also be some orthopedic testing, all to understand the origin of the underlying problem.
Then a treatment plan is made to assist your body to address this dysfunction using a mixture of different techniques including; remedial massage techniques, Myofascial release, trigger point therapy, dry needling, cupping, taping, corrective exercise and education. These techniques are combined to achieve relief but also long-term change so you don’t have to experience chronic back pain coming back time and time again.
Back pain can be caused by many different things and can impact people uniquely, which is why treatment plans and outcomes are all tailored to the specific person and problem. The length of time and number of myotherapy treatments is typically determined in the initial consultation.
Myotherapy massage can assist your body to become better balanced and more stabilised, letting your body move more effectively and reduce the forces and problems that cause pain. Most of the solutions are simple, and through your treatment, we work with you to find the best ones for your body.
There is nothing better than the look in clients face when they realise that they don’t have to live with their chronic back pain any more. The realisation that they don’t have to live with their condition forever, that there is another alternative… This is the most rewarding feeling and what it’s all about.
