Lovely staff, amazing service... Beautiful Molly the dog sometimes greets you at reception with her big, bright eyes and calm and peaceful quiet nature.
-A.I.
I was carrying around chronic pain that I thought I would never get rid of. I’m managing to stay pain-free through the week now and I’m over the moon!
-V.S.
I am amazed and awe struck at how massages can be deeply intuitive, powerful and effective.
- S.A.
I felt safe, heard, validated and a little less alone.
-E.L.
Truly the best therapeutic and deep relaxation massage I have had. Highly recommended!
-T.A.G.
Fantastic practitioners. Gorgeous rooms. Owned & operated by a locally-living Goddess of sorts. This place is a real wellness centre!
-R.P.
Everyone who works here is full of knowledge and I love the happy vibes.
-K.R.
Hands down the best massage I’ve ever had. Have already booked in for my next one.
-M.T.
Myotherapy
When Your Muscles Have Been Complaining for Long Enough
That shoulder that always feels tight.
The hip that starts grumbling halfway through your run.
A lower back that objects every time you sit for too long.
A jaw that apparently spends the night trying to crush your teeth.
Or an injury that technically “healed” months ago but still doesn’t feel quite right.
Sometimes you need more than a massage, but you’re not entirely sure what you actually need.
That’s where Myotherapy can be particularly useful.
Myotherapy is a form of physical therapy focused on assessing and treating musculoskeletal pain, soft-tissue problems and restricted movement.
It combines hands-on treatment with clinical assessment and may include techniques such as massage, myofascial release, trigger-point therapy, dry needling, stretching, joint mobilisation, cupping, TENS and rehabilitation exercises depending on what you’re experiencing.
In other words, your Myotherapist has quite a large toolbox.
The important part isn’t using every tool in it, it’s working out which ones might actually be useful for YOU.
You may be able to claim part of your Myotherapy appointment through private health insurance if Myotherapy is included in your extras cover.
We have HICAPS available at the clinic for eligible on-the-spot claims. Your rebate depends on your individual policy and health fund, so we recommend checking your cover directly with your insurer before your appointment.
Claim your treatment through Hicaps
Ready to Give Those Muscles Some Attention?
Whether you’re dealing with an injury, persistent tightness, restricted movement or a body that has simply started complaining more loudly than you’d prefer, we’re here to help.
Not sure what to book? Contact our team on (03) 9347 9247.
What Is Myotherapy?
Myotherapy is a form of physical therapy used to assess and treat pain and movement problems involving muscles and other soft tissues.
It developed from remedial massage but incorporates a broader clinical assessment and treatment approach.
Your Myotherapist doesn’t simply find the sore bit and start attacking it.
They’ll want to understand what’s happening.
That may involve looking at:
Where your pain is located
When it started
What aggravates or relieves it
Your range of movement
Muscle strength and function
Relevant joints
Your work, sport or training
Previous injuries
What you’re currently unable to do comfortably
From there, treatment is tailored to what they find and what you’re trying to get back to doing.
Sometimes that means hands-on treatment.
Sometimes rehabilitation or strengthening matters more.
Quite often it’s a combination.
What Happens at a Myotherapy Appointment?
Your first appointment usually begins with a conversation about what has brought you in.
Your Myotherapist may ask about your symptoms, medical history, previous injuries, exercise, work and anything else that could be relevant.
They may then assess things such as:
Range of motion
Muscle strength
Areas of tenderness or tension
Movement patterns
Joint movement
Relevant orthopaedic or neurological signs
The movements or activities that reproduce your symptoms
If you have relevant scans, reports or previous medical information, you’re welcome to bring them with you.
Once your Myotherapist has a clearer picture of what’s happening, they’ll discuss treatment options with you.
And importantly, if your symptoms don’t look like something that belongs in a Myotherapy room, they may recommend that you see your GP or another appropriate healthcare professional instead.
What Techniques Do Myotherapists Use?
One of the things that distinguishes Myotherapy from a straightforward massage appointment is the range of techniques available.
Your treatment won’t necessarily involve all of these.
Please do not interpret the following section as a challenge.
Your Myotherapist will select techniques according to your symptoms, assessment, preferences and treatment goals.
Soft-Tissue Therapy
Hands-on techniques may include massage, myofascial release and other forms of soft-tissue treatment.
These techniques can be used to work with painful, tight or sensitive muscles and surrounding tissues.
Trigger-Point Therapy
Trigger-point therapy involves applying pressure to sensitive areas within muscle tissue.
For some people, these areas reproduce familiar pain or discomfort.
Treatment may involve sustained or gradually adjusted pressure according to your tolerance and response.
Dry Needling
Dry needling involves inserting very fine, single-use needles into selected muscles or soft tissues.
A Myotherapist may use dry needling as one component of treatment for certain musculoskeletal presentations.
You absolutely do not have to have dry needling if you don’t want it.
Tell your practitioner if needles aren’t your thing, we require your consent and you won’t get much benefit if you’re gritting your teeth!
TENS
TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.
It uses a low-voltage electrical current delivered through electrodes placed on the skin and may be used as part of pain management for some people.
Whether it’s appropriate depends on your individual presentation.
Joint Mobilisation
Joint mobilisation uses controlled, usually gentle movements of a joint within its available range.
It may be incorporated where restricted or uncomfortable joint movement forms part of the clinical picture.
Myofascial Cupping
Cupping uses suction cups placed over the skin and soft tissues.
Some Myotherapists incorporate cupping alongside other techniques to work with muscular tightness or restricted movement.
And yes, depending on the technique and your skin, it can leave temporary circular marks.
No, you have not been attacked by a particularly organised octopus.
Stretching and Mobility
Your Myotherapist may use assisted stretching during treatment or recommend mobility work you can perform yourself.
The goal isn’t necessarily to make every muscle in your body as flexible as possible.
It’s to help you move comfortably enough for the things you actually need and want to do.
Exercise and Rehabilitation
This can be one of the most important parts of Myotherapy.
Hands-on treatment may help settle symptoms or improve movement temporarily.
But if strength, capacity or repeated loading is part of the problem, treatment may also involve gradually building your body’s ability to tolerate what you’re asking it to do.
That might include:
Strengthening exercises
Mobility work
Gradual return to activity
Changes to training load
Movement strategies
Home exercises
The aim is not to make you permanently dependent on treatment.
It’s to help you get back to using your body.
Myotherapy for Sports and Exercise
You absolutely do not need to be an athlete to see a Myotherapist.
But Myotherapy can be particularly useful for people who run, cycle, lift, train, play sport or otherwise repeatedly ask their bodies to do difficult things for fun.
Sports-related problems may include:
Calf tightness
Shin pain
Hip and glute pain
Hamstring problems
Shoulder pain
Overuse injuries
Muscle strains
Tendon-related problems
Reduced movement
Recurring niggles during training
The goal isn’t necessarily to tell you to stop doing the activity you love.
Where appropriate, your Myotherapist can help you understand what may need settling down, strengthening, modifying or gradually reloading so you can continue moving.
Jaw pain has several possible causes, however, so persistent symptoms deserve proper assessment rather than assuming every cranky jaw just needs a massage.
The main difference is that Myotherapy generally incorporates a broader assessment and rehabilitation approach and may use additional techniques such as dry needling, joint mobilisation, TENS and prescribed exercise.
If what you primarily want is hands-on muscular treatment, Remedial Massage may suit you perfectly.
If you’re dealing with a more persistent injury, movement problem, sporting issue or something that would benefit from assessment and rehabilitation alongside hands-on treatment, Myotherapy may be the better starting point.
And if you have no idea which one you need, that’s fine.
Contact our team on (03) 9347 9247 and we’ll help you choose.
What’s the Difference Between Myotherapy and Physiotherapy?
Both may assess musculoskeletal pain, movement and injury and may incorporate rehabilitation and exercise.
Physiotherapists have a broader regulated scope that can include areas such as neurological, cardiorespiratory, hospital and post-surgical rehabilitation in addition to musculoskeletal care.
Myotherapy is particularly focused on musculoskeletal pain, soft tissues and movement.
For many everyday musculoskeletal problems, there may be more than one reasonable practitioner to see.
The important question is less:
“Which profession is universally better?”
And more:
“Who is appropriately qualified to assess and manage the problem I actually have?”
Do I Need a Referral for Myotherapy?
No.
You can book directly with a Myotherapist without a referral from your GP.
If your Myotherapist believes your symptoms require medical assessment, imaging or another form of healthcare, they’ll let you know.
Can I Claim Myotherapy on Private Health Insurance?
Potentially.
Some Australian private health insurance policies include Myotherapy under extras cover.
The amount you can claim depends on your health fund, level of cover, annual limits and the practitioner providing your treatment.
We have HICAPS available at The Urban Alchemist, which means eligible claims can usually be processed at the clinic.
We recommend checking your individual Myotherapy coverage with your health insurer before your appointment if you’re relying on a rebate.
How Many Myotherapy Sessions Will I Need?
There isn’t one correct number.
Some relatively straightforward problems may improve quickly.
Other injuries or persistent pain problems may need a period of treatment and rehabilitation.
Your Myotherapist will make recommendations based on what they find, how you’re responding and what you’re trying to achieve.
We don’t believe everyone needs to keep coming indefinitely because Tuesday at 4pm has somehow become “Myotherapy Day.”
The goal is useful care.
Not creating another recurring subscription in your life.
Does Myotherapy Hurt?
It shouldn’t be an endurance competition.
Some techniques can feel strong or temporarily uncomfortable, particularly when working with sensitive tissue.
But treatment should always be adjusted to your comfort and preferences.
More painful does not automatically mean more effective.
If something feels too intense, say so.
Your Myotherapist would much rather know.
Do I Have to Have Dry Needling?
No.
Dry needling is one tool available to Myotherapists.
It is not compulsory.
If you dislike needles, have had a previous unpleasant experience or simply don’t want dry needling, tell your practitioner.
Other treatment options are available.
What Should I Wear to My Appointment?
Wear something comfortable that allows you to move.
Depending on the area being assessed or treated, your Myotherapist may need to see or access the relevant part of your body.
They’ll explain what they need to assess or treat and ask for your consent.
If you would prefer to remain more covered, tell them.
We can work with that.
When Should I See a Doctor Instead?
Myotherapy is appropriate for many musculoskeletal problems.
But not every painful thing belongs on a treatment table.
Seek medical assessment if you have symptoms such as:
Significant pain following a serious accident or injury
Suspected fracture or dislocation
Severe or rapidly worsening pain
Significant unexplained weakness or numbness
Fever or feeling significantly unwell alongside pain
Unexplained weight loss
New bowel or bladder changes associated with severe back or neurological symptoms
Chest pain or difficulty breathing
Symptoms that simply don’t make sense as a musculoskeletal problem
If your Myotherapist identifies something during assessment that needs further investigation, they’ll recommend appropriate medical care.
Frequently Asked Questions About Myotherapy
What does a Myotherapist actually do?
A Myotherapist assesses and treats musculoskeletal pain, soft-tissue problems and restricted movement.
Treatment may combine hands-on techniques with movement assessment, dry needling, stretching, joint mobilisation, TENS, cupping and exercise depending on your individual needs.
Is Myotherapy just a deeper massage?
No.
Massage may form part of Myotherapy, but a Myotherapy appointment generally involves a broader clinical assessment and may incorporate rehabilitation and other treatment techniques.
If you’re simply after a really good massage, you don’t need to invent an injury to justify it.
Myotherapy may be useful for some presentations of lower back pain, particularly where muscular pain, movement or physical capacity forms part of the problem.
Can I claim Myotherapy through private health insurance?
Possibly.
Myotherapy is included in some extras policies, but rebates and eligibility vary between health funds and levels of cover.
We recommend checking directly with your insurer.
HICAPS is available at our clinic for eligible on-the-spot claims.
How do I know whether to book Myotherapy or Remedial Massage?
If you mainly want hands-on treatment for muscular tension, soreness or relaxation, Remedial Massage may be a good choice.
If you have an injury, recurring pain, movement restriction or sporting problem and want assessment and rehabilitation alongside hands-on treatment, Myotherapy may be the better starting point.
Still don’t know?
Contact our team on (03) 9347 9247 and we’ll help you work it out.
Myotherapy in Carlton North, Melbourne
You don’t need to wait until your body has become completely unusable before asking someone to look at it.
Maybe you’re injured.
Maybe something keeps flaring every time you train.
Maybe you’ve been sitting with the same tight neck for six months.
Or perhaps you’re simply tired of adapting everything you do around one persistently grumpy body part.
At The Urban Alchemist in Carlton North, our Myotherapists combine hands-on treatment, movement assessment and rehabilitation to help you understand what’s happening and work towards moving more comfortably.
We’re conveniently located for people looking for Myotherapy in Carlton North, Fitzroy, Fitzroy North, Brunswick East, Northcote, Collingwood and Melbourne’s inner north.
