Monthly Archives: August 2026

Lower back pain is a leading cause of disability in Australia. That said, not everyone who experiences lower back pain has to end up with debilitating pain for months or years, and so how can we prevent that? Therefore, to prevent severe musculoskeletal pain, including back pain, movement is our best option. That said, we have to be aware that even pros who do regular movement can occasionally suffer from lower back pain. As we will see in more detail soon, pain is a brain response to a stimulus, which can be physical but also psychosomatic or from a rise in stress or lack of sleep and/or more. So, for many people, lower back pain improves with time and appropriate movement. However, persistent or recurring pain can interfere with work, exercise, sleep and everyday activities. Then, if you live or work in Coburg and are experiencing lower back pain, understanding what may be contributing to your symptoms is an important first step to ensure your presentation doesn’t become a chronic one. What is lower back pain? Let’s start with a better definition and understanding of what lower back pain is. Lower back pain refers to pain experienced in the area between the bottom of the ribs and the buttocks. It can feel different from person to person, and it may be really local to this area, or it can refer to your leg, within the anterior portion (femoral) or the posterior portion (sciatica). Other than what you may experience: A dull ache or soreness Sharp or sudden pain Stiffness Muscle spasm Pain when bending or twisting Discomfort when standing up after sitting Pain during lifting or exercise Occasionally, someone may experience symptoms associated with nerve irritation, such as pain, tingling or numbness travelling down the leg. All of this said, when talking about what lower back pain is, we have to touch base on the meaning of “non-specific back pain”, which means there is no single identifiable structure that can be confirmed as the cause of the pain. In fact, this is very common and, and that’s what we briefly talked about earlier. Pain can, yes, be associated with physical damage or a physical impairment, but it is not always the case. So, education and understanding of what pain is and how it comes to be is a really important step to take when suffering from chronic pain conditions. What can cause lower back pain? As a clinical myotherapist here in Coburg, I often have to explain to my client who suffer from lower back pain that it is not as simple to find the reason for their lower back pain. Indeed, your lower back works as part of a larger movement system (mobility and stability joint chain) involving the hips, pelvis, abdominal muscles, legs and upper body. How these areas move and how much load they are exposed to can influence how your back feels. Therefore, we may want to look at some common factors associated with lower back pain, which include: Sudden increases in physical activity As someone who loves to do and promote physical activity, I also warn my clients to be aware when starting their moving journey, step by step. Indeed, a common situation that can cause lower back pain is doing more than your body is currently prepared for. Here are some common case scenarios on how this can happen: Start a new gym program Increase your running distance Return to exercise after a long break Lift something unusually heavy Spend a weekend doing physical work Increase your training volume too quickly A sudden increase in load can temporarily make the lower back more sensitive. Prolonged sitting The reason why so many people nowadays may suffer from aches and pain, including lower back pain, can definitely be attributed to a sedentary lifestyle. Indeed, long periods of sitting, particularly when combined with little physical activity throughout the day, can contribute to stiffness and discomfort. This is because not using the body for what it was designed for in the first place leads to a loss of function. The typical “use it or lose it” situation. But let’s be clear, we are not saying that sitting does damage to your back. But what we are saying is that if you do a job that involves long hours sitting or standing at a desk, you should take regular breaks from that position and do a bit of movement that can maintain your body functionality throughout the day. Taking regular movement breaks and changing position throughout the day can also be helpful to keep your brain active and more productive, due to more blood flowing through the full system, including the central nervous system (Brain). Reduced physical activity Again, as with the whole body, even your back is designed to move. When you become less active because of pain, fear of movement or a busy lifestyle, you may gradually lose confidence and capacity with certain movements. This can create a cycle where movement becomes uncomfortable, so you move less, which makes returning to normal activity more difficult. What we need, indeed, is an equilibrium between movement, load and rest. Lifting and repetitive movements As already mentioned in the blogs that talk about tendinopathy, repetitive movement, which in the case of lower back pain can be bending, twisting, lifting and/or carrying, can place significant demands on the tendons and tissues around the lower back. And again, let’s stay firm on the fact that any of those movement are absolutely safe to do, as long as the load applied to it is gradually introduced and increased, and not suddenly placed there. Because that’s the typical case of the seasonal Coburg gardener: when the spring season kicks in, they start working hard and harder in the garden without proper training or warm-up, ending up with lower back pain. Strength and conditioning Strength is one part of the bigger picture. Your ability to tolerate lifting, running, bending, carrying and other activities depends […]

If you have been living in Coburg and the surrounding area, like the Merri Bek or Darebin councils, you probably notice how Coburg is a suburb full of movement. From people cycling along Merri Creek, walking around Coburg Lake, training at local gyms, playing community sports, or simply trying to stay active despite busy work and family commitments, movement is a big part of everyday life in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. As a Myotherapist based in Coburg, I see many different people who share one common goal: They want to move better, feel better, and get back to doing the activities they enjoy. And this can be due to recovering from an injury, managing ongoing pain, or improving physical performance. That’s where Myotherapy can play an important role in supporting your body and wellbeing. Why Active People Often Experience Injuries One of my mottos here at Melbourne Massage and Treatment Myotherapy and Lymphoedema Clinic in Coburg is: “Move More, Live Well”. But being an active person doesn’t mean you are never going to be in pain or experience some discomfort. Indeed, pain is a complex neurological response, and movement, in some way, is what is needed to alleviate the pain or change this neurological response. On the other hand, if your level of activity is not constant but sporadic- so after a long period of no load, you increase the load suddenly- that’s where the injuries happen. And here are some common presentations I see in my Coburg clinic that are related to overloaded movement: Calf strains and tightness Achilles tendon pain Hamstring injuries Shoulder and neck pain Lower back discomfort Hip and knee issues Overuse injuries from repetitive activities These problems can affect anyone. It could be someone preparing for a running event, a cyclist spending hours on the bike, someone returning to exercise after a break, or simply someone who spends most of their day sitting at a desk. Myotherapy Is More Than Just Massage One common misconception is that Myotherapy is simply a stronger form of massage. Well, let me tell you, it is not. Indeed, hands-on treatment is part of a Myotherapy treatment, and it is an essential component of creating trust between me, the therapist, and you, the patient, but what really is going to fix your pain, or reduce it the most, is movement under the right load. And that’s what really Myotherapy is. Massage, load, and Education about your wellbeing. My approach combines: Clinical assessment Hands-on treatment Movement analysis Exercise advice Education about your condition In fact, our goal is not just to temporarily reduce symptoms, but to understand why a problem may have developed and what we can do to improve your long-term movement. And of course, every person is different, which is why I don’t believe in using the same treatment approach for everyone. Helping Coburg Residents Stay Active If there is something that really attracted me to come back to Coburg to run my clinic, it is the variety of people I get to meet. Some clients come to me because they are dealing with an injury that is stopping them from doing what they love. Others come because they want to improve their mobility, strength, or recovery. For example: A runner may need help managing recurring calf tightness. A cyclist may need support with hip mobility and lower back discomfort. A gym enthusiast may need assistance returning safely after an injury. Someone working at a desk may need help with neck, shoulder, and posture-related discomfort. The treatment approach may be different for each person, but the goal remains the same: helping you move with confidence again. Recovery Requires More Than Rest Along with the educational protocol I put in place in my clinic here in Coburg, I explain to my clients when rest is needed and for how long it is needed. I dedicate a full blog to the inflammatory response. And understanding this concept allows you to regain confidence in your movement as early as possible. Because resting for too long may cause you to lose muscle mass and confidence in movement. Therefore, depending on your presentation, this may include: Improving mobility Building strength Gradually increasing load Learning better movement strategies Again, the body adapts to the demands we place on it. The challenge is finding the right progression, not just resting for too long or rushing to load more quickly. This is where Myotherapy, exercise prescription, and education can work together. Supporting the Coburg Community and Surrounding Suburbs Moving forward from what Myotherapy is and how it really works, being located in Coburg allows me to support clients not only from Coburg itself, but also from surrounding Melbourne northern suburbs including: Brunswick Pascoe Vale Preston Reservoir Fawkner Thornbury Essendon The clinic at 325A Moreland Road is easy to reach by car and public transport. Indeed, you have plenty of car parking along Haig Avenue next to the clinic or Moreland Road (with some parking limitations in terms of time) or a bus stop (BUS 510) which stops right in front of the clinic, or a walking-distance tram (6, 19, 58) and train stop (Moreland Station, Upfield Line). These options make it convenient for people looking for Myotherapy, Remedial Massage, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, and lymphoedema care in Melbourne’s north. My Approach: Move More, Live Well Why I started looking into Myotherapy as a form of treatment is because teh movement is a key component of this type of therapy. Indeed, Move More, Live Well, do really match the essence of this form of therapy. I don’t believe that someone has special powers or magical hands that can fix your pain. I do believe that the right therapist can have the right clinical reasoning to help you overcome your pain and show you the right movement underload that can help you overcome your pain, but also help you understand your body, improve your movement, and give you the tools to stay active. Again, whether you are recovering from an […]