Functional movement is all those types of movement that you may have been training at the gym, like a squat, but really, those movements are what we are designed to deliver daily. Per the squat, think about sitting. Now, if you are young and fit, you may not need a great deal of mobility to sit on a chair, but as we get older, if we don’t train to maintain this form of mobility, things can really get difficult, and the risk of injury would increase. That’s where Myotherapy can really help you to understand which joints need more work in terms of mobility, but also which muscle groups you need to train to keep your stability at doc, so that your functional movement, especially when done under load, is going to be safe and with less risk of injury. What Is Myotherapy? Myotherapy is a form of manual therapy that focuses on assessing, treating, and managing musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. At Melbourne Massage and Treatment in Fitzroy North, I use techniques such as deep tissue massage, joint mobilisation, myofascial release, dry needling, and corrective exercise to restore normal movement and prevent pain from returning. What I love about being a Clinical Myotherapist is that when working with my clients, I have to deliver a tailored treatment plan, as everyone is different and everyone presents with a unique body, which may need a different approach to reach the same goal. All this, starting from joint mobility and stability. Why Joint Mobility and Stability Matter Let’s start by defining what mobility and stability are: Mobility: the ability to move through a full range of motion Stability: the control that keeps your joints aligned to the body plane and supported To move well under load and deliver safe exercises, you must have good mobility and stability where needed. For example, if your hips lack mobility, your lumbar spine might compensate, creating discomfort and increasing the injury. Furthermore, a lack of mobility, it means you can not fully engage your muscle fibres, as less movement means less contraction or elongation of the muscle fibres involved in that movement, so less power and less growth. On the other hand, lack of stability is given from your lumbar area, which is not able to support a heavy load, and that’s how you can hurt your back. How Myotherapy Enhances Functional Movement Here at my clinic in Fitzroy North, as a clinical myotherapist I focus on helping you restoring balance through a whole-body approach. Here’s how Myotherapy helps: Comprehensive Movement AssessmentLet’s start with assessing posture, joint range of motion, and functional movement patterns to identify restrictions or weaknesses. Addressing the Root Cause of PainPain is central nervous system response to something that doesn’t work at is best. It may be an injury, or it may be a sensitization of the area. As a clinical myotherapist I help you break the cycle of compensation and discomfort, allowing more efficient, pain-free movement. Improving Joint MobilityUsing targeted soft tissue therapy, myofascial release, and gentle joint mobilisation, we help reduce tightness and restore freedom of movement across affected joints and muscles. Building Joint StabilityOnce mobility is restored, we focus on improving control and strength. Personalised exercises activate stabilising muscles, enhancing balance and coordination to prevent re-injury. Long-Term Support and EducationAfter every appointment I ensure to leave a detailed PDF file with the exercises we look into, so that you are able to reproduce our work at home or at your gym. But for every question, and for your progressions, I am always here ready to help. Who Can Benefit From A Myotherapy Session? Myotherapy is suitable for people of all activity levels. At our Fitzroy North practice, I regularly help clients dealing with: Muscle tightness or restricted joint movement Neck, shoulder, or lower back pain Postural strain from office work Sports or exercise-related injuries Limited flexibility affecting daily performance The Takeaway on Myotherapy and Functional Movement To improve your functional movement starts working on the right balance between joint mobility and stability. Myotherapy offers a targeted, evidence-based way to achieve that balance, and I am here helping you move better, feel stronger, and prevent future injuries. If you’re ready to enhance your movement and reduce pain, book a Myotherapy session at Melbourne Massage and Treatment, Fitzroy North today. Let’s get your body moving the way it’s meant to. And if you have any question, please use the form below to reach me out:
Tag Archives: injury prevention
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Biomechanics is a branch of biophysics, and it studies the structure, function biomechanics is a branch of biophysics, and it studies the structure, function and motion of the mechanical aspects of biological systems using mechanical methods.d motion of the mechanical parts of biological systems using mechanical methods. Why is Body Biomechanics important? The way we move is a crucial component of injury prevention. Ensuring we are moving using our advantage, forces like gravity and body weight can help us reduce the chance of injury and improve the load capacity. To do so, we must train with a specific protocol that ensures excellent mobility to achieve muscular strength. What is a force? We can define a force as an influence that can change the motion of an object. Gravity is an acceleration that becomes a force when applied to a body. This concept was well explained by Netwon, with the announcement of Newton’s second law that can be summarised with F=m*a. F is the force, m is the mass, and a is acceleration. In the case of acceleration of gravity, it does measure 8.91 m/sec2. Said so, this means that we are constantly accelerated towards the ground. That’s why we don’t float in the air. And to better use this acceleration to our advantage, we have to move weight using the right angles. To better understand body biomechanics, we must introduce the idea of Moment Arm, Vector and Torque. What are Moment Arm Vector and Torque? And why are they essential for understanding human body biomechanics? The moment arm is the distance between the force and the joint that hold that force back. Think of yourself holding a water bottle up with your arm extended out. The joint holding up is your shoulder, the force is the combination of the bottle per the gravity a. (F=m*a). A Vector is the direction in which a force is applied. In this case, the direction is 90° downwards. Lastly, the Torque is the rapport between the Force and the Moment Arm. So, the shorter the moment arm, the easier it would be to lift an object. Understanding this concept would make your body biomechanics application much more accessible. Body biomechanics at the gym. When training at the gym, body biomechanics are fundamental. I often get clients in post-gym injury who don’t know much about mobility training, its importance, and body biomechanics. For example, keeping the weight so the bar is as close as possible to the leg is essential when doing a deadlift. This is because the weight has to be close to the Centre Of Gravity of the body, or the moment arm would be increased, so the torque required to lift the weight would increase too. In this case, the centre of gravity corresponds to the area where the actual torque is required, the lumbar area. Indeed, it is easy to hurt yourself on the lumbar when you bring that bar too far from your body. Body Biomechanic and Thai Massage Traditional Thai Massage, as offered at Melbourne Massage and treatment, tends to use the body biomechanics at its best. Even Thai Yoga exercises are based on the biomechanics principle, using lever and gravity as an advantage to create pressure on your body and reduce tension and heal aches. This, indeed, is what makes Traditional Thai Massage so unique. It is a technique of work where you don’t need great force, it is enough to use your body weight. And because it is delivered on a ground mat, it is easier to apply the biomechanics principles.