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Hello friends,I've recently been listening to a really great podcast series called " Folding Towels " by a couple of massage therapists. It 's mostly aimed at massage therapists, but I wanted to share a nice episode about the history of massage . Episode 125: Touch is older than Medicine.The episode discusses the origins and development of massage.It 's likely that massage developed in many different places all at the same time. Consider that massage at it's most basic is int

Have you ever thought about getting a massage while you're sick ? Maybe the joint and muscle pain that often accompanies a fever has made you really keen to receive some relief. The reality is that massage when you're acutely unwell with a cold or flu might make your illness worse. When your body is fighting an infection, the lymphatic system works to localise the infection at sites of lymphatic nodes. Think about how your throat swells up with the flu, this is just one area

Today, a little bit about manual lymphatic drainage in recovery after liposuction surgery. Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is becoming increasingly popular. It is useful not only after surgery, including liposuction, but for immune health, oedema, digestion, allergies, headaches and actually so many more conditions. Post-liposuction lymphatic massage needs to be  gentle  because of how the lymphatic system is built  and  because of what the tissues have just been through duri

Hello friends, I want to communicate about how effective massage is for supporting positive mental health outcomes. More than just saying "it's good", I want to give you connections to research that supports massage scientifically.  Massage therapy is an evidence-based, non-invasive approach to supporting mental health. It delivers both immediate, short term relaxation, as well as cumulative improvements in stress, anxiety and depression throughout continued therapeutic mas

Do you get migraines ? Do you know what the prodrome and postdrome are? Recently I had a really bloody bad migraine for the first time in a few months, and it inspired me to deliver a bit of information on the topic. Migraine is not just a headache... It is so much more.  I felt pain everywhere. Starving but nauseas. Too fatigued to chew. I couldn't see my fingers. Couldn't remember what I was doing. Migraine prodrome is the hours or days lead up to your migraine. Here is y

I have never been excellent at wording how dry needling works when people ask me, and then I've read recently, phrased easily to understand. One of the (several) ways that dry needling is working is by eliciting a local twitch response to the muscles that disrupts the abnormal electrical signalling to the muscles (if you consider that all our body is powered by electricity/energy) and helps to "reset" it. Imagine how heart arrhythmia is caused sometimes by electrical signall

Have you heard of nerve flossing? If you've ever heard me talking about "rocking and rolling" in stretching, here is why. Nerve flossing or nerve gliding is a gentle movement technique used to help irritated nerves move more freely. Nerves need to slide and adapt as we move. When surrounding tissues are tight, inflamed or stressed, a nerve can feel stuck or sensitive. This leads to sensations like pulling, tingling, burning or sharpness. Nerve flossing uses slow controlled mo

Nerves, anxiety, stress, excitement; they are all pressures we experience when we need to perform in any area of our lives. I want to talk about managing energy, managing our nervous systems when under pressure for any kind of performance. Whether it's on stage, in the workplace, in relationships, competition, any arena of life , we experience stress to our nervous systems.  When I prepare for a performance, I'm not only considering my physical energetic output, but am actual

Most of the world's best dance companies have a comprehensive health care team of physios, podiatrists, massage therapists, dietitians, and more. Even those companies without the full team will still have a massage therapist. Why is massage so important for professional dancers? I'm going to tell you why professional dancers need massage. Why I've been hired to treat The Australian Ballet, Bangarra Dance Theatre, and other productions and performers. Professional dancers live

I often hear people say they want a massage that “does something” — which usually means deep pressure or lots of focus on problem areas. But here’s the truth: a relaxing massage  is  therapeutic. When your body relaxes, your nervous system shifts out of “fight or flight” mode and into “rest and digest.” This is when healing, recovery, and repair actually happen. Gentle, rhythmic massage lowers stress hormones, improves circulation, eases muscle tone, and helps regulate breath

Someone asked me to discuss a really interesting topic... Human/hands delivery of massage versus machine massage! Being massaged by hands , by a person, means that there is a two way communication, response, and adaptation. Delivering massage with hands, the practitioner is able to be  responsive, relational, and adaptive by responding to feedback and communication. The deliverer and the recipient can communicate about what feels good, what feels bad, what can be repeated or

What actually happens to your muscles in a massage? So you want to know what actually happens during a massage that "makes it work"? You know you feel relaxed, looser, and better, but why? You're muscles aren't being "unknotted" or broken down. The reality is a lot gentler. During a massage, your body responds on multiple levels- The muscular system, circulatory system, and nervous system all respond to create the relief you feel. 1. Massage improves circulation. This means n

Today I am going to debunk some massage myths that get me a little frustrated when I hear them. Let's jump straight in.   1. Massage isn’t good unless it’s deep Hopefully you read my blog about muscle guarding. Many people believe that a massage only works if it’s deep — but “deep” is a very subjective personal experience. What feels deep to one person may feel light or too much to another. Open communication is essential. A good therapist checks in to make sure the pressure

The Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause (MSM) is a term used to describe the collection of symptoms that affect muscles, joints, and bones during perimenopause and into menopause. The symptoms can onset as some of the first signs of perimenopause (the transitionary time between reproductive years and the cessation of menstrual years), in a menstruating person's 30's-40's, and persist when menopause has officially been reached (12 months after the last menstrual period). The

I'm going to talk about what myotherapy is today.But probably the important bit that you want to know is that I will be able to do private health fund rebates soon. I enrolled to study an Advanced Diploma in Myotherapy in 2026. Maybe before reading this, revisit my previous blog post about why I am not currently offering private health fund rebates, to understand the background into my desire to study this. I am going to be upskilling, to have a higher level of qualificatio

Sometimes I don't have the words to describe what I'm trying to explain. Have you ever had a spasm? Have you ever tensed up in pain even when someone touches you lightly? Last week in ballet class, my friend was talking about her back recovery, and how deep massage from her physio was avoided because it caused "muscle guarding". I was like OMG yes finally another practitioner who understands why deeper is not always better and they have words for it! Muscle guarding is a natu

Have you heard the myth that massage is not safe in the first trimester of pregnancy? If you haven't, then I am glad.  If you have, I...

I'm sure you've heard the terms fascia and myofascial release. But whaaaaat does it all mean? Is it the same as massage? What is fascia?...

I'm SO EXCITED because I have enrolled to study an advanced diploma in Myotherapy for 2026. The prerequisite for this is the Remedial...

I am asked often why I don't provide health fund rebates, and I'm going to explain why. Please stay with me, it's a bit of a lengthy...