First of all, the answer to a highly common question… What is Myotherapy?
Myotherapy is the ‘Evidenced based assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal pain and associated conditions’.
An assessment will include thorough subjective questioning, followed by clinical objective observation and clinical testing of muscles, joint and ranges of motion.
Treatment from a Myotherapist is very hands on due to its origin of being within the massage industry, before branching off and becoming a stand-alone profession.
Rehabilitation will consist of education, strengthening and corrective exercises.
But, how does this help me as a triathlete? One of the main benefits of Myotherapy is that it is a total body approach to pain and performance. The extended consultation times allow a Myotherapist to delve deeper into addressing areas of the body away from your complaint, that may be causing, contributing or limiting your progress in rehabilitation or performance.
A Myotherapist will look at the body as a whole, assessing and addressing how each segment of the body are impacting/limiting other areas of the body from functioning efficiently. You are booking your body in for a full body service.
If you are a non-injured athlete who is experiencing pain and discomfort during activity, a Myotherapy consultation is a fantastic option for you to consider as part of getting you back on track and performing at your optimal level… and staying there.
But what if I’m not in any pain or discomfort?
If you are performing pain free this is fantastic. But we want to stay there don’t we? Who doesn’t!
The use of a Myotherapist is a highly effective way of ensuring you are maintaining your bodies’ function and performance. Just like how you will regularly book your car in for a service with your local mechanic to keep it functioning well, your body works in the same manor.
Maintaining healthy muscle quality and optimal joint range of motion is a mainstay factor for optimal performance and reduced risk of injury.
Obtaining these qualities in your body is where a Myotherapist excels and comes into its own.
Luckily for OHL, our resident Myotherapist Michael Jephcott has spent the past 4 years consulting in Port Melbourne with some of Melbourne’s top amateur and professional Triathletes, such as Renee Kiley, who used Mike as her personal Myotherapist on a weekly basis in order to keep her on top of her high levels of training.
It's no secret that flu season is well and truly here - and with three years of protecting ourselves from COVID, our immune systems are a little out of practice when it comes to fighting off the cold and flu. On top of that, many of us have come across COVID by now, with some still feeling its effects months after an initial diagnosis.
After COVID or the flu, it pays to remember the old adage - slow and steady wins the race. Returning to activities at a gradual pace before building back into daily routines is paramount - and what you can do will be dependent on any lingering symptoms.
Here are some tips and tricks for how to keep moving after a bout of illness that might have you performing below your peak -
Did you know that what you leave out of your diet is often as important as what you include?
A great example of this is dietary fat. While there can be an overwhelming amount of ‘low fat’ and ‘no fat’ products on supermarket shelves, they aren’t always the best options for a healthy diet.
Dietary fat is an important part of a healthy diet, and is particularly important for our eyes, skin and brain. Cutting fat out of our diet completely also deprives our system of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K.
Back in late 2016, on the way to a family birthday, siblings Lauren McLinden and Andrew Campbell devised their concept for OHL- a hub for healthcare experts, where clients could connect with the ideal person to get the right diagnosis and optimal management plan for their concerns. They were excited to see how they could work to maximise the health of the local community they grew up in.
Today, they are so proud to be delivering this initial vision, and more!