Michelle Remedial Therapist

https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/living-and-community/community-support/older-people

Older people - Healthy Ageing Forum | Sunshine Coast Council Information, resources and services to support older people in our community.

MENOPAUSE & RECOVERY
One thing many women notice through menopause is that recovery can feel different.
The workout you once bounced back from may suddenly introduce itself again the following morning. 😆
Hormonal changes can affect muscle, connective tissue, sleep and recovery.
That's another reason this stage of life deserves more care, not less.
Strength. Protein. Hydration. Movement. Rest. Stress management.
Your body's needs may be changing. Listening to them is a strength, not an inconvenience.

MOVE THE BODY YOU HAVE TODAY
Some days you'll feel strong.
Some days you'll feel stiff.
Some days menopause will decide that sleeping at 3am was apparently optional. 🙄
Movement doesn't have to look identical every day.
A strong day might mean weights or a long walk.
A tired day might mean ten minutes of gentle mobility.
The goal isn't perfection.
It's maintaining a relationship with your body instead of abandoning it whenever it isn't performing at its best.

SPRING BODY MAINTENANCE 🌸
We spring-clean the house.
We clean the cupboards.
We attack that mysterious drawer full of batteries, takeaway menus and keys that apparently open nothing.
But what about the body?
Spring is a beautiful time to check in with your mobility, strength, sleep, hydration and those niggles you've been ignoring.
Consider this your reminder to put yourself somewhere on the spring maintenance list.

SCAR TISSUE
Scars tell stories.
Surgery, injuries and old wounds can leave changes in the tissues long after the skin itself has healed.
Depending on the scar, its age and the underlying tissue, treatment may include gentle manual techniques and sometimes therapeutic modalities such as ultrasound.
Scar treatment isn't about trying to erase your scar.
It's about helping the surrounding tissue move and function as comfortably as possible. Let's see if we can make it easier.

YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM NEEDS CARE TOO
Massage isn't only about muscles.
Sometimes the most valuable part of a treatment is giving the nervous system an opportunity to stop being "on".
Warm table. Quiet room. Slow breathing. Safe touch. No emails. No jobs to complete. No one needing anything from you.
Just some time where your body is allowed to receive rather than perform.
That counts as healthcare too. ❤️

🦶 YOUR BIG TOE & YOUR GLUTES — WHAT’S THE CONNECTION?
We often think of the foot and the hip as completely separate areas of the body. But when we stand and walk, they’re very much part of the same movement chain.
A well-functioning foot uses three main points of contact with the ground:
👣 The heel
👣 The base of the little toe
👣 The base of the big toe
Together these form what’s often called the “foot tripod.”
If the big toe is stiff, painful, pushed inward by footwear, or you habitually avoid loading through it, the way you distribute pressure through your foot can change. That can influence ankle and knee mechanics and potentially change how the muscles around your hip—including your glutes—are recruited during movement.
It doesn’t mean every sleepy glute is caused by a big toe! But when I’m looking at lower-body tension or movement patterns, the feet are absolutely worth including in the picture.
A simple thing to try: stand barefoot and gently feel all three points of your foot contacting the floor. Keep your toes relaxed rather than gripping. Then slowly shift your weight or perform a small squat and notice whether you feel more stable.
And have a look at your shoes. 👟 Your toes should have enough room to sit naturally rather than being squeezed together.
Sometimes where we feel the problem isn’t where the movement pattern begins. The body works as a whole. 🌿


P.S. 🦶 Bunions aren’t just hereditary.
Genetics may influence your foot shape and susceptibility, but footwear, loading patterns, big-toe movement and biomechanics can all contribute too. Your feet aren’t necessarily destined to develop bunions just because they “run in the family.”

Sore knee?
Don't forget that your knee lives between a hip and a foot.
Hip strength, quadriceps, hamstrings, calf function, ankle mobility and the way you load the foot can all influence what's happening around the knee.
That's why remedial treatment doesn't always focus exclusively on the exact spot that hurts.
Sometimes the troublemaker lives next door. 😉

PHOTOTHERAPY & ACHY JOINTS
Light isn't only something we need to see.
Photobiomodulation — often called red-light or low-level light therapy — uses specific wavelengths of light and is increasingly used as an adjunct in musculoskeletal care.
For some people with arthritic or musculoskeletal pain, it may be useful as part of a broader treatment approach.
I can incorporate phototherapy into a remedial session where appropriate alongside hands-on treatment.
More tools = more ways to tailor treatment to the person on the table. 🌿

SPRING WALKING 👟
Beautiful weather + longer days = suddenly deciding to walk twice as far as you've walked all winter.
Your feet would like to lodge a formal complaint. 😂
If you're increasing your activity this spring, give your tissues time to adapt. Build distance gradually, wear supportive footwear and pay attention to niggles before they become persistent problems.
Your body loves movement.
It just prefers a polite introduction rather than an ambush.