About
Hi, I'm Nathan
I help to reduce pain and stiffness by re-establishing range of motion, posture and functional movement patterns so you can move in comfort ... for life.
But its not about me ...
... It's All About YOU!
If your main problem is that pain or stiffness is slowing you down and interfering with your quality of life then I may be able to help. Does any of the following resonate with you?
When you do something physical you have to exert more energy but get seem to get less power.
You've tried various approaches to get rid of pain but it keeps coming back.
You can't seem to find the right stretch or movement to solve the problem.
Pain or stiffness is becoming an obstacle to moving forward.
You want to be in control of your body not the other way round.
You would like to pursue longer term goals with confidence that you won't be doing damage.
You are a hard worker or have done a lot of hours of work through your life. (Some might think you worked a bit too hard.) If your work space has you standing or sitting for hours at a time without an effective safe workspace it will be quietly taking it's toll on your body. It shouldn't have to be like this. Work shouldn't be damaging you. In fact a well set up work space can even make you stronger and more resilient.
You might like to exercise. Perhaps you have even have plans of taking your fitness to another level at some stage. Then again you might be wondering if that's a wise idea. Wondering if there a risk of getting more pain than gain! But not exercising is not an option either. Its a catch 22!
You probably don't have all the time in the world to do things either. I'm guessing you have a lot on your plate. You have commitments. People depend on you. There are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. Perhaps you stay up a little later in the night to make up for it. Perhaps you even lie awake at night thinking about all the things that need to be done.
How's your sleep? Anywhere near the recommended 7 to 8 hours a night? And how restful is it? Keep in mind it's difficult for your body to rejuvenate over night as it should, when it doesn't get enough time to do it.
It probably takes a lot for you to complain about pain. You might be one of those people with an high pain threshold. So if the pain is enough to distract you now it's probably reasonably strong.
So when is enough, enough?
Maybe you already have had enough and want pain gone right now. Or at least brought to a manageable level. Then, once you've got some comfort and movement back, you want to know how to keep it that way.
When you are able to keep pain and stiffness away ... well, now the world's your oyster isn't it? Now you can start thinking bigger things. Turn dreams into realities. Start ticking off those achievements. Now you have the confidence to join in activities, do regular exercise and get back to enjoying life.
You know you have the motivation and the commitment to do what it takes to be free from pain. You just need the resources, guidance and support to point you in the right direction.
I may be able to help.
The Physio Back Story
As long as I can remember I have been interested in why things happened and how things worked. For example, when myself or somebody else experienced pain I was never content to just try and get rid of it. If people disliked pain so much was there a way to stop it from happening in the first place? Surely it didn’t just come down to genetics, or happenstance, or luck?
In search of an answer I pursued a career in health. Physiotherapy appealed because it encouraged an inquisitive nature together with a hands-on approach.
Traumatic Learning
Fast forward a few years. I had graduated and was working as a physiotherapist treating people. I was doing a terrific job … or so I thought.
One day after work I was playing a game of touch football. All of a sudden, I felt someone kick me in the back of my ankle causing me to fall to the ground. Turning my head to complain of foul play I realised there was nobody there ... I hadn’t been kicked at all. I knew immediately that I had ruptured my Achilles tendon.
After some discussion with a surgeon I opted to recover conservatively, i.e., without surgery. I figured if I could get myself better without surgery then in future, I can help others do the same.
Over the months that followed I experienced first-hand the physical, emotional and psychological difficulties that accompany traumatic injury.
I had rehab with typical conventional physiotherapy treatment. It involves following a rehabilitation "recipe" under supervision, gradually building up flexibility and strength over many months.
The process was straight forward. The exercises worked. I was able to return to running and sport. I should have been happy right?
But I wasn't happy. I was worried ...
Pain Is The Outcome, Not The Cause
I was worried because I knew what the research said. People who don’t have surgery are more likely to re-rupture their Achilles. People who rupture their Achilles are more likely to rupture their OTHER Achilles.
If I didn’t find out why I chronically overloaded my tendon to the point that it snapped with just one running step, I was in real danger of worse injuries to come. All my rehabilitation efforts would have been in vain.
The problem was that the therapists and doctors who treated me never questioned why it might have happened in the first place. Nobody looked beyond my ankle to see if other parts of my body were to blame. Nobody bothered to analyse my running or jumping or lifting to see if I put too much pressure through my Achilles in general.
I realised something else that point. Something that really woke me up. I hadn’t been following this sort of approach for my own clients either! I too hadn’t been looking at the bigger picture. I had been treating people’s injuries in isolation as if they were a bunch of unconnected body parts. I hadn’t answered the very questions for them that eluded me right now. Why did my pain happen and how do I stop it from happening again?
If I was going to help my clients properly, for the long term, I needed to take my physiotherapy understanding to another level. I made a commitment from that point on that I would never treat clients pain in isolation again
From Patient To Student
Driven by a desire to do a better job for clients, and to avoid another catastrophic injury, I embarked on a journey of further learning.
To this end I studied anything I could get my hands on. From faulty bio mechanics to energy imbalance, from psychological drivers of pain to mechanical joint stiffness, from nutritional deficiencies to Japanese meridian therapy.
Over the last eighteen years this learning journey has led to the development of a unique and comprehensive physiotherapy approach.
A Unique Approach Designed For You
The approach I now offer is still grounded in scientific clinical reasoning.
The difference is you are not seen as just an injured body part. You are treated as a whole person. Your body is a single functional unit with multiple integrated systems. What happens at one end has an effect at the other end. What happens internally affects you externally. What happens mentally affects you physically so on and so forth.
This may sound like common sense, but you would be amazed at the number of therapists that continue to focus only on the sore spot without giving thought to what else might be going on.
By the way, several years later I continue to run and haven’t re-injured my Achilles (touch wood!)
The Goal For You
The goal is to help you get rid of pain quickly and for it not to come back. Why? Because pain sucks and the longer we don’t have it the happier we are.
The journey is far from over. There are many unanswered questions and the health community are constantly finding better and faster ways to do things. It is an ongoing discovery process.
I welcome you to join in on this leg of the journey. Share your story and the challenges you are facing with getting rid of pain and stiffness. If you are open to a global, integrated approach then its more than likely that I can help you move closer towards getting the pain free results you need.
Experience
Here's a summary of the type of stuff I've worked with before.
REHABILITATION
Brain Injury And Neurological Conditions
Many years working with people with a variety of neurological problems. Very specific work that requires skill. care and patience. A lot of very interesting and humbling experiences.
SPORTS
Hockey, Rugby, Netball, Touch Football, Crossfit,
Long hours at changing rooms, clinics and sports venues. Sports taping, massage, needling and targeted exercise programs. The goal is always to get athletes back out there as quickly and safely as possible.
CLINICAL
Private Clinics And Hospitals in NZ, Australia and Bermuda
Hundreds of clients and thousands of sessions with a whole spectrum of injuries. From respiratory problems to amputees. From ACL rupture to rotator cuff tears. From spinal problems to chronic inflammatory issues and so on.
Skills and Services
Dry Needling
Dry needling is very useful to release tight contracted muscles and reduce stiffness. The integrated model of dry needling used here is safe, comfortable and gets quick results.
Healthy Work Space
The best treatment is ruined if most of your day is spent in a compromising work environment. I can help you set things up so you don't get overuse injuries like a lumbar disc problems or wrist carpal tunnel issues.
Exercise Prescription
Correct exercise is the key to lasting results. I use the latest research to develop specific exercises that are customised to your needs. Includes structured , easy to understand programs.
Perfect Posture
How's your posture? How about members of your family? Balanced sitting, standing and walking improves body suppleness and reduces risk of future injuries. Find out what cues suit you best from my extensive range of postural advice and exercises.
Joint and Soft Tissue Release
Different bodies require different treatment approaches. My treatment tool box is well equipped with a range of established techniques taught to me by a number of experts over the last 17 years.
Video Movement Analysis
Video helps to break down different components of how you do things. This makes it easy for you to see whats needs to change. It's also great for re-testing later to show how you have progressed.
How Does It Help?
This is a video I made a few years back. Although it was at a different clinic (in Melbourne), the concepts and values here at Kingston Beach Physiotherapy are the same. When you have a spare few minutes grab a cuppa and watch how people move away from the restriction of injury and move closer toward achieving their personal goals. A special thanks to Jennifer from Paper Box Media who filmed it all.
Lets Get Started
I bring guidance, advice, treatment, exercises and support to the table. But that's only half of the picture. The other half comes from you. You have information, experiences and feedback that only you can provide. The magic happens when you and I merge our knowledge and start producing new results. It has to be team effort. I'm ready to start when you are. So when you're ready, book an appointment below.