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The Pain Thieves, Fremantle (2025)

15/03/2023

How to better manage my stress?

So, just as we planned, here we are in the middle of a stressful situation….. Welcome to life…..

I reckon one of the first things to do here is to acknowledge what is making you stressed. Be kind with yourself. You are only doing your best here. Then, here are a few tools that I think might help you navigate this stressful situation as best as possible, to avoid staying in a chronic stress state, as we know chronic stress is the one that we want to avoid:

- Deep breathing and meditation: easiest way is probably to close your eyes, long inhales-exhales and focus your attention on a happy memory, even for just a few seconds.
- Exercise (particularly outdoors): nothing like physical activity to shake these negative thoughts and get rid of extra tension.
- Connect with community and supportive people: think family and friends, but as those can be quite stressful too at times, it is sometimes great to connect with strangers.
- Eat well and limit alcohol and stimulants as those can disrupt your cortisol cycles.
- Be creative: play music, no, jam away, draw or paint just because you like it, write a poem, …
- Bond with your pet: who is the only one who is always happy to see you after a long day at work????
- Have a good night sleep: just think of how well you’ll feel the next day!
- Take time to yourself: just you, no kids, no partner, no Netflix…. And get that bloody massage that you have been craving for so long!!!

Like everyone, I have had my share of stressful situations, but I am no stress expert. There is no shame in being stressed, having to use some of those techniques to cope, or seeking professional help if we get overwhelmed.

03/03/2023

What is stress doing to me???

We all experience some stress in our lives, and it is generally good for us. Stress what gives us that extra energy and focus before speaking publicly for example. But when we experience too much stress and we have trouble coping, it becomes a problem.
When the body detects a stressful situation, the brain initiates the release of cortisol in our bloodstream. Cortisol levels usually rise and fall throughout the day to help us wake up, focus, learn and stay active throughout the day, and they typically decrease at night so we can sleep. But when our cortisol levels are chronically high, we can experience some negative consequences.
One of the first things we usually notice is difficulty sleeping. Not getting good rest often has consequences on our pain levels, focus, mood, and clarity…. All those changes in the brain set the stage for conditions like depression or Alzheimer’s disease.
Stress has also some more surprising effects, like weakening our immune system or even changing our gut microbiome, which can alter our digestive and overall health. Stress also generally increases our weight (particularly visceral fat), increases muscle tension and can cause headaches. Stress is a factor in earlier ageing, hair loss, acne and sexual disfunctions…
I know this sounds all doom and gloom, but life will always be filled with stressful situations, what really matters is how we respond to it. It is important that we each come up with a strategy that works for us to manage our stress, so that we don’t get to experience all those detrimental consequences. In my next post I will present a few ideas on how to better control our stress.

24/02/2023

Muscle knots (trigger points)
Trigger points (also commonly called knots) are areas of tightness and pain within our muscles. Physiologically speaking, they are a small area of constant contraction of the muscle fibers, that leads to local acidification and hypoxia (lack of oxygen). All those changes lead to discomfort and sometimes restriction in mobility. What is quite particular with trigger points too is the fact that sometimes the pain created by it is felt somewhere else (referred pain). For example a trigger point in your hip could be felt at the back of your thigh.
Trigger points can be caused by overuse of a muscle (a classic example can be in your lower back after gardening in spring after a long winter), poor posture (working too long at home on a laptop), trauma to the body (sprained ankle) or even stress (a common area to be affected by stress is the neck area).
Sometimes those trigger points resolve by themselves after a while, but other times they create some serious discomfort and can last very long. Thankfully manual therapists are pretty good at identifying trigger points (which can be complicated if the pain is referred) and deactivating them. Usually, the method consists of applying intense pressure to the exact spot (without being too painful) while the person breathes and relaxes slowly their muscle. Stretching or activating the muscle also helps to normalise the situation.
It is perfectly normal to develop trigger points in one muscle or the other from time to time. Quite often, we tend to have them reappearing in the same area, because of our lifestyle. Don’t hesitate to talk to your massage therapist, so that we can help you understand and manage your trigger points better.

More on the subject:
https://www.amtamassage.org/publications/massage-therapy-journal/massage-and-trigger-points/
https://www.livescience.com/how-to-perform-a-trigger-point-massage

09/02/2023

How often should I get a massage?

This is a question that I get asked quite a lot, and another one that has no easy answer because there are different things to consider.
For general maintenance, a massage every month or so is usually quite good. Personally, it is my perfect rhythm. That frequency is great if you have been suffering from chronic pain or you are regularly stressed or anxious and massage helps you manage those hurdles.
If you are suffering from an acute injury or you’re under a period of intense pressure (stress, trauma, …), you might have to book more often. Depending on your issue and history, I might advise you to come weekly for a couple of times, just to try to regain control of the situation. After an acute injury that needs rehab, massage works great in conjunction with physio treatments. Massage allows you to modulate the pain so that you can get more exercising done with your physio and that is quite often how you get better.

Of course, these are just general guidelines. Everyone is different and after a while, each client finds the way that works for them. I will sometimes give you recommendations, but I will always respect your decision.
Another important factor is the cost of massages. At The Pain Thieves, I deliberately try to keep my prices as low as possible. A 60 minutes remedial treatment is $100, and that is well under the average in Fremantle. I commit to operating under a tight budget because I believe that it is important to make remedial treatments available to most people. Also, you can claim your treatments with your private health insurance, and you usually only end up paying a fraction of the price.
I hope this article helped you. It is perfectly fine if you are still a bit unsure about when you should book your next treatment. Make sure you talk to your therapist for good advice. But feel free to follow your instinct and trust what works for you. We have clients that keep coming every week or so, just because it feels good to them and we never run out of things that we can work on!

More on the subject:
https://www.massageexperts.ca/how-often-should-i-get-a-massage/
https://katiebellphysio.com/how-often-should-i-get-a-massage/
https://www.healthline.com/health/pain-relief/how-often-should-you-get-a-massage

07/02/2023

The mechanics of pain and its relation to massage.

We have all experienced pain to different degrees and although it is incredibly common, we usually don’t understand it well.
Pain is an important function of the nervous system, and its role is to warn the body of a potential or actual injury. It is also a complex system with different steps, pathways and regulatory mechanisms.

The nociceptors are sensory receptors that are specialised in the detection of noxious (unpleasant) stimuli. They detect the stimuli and then transform them into electric signals that are transferred to the nerves.
The nerves carry those electric signals to the spinal cord and then to the brain. What is interesting is that there are different types of nerve fibers to conduct this information. Aβ fibers respond to light touch, they transmit non-noxious stimuli very quickly. Aδ fibers carry sharp pain rapidly (like when you knock your pinky toe). C fibers are responsible to transmit slow, chronic pain.
The brain is where all this information is processed and analysed. The experience of pain is complex and subjective and people will respond differently to the same signals depending on their mood, beliefs, history, genetics, cognition (distraction or catastrophising),…

Not all noxious stimuli hurt in the same way. This is partially because there are natural mechanisms in us to inhibit pain transmission.
The Gate Control Theory is an attempt to explain why, when we bang our head, it feels better when we rub it. It is thought that the activation of the Aβ fibers (light touch, rapid transmission when rubbing our head) inhibits the message from the Aδ and C fibers (painful, slower transmission).
The production and release of natural (endogenous) opioids (noradrenaline and serotonin) by the midbrain inhibits pain transmission too.

Now, what does that have to do with massage???
To put simply, massage activates the Aβ fibers (light touch), and the activation of those fibers for some time, recurrently and over time can override the painful message that comes from another part of the body. You see, the longer you have been experiencing pain, the easier it gets for those painful messages to reach your brain, keeping you in discomfort. Massage can help you break that cycle of pain, and allow you to get better, sleep well and start moving, all things that will lead to a faster recovery.
Also, massage has been proven to increase (by 28%) serotonin production, remember that natural opioid inhibits pain signal!
It is very normal to experience pains and aches from time to time. Massage therapy is a nice, natural and enjoyable way to help you deal with your pain. Also, taking control and discussing your pain with your therapist can change the way you experience it and make it a lot more manageable for you.

More on this fascinating subject:
The Effects of Massage Therapy on Pain Management in the Acute Care Setting - PMC (nih.gov)
Chronic Pain - When Can Massage Help - Massage - Treatments - Physio.co.uk
How Can Massage Therapy Treat Your Chronic Pain? - Pathways
*Microsoft Word - An introduction to pain pathways and mechanisms.revision2.doc (ucl.ac.uk)
Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy - PubMed (nih.gov)

06/02/2023

Welcome to The Pain Thieves page. You'll find here some information on massage in general and how it could help you. Also, details of our business in vibrant Fremantle, WA.

06/02/2023

Does massage really work?

That is a legitimate question, isn’t it? I’m spending $100 for an hour massage, so what benefit am I getting from it?

With the development of research, we have a much clearer picture of how massage can help you get better, but also the limitations of it.
In a nutshell, massage is great at reducing stress and promoting relaxation. While it might not seem much, that means it would benefit a huge range of people (who isn’t stressed these days?) and could have an effect on a lot of pathologies that are related to stress, anxiety, or sleep related issues. It could help you if you have loads on your plate at work, are pregnant and struggling to find time for yourself, or if you have trouble getting a full night’s sleep.
Another proven benefit of massage is its ability to reduce pain and muscle tension. That’s why massage is so sought after by people suffering from lower back pain and stiff neck. But it also means that massage is great for people recovering from an injury and seeing a physiotherapist to get stronger. Aching muscles don’t function well, limit our movements and movement is usually what we need to get better! Massage will help you do more full reps of your physio exercises, and that in turn will make you recover much faster.

While there is more research underway for more specific injuries, these are the main benefits of massage. But massage being such a nice, gentle and natural approach that virtually everyone could benefit from and has practically zero harmful side-effect.
If you haven’t had a good massage before, book a session with The Pain Thieves and discover by yourself all the wonders that massage can offer you. The 1h session costs $100, but as remedial massage is covered by most private insurance, depending on your coverage, you would probably only pay a fraction of that price.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/massage/art-20045743
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/benefits-of-massage-therapy
https://www.massagemyotherapy.com.au/Consumers/Blog/4-benefits-of-regular-massage-therapy
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/providers/digest/massage-therapy-for-health-science

The Pain Thieves

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