Christine Coote-Dinh

03/11/2025

🌿 Ever felt a “muscle knot” and wondered what it really is?

Many people describe it as a small, tight ball under the skin — or that distinct clunk when running fingers, hands, or a foam roller over a spot that just doesn’t feel the same on the other side. Sometimes the pain stays localised, and other times it’s felt somewhere else entirely — like a knot in the shoulder or neck causing a headache, or one in the glutes referring pain down the leg.

It’s not that your muscle has tied itself in a literal knot — it can’t. But what you’re feeling might be:

• A trigger point — muscle fibres that have tightened and lost their ability to relax
• Dehydrated or thickened fascia — connective tissue that’s become sticky or less fluid
• A protective holding pattern — your body bracing in response to stress, injury, or emotional tension

These patterns can form from long hours of sitting, poor posture, overuse, or even the body’s way of holding unprocessed stress. When this happens, the area can feel hard, tender, clunky — and may refer pain elsewhere.

If you’ve tried foam rolling, stretching, massage guns, heat, movement, or constant rubbing of the spot and it keeps coming back — it may be time to look deeper.

Through my approach of precise manual therapy, I work with the body’s deeper layers — restoring fluid movement through the tissues, easing tension, and calming the nervous system so your body feels safe enough to release.

The result? That “knot” you’ve been chasing might finally start to soften — not because it’s been forced, but because your body remembers how to relax and move freely again.

🌱 Sometimes it’s not about pressing harder, but about applying the right depth, direction, and precision — working with the body, not against it.

If you’ve been chasing a “knot” that just won’t shift, it might be time to try a different approach. Book a session to see how precise manual therapy can help your body unwind, move freely, and feel at home again.

📍Clinic location: The Balanced Body Centre - 76A Princes Hwy, St Peters 2044
🗓️ Online booking link: www.christinecootedinh.com.au
📞 Prefer a chat first? Text or call: 0433 778 466
👉 Private Health Insurance Rebates Available

06/10/2025

🌿 Can arthritis symptoms really be eased with manual therapy?

For some people, yes.

Over the years, a number of clients have come to me with diagnosed osteoarthritis — and while I can’t claim to treat the condition itself, many have found meaningful relief through precise manual therapy, even when told their only option was to “manage it.”

Session after session, I’ve seen something shift.
Through gentle, precise techniques, we’ve worked on releasing stiffness, easing inflammation, and rebalancing how the body moves. Clients often leave saying things like:

“I didn’t realise I could move this freely again.”

“The pain feels lighter.”

Massage doesn’t cure arthritis — but by working with the patterns around the joints (muscles, fascia, fluid balance, and the stress response), the body often responds with surprising improvements.

🌿 Sometimes it’s not about fixing everything — it’s about making space for the body to move, breathe, and feel better.

Every person’s body responds differently, but the right support can create more comfort, freedom, and ease in daily life.

If you’re living with arthritis and wondering if this approach could help, feel free to reach out — I’m here to explore what’s possible for your body. 🌱

📍Clinic location: 76A Princes Hwy, St Peters 2044

📆 Online booking link: www.christinecootedinh.com.au

👉 Private Health Insurance Rebates Available

22/09/2025

How Your Posture Shapes Your Mind and Emotions

The way you hold your body isn’t just about looking confident or slouching — it influences how you feel. Shoulders back, head high, eyes forward: your body sends a message to the world and your mind. Rounded shoulders, head forward, eyes down: your body communicates differently — to yourself and others.

Feelings like excitement and anxiety feel almost identical in the body — faster heartbeat, tense muscles, alert nervous system. What shifts the experience? The mind and how freely your body can move and breathe.

When your breathing is restricted or tension builds in the body from habits, stress, or posture, fear can emerge in everyday life, and anxiety can feel amplified.

Here’s the hopeful part: by working with your body — opening movement, freeing the breath, and engaging the nervous system — you can shift how your mind experiences these emotions. Small changes in posture, breath, and body awareness can lift tension, bring clarity, and even turn fear into excitement.

I work with clients using precise manual therapy and holistic methods to help the body reset, reconnect, and support these shifts — so your mind and body can feel more aligned and at ease.

Curious how your body is communicating to you today?

🗓️ Online Bookings: www.christinecootedinh.com.au
📍 Clinic Location: 76A Princes Hwy, St Peters 2044
📞 0433 778 466

25/08/2025

Calves Gone Rogue: Messages from Your Muscles

Ever get a sudden twinge in your calf and wonder, “What did I do now?” Your calves are a powerhouse trio — they help you stand, walk, run, jump… basically, they’re the unsung heroes of your legs. They even act like a second heart, helping push blood back up from your feet and legs.

But when we ask too much from them, they start talking… and sometimes it’s not subtle.

Pain, stiffness, cramps, or even bruises can all be your calves’ way of saying: “Hey, something’s off down here!”

Often, calf pain is just part of a bigger picture. It might relate to your glutes, your back, or even emotional or mental stress you’ve been holding onto.

Other possible causes can include:

• Achilles tendon injuries

• Diabetic peripheral neuropathy

• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) — if in doubt, see a doctor immediately!

• Compartment syndrome

💡 Tip: If you notice swelling, redness, or unusual tenderness, check in with your doctor straight away — better safe than sorry.

In my sessions, I don’t just “fix” the calf. I help people tune into what their body is really communicating, so the tension, pain, or stiffness is understood in the context of the whole body — and sometimes, the mind and emotions too.

Curious what your calves (and the rest of your body) are trying to tell you?

Book a session to explore your body’s messages and find the shifts it’s ready for: www.christinecootedinh.com.au

📍Clinic location: 76A Princes Hwy, St Peters 2044

📞 Prefer a chat first? Text or call: 0433 778 466

Private Health Insurance Rebates Available.

18/08/2025

I keep stretching, but it’s always tight…

🌿 Stretching Isn’t Always the Solution

We’ve all heard this, but what does it really mean?
When muscles feel tight, our first instinct is often to stretch. But if you’re stretching every day and nothing’s changing — it may be your body asking for something different.

Here are a few possibilities:

• Weakness – Muscles gripping on for stability
• Poor movement patterns – Your body compensating for something else not doing its job
• Nervous system tension – Stress or poor sleep making your body feel tighter
• Overuse – Muscles that are overworked feeling “tight” because they’re tired, not short

Sometimes it’s not the muscle itself, but the bigger picture of how your body and nervous system are working together. Sitting long hours, posture habits with screens, stress levels, and daily movement patterns all play a role.

My approach isn’t about fixing or carrying what you’re experiencing. Instead, I create a space where your body can express what it’s been holding and where you can begin to understand the patterns behind your pain. In each session, I support the changes your body is ready for, while encouraging you to stay connected to your own process — so shifts don’t just happen on the table, but continue in your everyday life.

👉 If you’re curious about what your “tightness” might really be saying, I’d be happy to explore this with you.

📍Clinic location: 76A Princes Hwy, St Peters 2044

🗓️ Online booking link: www.christinecootedinh.com.au

📞 Prefer a chat first? Text or call: 0433 778 466

Private Health Insurance Rebates Available

18/08/2025

AVAILABILITY THIS WEEK: Wed 20 Aug at 5pm & Fri 22 Aug at 1230pm. More available next week.

💆‍♀️ Clinical remedial massage – for musculoskeletal and nerve pain, injuries, and recovery and 🍃 Holistic sessions – to release stress, tension, and restore balance.

(Sometimes spots open up due to cancellations. If you’d like to be notified if one becomes available, feel free to send me a quick text.)

📍Clinic location: 76A Princes Hwy, St Peters 2044
🌐 Online booking link: www.christinecootedinh.com.au
📞 Prefer a chat first? Text or call: 0433 778 466

Private Health Insurance Rebates Available.

Let me know how I can help! 🤓

Clinical Remedial Massage & Holistic Therapy - Private Health Insurance Rebates Available

11/08/2025

Listening to Your Body: Understanding Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

When clients describe their discomfort, I notice patterns — the body has its own language, and every word carries an important message.

Sometimes these messages aren’t loud, but they carry urgency that deserves attention.

If you experience:
• Numbness or tingling in your arm or fingers
• Pain or aches in your neck, shoulder, arm, or hand
• Fatigue in the arm during activity
• A weakening grip

These are signals your body is sending, not just pain but communication to be heard.

Or perhaps you notice:
• A pulsating lump near your collarbone
• Cold fingers, hands, or arms
• Pain in your hand or arm
• Changes in colour in fingers or the whole hand
• A weak or absent pulse in the affected arm

These signs are another important pattern, another message your nervous system wants you to notice.
And if swelling comes with pain or colour changes in your fingers or hand, that’s yet another pattern.
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome can be complex.

My work focuses on listening deeply to these signals and using gentle, nervous system-informed therapy to guide your body toward relief and restored function.

If this sounds familiar or you’re curious about how to address these symptoms, I’m here to help. Let’s listen to your body together.

🗓️Online Bookings: www.christinecootedinh.com.au
📍 Clinic Location: 76A Princes Hwy, St Peters 2044

04/08/2025

Waking Up With a Neck You Can’t Move? Let’s Talk Pillows + Positioning 🛏️

Ever woken up and thought:

“I can’t turn my neck — what the heck happened while I was sleeping?”

You’re not alone. Many people come in describing pain that seems to appear out of nowhere — but when we slow down and look a little closer, it often traces back to how they’re sleeping and whether their body is (or isn’t) being properly supported.

Here are a few things I often share with clients:

🌀 If you sleep on your side
Your pillow height matters. Ideally, it should support the space between your ear and the bed, so your shoulder isn’t forced forward or back. Your neck should feel held — not squashed or stretched.
• Add a pillow (or rolled blanket) between your knees and ankles to support your hips and spine.
• Want to go next-level? Prop a blanket behind your back and hug one in front — it helps your body fully exhale into sleep. (Or just lean into your partner — I won’t judge 😄)

🌀 If you sleep on your back
Choose a pillow that follows the natural curve of your neck. You want a gentle, supportive arc — not a raised head or a chin tucked into your chest.

🌀 If you sleep on your stomach
I say this with love: consider easing out of it. Stomach sleeping often leads to neck, hip, and back issues from the twisting and compression it causes.

If you're drawn to the comfort of pressure, try a weighted blanket over your belly or hips, or a far-infrared heat pad — it may help your system settle without the strain of sleeping face-down.

You might also find better rest by transitioning to side-sleeping with the supports mentioned above. These small adjustments can help your body feel more held — especially if you're used to tensing or bracing during sleep.

Here are a few questions I explore with clients when neck pain shows up:

• Was your neck already sore before bed?
• Does your pillow support you enough — or too much?
• Do you curl up tight, with your chin nearly on your chest?
• Do you fall asleep watching Netflix or your iPad?
• Do you move more during sleep than you realise?

💡 Tip: Try recording yourself sleeping — many people are surprised by how much they toss and turn. Your “rest” might be more restless than you think.

But here’s something deeper I want to share:

Your neck isn’t just a structure of muscles and bones — it’s a vital communication corridor. Movement messages, hormone signals, and neural information are constantly passing through it.

When life’s external pressures build, internal tension often follows… and the neck silently bears the load. That stiffness or sharp pain? It isn’t always just about pillows or posture. Sometimes, it’s your nervous system trying to get your attention.

That frozen neck might be the final signal in a chain of subtle stressors — tension, emotional load, unprocessed movement, or built-up fatigue — things your body has quietly been holding until it says: “I can’t keep carrying this.”

___________________

In my work, I help people tune in to what their body is really communicating. Pain isn’t always a problem to fix — sometimes, it’s your body whispering (or yelling 😬) for you to notice something deeper.

My approach is practically grounded, nervous system-informed, and deeply attuned — not about chasing quick fixes, but helping you move with your body, not against it.

Sometimes, that leads to an “aha” moment. Other times, it opens up a whole new conversation. Wherever you’re at, your body is speaking. And you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Want to explore what your mornings are really saying?

Book in a session at www.christinecootedinh.com.au

📍 Clinic Location: 76A Princes Hwy, St Peters 2044

Or share this with someone who always wakes up holding their neck like a robot 🤖

28/07/2025

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? Your Wrist Might Be Asking for Help 🤝

Here’s How to Listen When pain or tingling shows up, your body’s not broken—it’s communicating.

Losing strength in your wrist isn’t just inconvenient—it can make everyday tasks like holding a plate, taking off a t-shirt, or brushing your hair feel challenging and frustrating.

What’s really going on?

Deep inside your wrist runs the median nerve through a small, snug tunnel called the carpal tunnel. This space is tight—bounded by bones and a ligament roof—and also carries nine tendons controlling your fingers and thumb. When something changes in that tunnel, the nerve is the first to feel it, because it’s the softest structure there. That’s when weakness, tingling, or numbness might start to show up.

While the symptoms may point to carpal tunnel syndrome, what’s happening at the wrist might only be part of the picture. The body is interconnected, and strain at the wrist may be linked to tension patterns further up — in the neck, shoulders, or even how your nervous system is coping overall.

The wrist may be the messenger for something bigger.

Common signs of carpal tunnel syndrome include:

• Tingling or numbness in the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers—sometimes feeling like electric shocks. These can happen during daily activities or even wake you up at night.

• Weakness in your hand, causing you to drop things or struggle with grip strength. If your wrist is trying to tell you something, it deserves to be heard.

In my clinic, I don’t just offer relief—I listen deeply to what your body needs and guide your nervous system to feel safe enough to shift toward ease.

Together, we explore gentle ways to support your wrist and overall well-being—not just masking symptoms but encouraging lasting change.

If your wrist has been holding a message for too long, it might be time to listen differently. You don’t have to wait until it’s painful or limiting your life.

If this resonates, I’m here to help 🙋‍♀️.

Online Bookings: www.christinecootedinh.com.au

📍Clinic Location: 76A Princes Hwy, St Peters 2044

21/07/2025

🌿 What Your Body Might Be Saying Through a Dowager’s Hump

Have you noticed a gentle (or pronounced) curve forming at the base of your neck or upper back?

Often called a Dowager’s Hump—and sometimes referred to as thoracic hyperkyphosis or dorso-cervical fat pad—this visible rounding can form for many reasons, including posture habits, spinal changes, emotional holding patterns, or even past injuries.

But behind the physical curve, there’s often a story your body is holding.

People with this pattern might also experience:
▪️ Neck or shoulder discomfort
▪️ Tightness between the shoulder blades
▪️ Fatigue or heaviness in the upper body
▪️ Headaches or jaw tension
▪️ Tingling, numbness, or changes in breath and digestion
▪️ A feeling of being “stuck” or disconnected in their own body

These aren’t signs of failure—
They’re your body’s way of speaking.
Of adapting.
Of protecting.
And sometimes, it’s asking for a different kind of support.

In my practice, I don’t aim to “fix” a Dowager’s Hump. Instead, I meet you where you are. The work I do doesn’t force or fix—it gently reminds. Through precise manual therapy and presence, I invite your nervous system to feel safe again… so your body can integrate what it’s been holding and shift in the way it needs, not the way it’s told to.

Sometimes that shift is physical.
Sometimes it’s emotional, subtle, or simply the return of ease.
Everyone’s results look different.
Everyone’s timing is their own.

But when the body feels met, not managed—
It remembers how to come home to itself.

📍From my clinic in St Peters 2044, I work with people of all backgrounds—not to change who they are, but to help the body remember what it feels like to move, breathe, and be at home within itself.

You don’t need a formal diagnosis.
You don’t need to wait for things to get worse.
If your body is calling for something different, I am here to help.

Online Bookings: www.christinecootedinh.com.au

14/07/2025

Rotator Cuff Pain? Maybe It’s Not Just Your Shoulder Carrying the Load…

You go to lift your arm — and there it is again.

The sharp pull.

The heaviness.

The hesitation.

Like something’s being held in place by tension… or memory. Often, the shoulder pain we label as “rotator cuff issues” is only part of the story.

Yes, the joint is structurally shallow — more like a golf ball sitting on a tee.

Yes, the rotator cuff is essential for dynamic stability in all that glorious movement.

Yes, the bigger muscles like pecs and lats can dominate the space, leaving smaller stabilisers overwhelmed.

But I’ve come to see something else too:

🧠 The shoulder is one of the loudest storytellers in the body. It holds burdens we don’t always remember picking up. So when movement becomes painful, stiff, or disjointed…

It may not just be about structure.

It may be about rhythm.

Or boundaries.

Or weight that was never meant to be carried long-term.

💡 Symptoms I see in clinic include:
– Pain when lifting or sleeping on one side
– Radiating discomfort into the arm or neck
– A crackling or catching sensation during movement
– Loss of range or confidence in movement
– Fatigue or frustration from feeling like it’s “just not getting better”

These may stem from:
– Repetitive strain or old injuries
– Muscle imbalance (big muscles overpowering small ones)
– Postural habits that compress space
– How your body protects you — sometimes long after the moment has passed

🌿 In my practice, we don’t just treat the site of pain. We explore how your whole body is contributing to the tension — physically, emotionally, and behaviourally.

I use a blend of:
- Hands-on therapy to reset muscular and fascial balance
- Body observation to find where the rhythm is asking for attention
- Movement guidance to rebuild support
- And space for you to feel what may have gone unheard

Because healing isn’t just about getting you to raise your arm again. It’s about helping you feel safe in your body again.

If your shoulder has been asking for support — and you’re ready, I’m here to help.

📍Clinic location: 76A Princes Hwy, St Peters 2044
🌐 Online booking link: www.christinecootedinh.com.au
📞 Prefer a chat first? Text or call: 0433 778 466

Private Health Insurance Rebates Available

You don’t have to carry it all.