Equilibrium Pain Management Coaching & Massage Therapy

17/02/2026

With colds and such going round, there's a few cancellations this week. If you are well and in need of some therapeutic TLC, it's a great time to take advantage of the available slots that have opened up this week.

01/02/2026

New MoH data on migraine. There's some really interesting data in there.

New Zealand-specific migraine data has just been released by the Ministry of Health.

Due to our advocacy efforts in June 2022, validated migraine questions were included in the 2023/24 national survey. Prior to this, the last time migraine was asked about was in 2013/14, however the question asked was whether you had been diagnosed with migraine by a doctor. That question excluded people who hadn’t been diagnosed, which significantly undercounted the number of people with migraine and the true burden of migraine in Aotearoa.

Key results include:

1 in 7 Kiwi adults live with migraine, yet half of these people have never been diagnosed with migraine by a doctor. This equates to about 317,000 people with migraine symptoms but without a diagnosis.

Māori have the highest rate of migraine symptoms (20%) and Māori and Pacific adults have the highest rates of migraine symptoms without a diagnosis (~11%).

15% of New Zealand adults reported migraine symptoms in the last three months.

Younger age groups had the highest rates of migraine symptoms (17% of 15–24 year olds and 19.9% of 25–34 year olds had symptoms in the last 3 months.

And nearly twice as many disabled adults (25%) had migraine symptoms compared to non-disabled adults.

Results like these highlight the huge burden migraine has for individuals, their family plus society. The good news is that with timely and accurate diagnosis and effective treatment and management, this burden of migraine can be significantly reduced. Advocating for our NZ migraine community remains a top priority for us during 2026 and now we have this NZ data we have an even stronger basis to advocate for better screening, recognition and treatment of migraine by health professionals and more awareness and education about migraine in the general public.

Read more here: https://migrainefoundation.org.nz/half-of-those-with-migraine-not-diagnosed-nz/

01/02/2026

I'm getting positive feedback about the new client portal and booking system. If you want to know what appointments are available in the coming week, you can check on the portal as I'm listing them there when cancellations or changes come through, or slots still available. It's updated regularly.

If you are looking for an appointment and one isn't available when you want, you can put yourself on the Waitlist.

Log in to your account on the portal (you need to create a login first if you haven't already done that).
Click on Waitlist in the sidebar or Waitlist in the Footer.
Complete the Waitlist Form with the necessary details.
When your desired appointment becomes available, you'll get an automatic notification.
You can then go into the portal to book the appointment.

Equilibrium Pain Management Coaching & Massage Therapy

26/01/2026

Let's goooo!

23/01/2026

💯 this! The last thing that anyone living with pain needs to be told is that that it's all in their head, too unfit, too overweight, have poor posture, have a weak core, have crumbling joints etc etc.

Pain is real. Pain is complex. Pain is an individual experience. There are many factors that can contribute to and exacerbate it. Some are biological, like immune function, inflammatory processes, existing health conditions including if you are recovering from an injury, genetics, neurochemistry, gender, medications, aging. Some are what we call psychosocial. These are things like our beliefs about pain, past experiences, our coping strategies, stress and mental well-being, how much support we have, lifestyle, housing and financial status etc.

When we have pain and have other stuff going on in our body, life, environment, this other stuff can affect our pain and our ability to manage.

Working with the complete person and understanding how it is for them IS part of effective pain treatment and management.

22/01/2026

So many perimenopausal and postmenopausal women I see, including myself, have joint and muscle pain. Like many areas of women's health, this area is underfunded, underresearched, and often we are told just to go away and live the rest of our lives on antiinflammatories. More research, especially looking into the role of hormones, and better evidence-informed treatment. This is what we deserve.

📊 New data, same story women have been telling for years.

A massive review of 93,000+ women across 22 countries found:

• 40% of premenopausal women report muscle or joint pain
• 57% of perimenopausal women do
• 59% of postmenopausal women do

That’s a 35–40% higher risk of muscle and joint pain after the menopause transition.

And yet…
🔹 The pain is often labeled “vague”
🔹 Specific musculoskeletal conditions are rarely named
🔹 Hormones are still under-considered

This isn’t “just aging.”
This is biology.
And it deserves better research, better language, and better care.

💬 If this is you, you’re not imagining it—and you’re not alone.

Kruse C, McKechnie T, Dworsky-Fried J, Sardar A, Hacker G, Rattansi S, Fang E, Sprague S, Shea AK, Bhandari M. Musculoskeletal Manifestations of Perimenopause: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 93,021 Women. JB JS Open Access. 2026 Jan 13;11(1):e25.00254. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.OA.25.00254. PMID: 41523660; PMCID: PMC12784006.

22/01/2026

I'm feeling optimistic and encouraged about 2026. There's a few things I have in the pipeline and/or am getting involved in this year.

1) Doing some work on a Massage Aotearoa New Zealand Scoping Group which has come out of a well-considered remit put forward at our AGM last year by MANZ member and ex/Co-Chair Bernie Te Moni-Withington. This is an exciting piece of mahi that I'm excited to be a part of.

2) Attending the New Zealand Pain Society conference in Ōtautahi/Christchurch in March. Always a fantastic opportunity to connect with my fellow pain geeks from around the country!

3) Writing a lived-experience piece on my 2024/25 journey through chronic pain from a rotator cuff tear. While I have a good understanding of pain and what is going on, I learnt a lot from this experience! I'm hoping that writing about it will be able to bring a number of themes together and that what I share might be helpful for others.

4) Continuing on with the interprofessional networking I did last year. I've connected with several local health and movement professionals and I'm looking forward to doing more of this so we can collaborate to help our clients get better outcomes.

5) Sharing what I know and understand about pain with others via seminar/kōrero. I've presented to external groups before, but am keen about the idea of running something small in-clinic.

Lots to look forward to!

20/01/2026

Access the new clinic portal here

Equilibrium Pain Management Coaching & Massage Therapy

20/01/2026

We re-open on Tuesday 27th January and I'm looking forward to seeing my clients again!

This year I've added Tuesday morning appointments back in, giving you a few more appointment options.

The new online booking system is working well, there's just two appointments left next week. So if you are in need of an appointment, pop over to my website and use the new BOOK ONLINE button to book an appointment.

I've had a fantastic break with some time spent down south on the Otago Peninsula, where the days are long and the scenery is stunning with the ever-changing light. Here's a shot I took while on a evening wander on the sand flats while the tide was out.

I hope you have all had a lovely break over the festive season.

I'm looking forward to being part of your well-being routine in 2026 🙂

16/12/2025

2 appointments going tomorrow, Wednesday 17th, 10am and 4pm.
You can book via this link
https://bookeo.com/equilibrium_massage

17/09/2025

Useful information. The use of antiiflammatories can slow the healing process so use wisely.

7 Things to Know About Inflammation, Pain, and Common Medications

1. Your body uses inflammation to heal.
When you get hurt, your immune system releases chemicals called prostaglandins. These cause swelling and make the injured area more sensitive so your body can protect and repair it.

2. Inflammation also causes pain.
The same process that helps you heal can also make you feel sore or achy.

3. NSAIDs can help manage pain.
Medicines like ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve), and aspirin can reduce pain and make movement easier.

4. But they may slow down healing.
Because NSAIDs block inflammation, they can sometimes delay the body’s natural repair process.

5. Use the lowest dose that works.
Doctors recommend taking the smallest amount that helps your pain while still letting your body heal.

6. Take NSAIDs with food and water.
Eating and drinking plenty of fluids lowers the chance of stomach upset or other side effects.

7. Different NSAIDs work differently for people.
Some people respond better to ibuprofen, others to naproxen or aspirin. Switching between them can sometimes help.

Bonus tip: Aspirin has two roles.

•In low doses (81 mg), it helps protect the heart by preventing blood clots.

•In higher doses (325 mg), it works more like other NSAIDs to reduce inflammation.