Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before your appointment, including what to expect, what to bring, and how your session works. If you have any other questions, please feel free to get in touch.
Common Questions
Referrals and health funds, what happens in a first appointment, and how treatment is likely to progress.
No referral is required. You can book directly through this site for any of the three locations.
Many private health insurance extras policies offer rebates for remedial massage or myotherapy. Your eligibility and rebate amount will depend on your health fund and level of cover, so it is best to check with your insurer before your appointment. A receipt will be provided after your appointment so you can submit your claim to your private health fund.
Yes, where appropriate. Corrective exercises, mobility work and stretching may be prescribed as part of your treatment plan to support your recovery, improve movement and help maintain the progress achieved during your sessions.
Every person is different. Your treatment plan will depend on your condition, goals and how your body responds over time.
They share a lot of ground and both start with a clinical assessment. Myotherapy goes further into assessing and managing the underlying causes of musculoskeletal pain and movement dysfunction, and leans more on rehabilitation, corrective exercise and movement retraining alongside hands-on treatment. You do not need to pick between them when you book: both sit under Muscle Rhythm Alignment Therapy, and the assessment decides the approach.
They feel like opposites. Remedial massage uses firm, targeted pressure into muscle and fascia. Manual lymphatic drainage is very light and rhythmic, working at skin level to encourage lymphatic fluid through the system. They are booked separately, so choose Manual Lymphatic Drainage at the booking step if that is what you are after.
We talk first. I take your health and injury history, what you do for work, how you train and what you need to get back to. Then a physical assessment: movement and functional testing, posture, palpation, muscle testing and relevant orthopaedic testing. Treatment follows, chosen from what the assessment found, and you leave with a plan you understand.
Whichever is easiest to reach. Heidelberg suits Melbourne's north east, Richmond suits the inner east and the CBD, and North Melbourne suits the inner north. Same practitioner, same approach and the same fees at all three, so it comes down to which day and which trip suits you.
No. It's used within a treatment where the assessment supports it, and always discussed with you first. Treatment works well without it if you'd rather not.
Cliniko confirms the appointment by email straight away, then sends an SMS and email reminder before the day. Your invoice and receipt are emailed after the appointment. If you need to change or cancel, use the link in your confirmation email or contact Mary Ann directly.
Comfortable clothing you can move in. Assessment involves movement testing, so something you can walk, bend and reach in is ideal. Shorts and a t-shirt work well.
Some tenderness for a day or so after deeper work is normal, similar to post-gym soreness. Sharp or worsening pain isn't. If that happens, let me know. Keep moving gently, drink water, and avoid a heavy training session straight afterwards.