3 Steps to Heal Your Body
At Physio7, I use a 3-step system designed to help people overcome persistent pain, move freely, and feel stronger in their bodies again. Whether your pain has been around for months or years, this process gives you the tools to take back control.
The body has an amazing ability to heal. Think about what happens when you get a cut — it closes up, forms a scab, and gradually repairs itself. There is a process, and it takes time — but it happens, usually without you doing much to help. If it’s a deep cut, you might need stitches and a dressing, but those interventions are simply there to provide the right conditions for your body to do the healing.
So, when I work with someone who’s been struggling with chronic pain, the big question is: What’s stopping your body from healing?
Pain often lingers because of stress on sensitive tissues caused by stiff joints, tight or weak muscles, or imbalanced movement patterns. My job is to figure out what’s going wrong — and guide you through the steps to fix it.
Step 1: Relieve Pain
Most people come to me because they’re in pain — and they want it gone. That’s always the first priority.
This step focuses on easing your symptoms and calming things down. Depending on your needs, we may need to desensitise painful tissues, relieve inflammation, relax muscle spasms, or teach you simple pain-relieving postures or exercises.
I often work with muscular trigger points — those tight “knots” that can refer pain to surprising areas. For example, one small hip muscle can create pain that feels like sciatica. Releasing the right trigger point can bring dramatic relief, even when other treatments haven’t helped.
Step 2: Release Tightness & Restore Movement
Once your pain is under control, we focus on freeing up the body. Long-standing pain often comes with stiff joints, tight muscles, and poor movement patterns — and these restrictions can keep feeding the problem.
We look at:
Which joints aren’t moving well
Which muscles are overworking or underworking
Which habits or movement patterns might be stressing your body
I use a range of techniques to release what’s tight — from joint mobilisation to soft tissue release, stretching, massage, and other hands-on therapies. But I’m always asking: Why is this area tight in the first place? Is it guarding an injury? Is it weak? Is it compensating for a deeper problem?
By understanding the "why," we get better long-term results.
Once things start to move better, we shift focus to restoring control of your movement. Having lots of flexibility might sound great, but extreme flexibility may leave you more prone to injuries. Loose, floppy joints that don’t have muscular control leave the joint surfaces and surrounding tissues at risk of strains, sprains and other injuries.
So while we aim to increase the mobility of stiff joints and tight muscles, it is just as vital that you can control all that movement.
Just like the wheels on a car need aligning for smooth driving and even tyre wear, your joints need muscular balance and coordination to move safely.
Movement control exercises can help improve the stabilisation and alignment of joints and reduce our likelihood of developing joint pains and injuries. They can improve the way you walk, run, lift, push, and pull. Better alignment leads to fewer injuries and more efficient, pain-free movement.
Step 3: Rebuild Strength, Power & Endurance
The final step is about building a body that not only feels good — but stays that way.
Once your joints are moving well and your muscles are doing their job, we build strength, power and endurance to meet the demands of your life. Whether you’re chasing a marathon, lifting at work, or playing with your kids, your rehab plan should reflect your goals.
We gradually increase the challenge, so your tissues adapt and get stronger — without flare-ups or setbacks. This stage is essential to make sure your improvements last.
Avoiding movement can sometimes feel safer when you’ve been in pain. But true resilience is built by moving well, then moving often, then moving more. This is where people rediscover what their body can really do — and it’s where long-term change happens.
Whether you’ve been dealing with pain for a few weeks or a few years, I believe you can feel better, move better, and live with confidence in your body again. This 3-step system is how we get there — together.
Chris
Physio7
