The Lane Cove rooms are at 2 Austin Street, directly opposite the Lane Cove Library and a few metres from Longueville Road. If you are coming from the village it is a walk of two or three minutes, and the parking behind the library is the easiest option in the middle of the day.
Lane Cove sends a particular mix of problems through the door. There are the desk-and-commute necks and low backs from St Leonards and the city, the shoulders and elbows of a suburb that plays a lot of tennis, and the knees and Achilles tendons that come with living on a hillside — the stairs down to Tambourine Bay and the streets off Burns Bay Road are their own kind of training load. Lane Cove also has a lot of people in their thirties and forties carrying small children, which is its own demand on a back.
A first appointment is mostly questions and movement testing: where the pain is, what makes it worse, what it stops you doing, and how it has behaved over weeks rather than days. From there you should leave knowing what is proposed, roughly how long it is expected to take, and what would mean changing the plan.
Worth bringing: any imaging or specialist letters you already have, a list of medications, and the shoes you actually walk or train in. If the pain is new and severe, follows a significant fall, or comes with numbness, weakness, fever or any change in bladder or bowel control, see a doctor first — that is a medical assessment, not a treatment question.
The nearest alternative if Lane Cove does not suit you is the Freshwater side, about 14 kilometres away across the Spit.
A little preparation makes a cupping appointment for tight muscles easier to understand, from what to mention beforehand to what to watch afterwards.
Tight shoulders from hours at a desk, calves that ache after a weekend game, a back that stiffens after gardening: these are common reasons people ask about cupping. The appointment is easier to follow when preparation and aftercare are discussed before the cups go on, rather than as an afterthought.
Let Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, know about sensitive skin, recent procedures or injections, previous reactions to cupping or massage, and any medicines that make you bruise easily. Also explain what is coming up for you. If you plan to train, swim, wear a fitted outfit or attend an event soon afterwards, visible marks may matter, and that can shape timing and intensity.
Say straight away if you feel an uncomfortable pulling, a burning sensation, lightheadedness or anything that seems wrong. Cupping should not be something you grit your teeth through. Before you head home, ask what skin changes are normal to see and what to do if an area looks or feels unusual over the next few days.
The internet is full of cupping dos and don'ts, many of them contradictory. A short, specific aftercare plan made for you is far more useful. Agree on an everyday activity to check at follow-up, such as turning to look behind you or getting through a training session with less tightness. Include comfort and skin recovery in that review, and remember that a mark is only one observation. Whether to continue should depend on your goal, your response and the options available.
A small practical tip for cupping appointments with Christine at the Freshwater clinic: wearing a loose top or one that is easy to remove can make the appointment more comfortable, and gives you one less thing to think about on the day.
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