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.
Common IBS Symptoms:
Gas and bloating
Alternating constipation and diarrhea
Abdominal pain and cramping
Mucus in the stool
A feeling of fullness
TCM Approach to IBS
TCM views IBS as a "liver-spleen disharmony," often caused by stress. The liver controls the smooth flow of Qi (vital energy), while the spleen and stomach digest food. When stress stagnates liver energy, digestion is disrupted, leading to bloating, cramps, and irregular bowel movements.
Remedies for IBS:
Acupuncture to improve digestion and reduce stress.
Herbs to increase fibre intake gradually and improve gut health.
Probiotics to balance gut bacteria.
Massage: Rub your stomach (9x clockwise, 9x counterclockwise) to aid digestion.
Avoid dietary triggers such as dairy, chocolate, caffeine, and processed foods.
Cook vegetables instead of eating them raw to enhance digestion.
Managing stress and modifying diet can significantly improve IBS symptoms.
Please Login or Sign up to be able to comment