Lachlan Hough (he/him)

Meet Lachy 

​

Hi there. I’m Lachy. Physio, pain nerd, and traveller. In my time as a Physio I’ve worked with a lot of different people in pain. Every one of those people was unique, and so was their pain experience. I firmly believe that treatment for pain needs to be as unique as the individual experiencing it. Whilst there are no recipes or one size fits all approaches to pain recovery, I do believe there are key components. 

 

Hear.

​

To me, this means taking the time to fully hear your story, in your own words, as unfiltered as can be. Understanding how you see your problem, it’s causes and impacts, past, present and future, is the vital first step in beginning to unravel the complex and personal nature of persistent pain. This means accepting all people as they are, respecting their experiences and their perspectives before adding any of my own. Hearing also means learning more about you and what makes you tick. It’s work and home, it’s hobbies and passions, dreams and aspirations. It’s also the groundwork for reconnecting you to any of these parts of yourself that pain might have taken away. This step never really ends, but often it is the main focus of your first session. We have long appointments for a reason; the time is for you!

​

Explore.

​

After hearing your story in full, it’s time to dive in (or dip your toes in!). Explore is about new thinking, new experiences, and new knowledge. We’ll work together to uncover key drivers of your pain. This includes examination of “issues in the tissues” or the more physical or mechanical components of pain, alongside a broader exploration of the role of overall wellbeing including sleep, stress, exercise, illness, other health issues, thoughts and beliefs, behaviour, social networks and mental health. Pain is influenced by all of these things, and yet treatments are often focused only on the issues in the tissues. Explore is all about not leaving anything on the table. We’ll nudge potentially unhelpful strategies and beliefs with new knowledge about the science of pain, we’ll explore meaningful movement and activity rather than a list of generic exercises and we’ll work to build trust and confidence back in your body. The science of pain can be an incredible source of hope and possibility. We are bioplastic, meaning we change and adapt to new stresses. Adaptation is what leads to persistent pain, but it’s also what can get you out of it. This step can be challenging, and requires courage, but we’ll go at your pace, and open communication will be key to keep us on the journey together.

​

Venture.

​

Likewise, this step also requires courage. It’s about venturing forward into the unknown, or back into the long forgotten, and reconnecting with your body, yourself, and your life – on your terms. It’s about building on the knowledge and learning you’ve gained and putting things into practice with practical strategies to implement in your life. It’s about putting power and control back in your hands. Traditional pain treatments are very passive, limited to medication, surgery, or things being done to you. Venturing forward is more about powering up the things that you can do. I can help guide you with this.

The road to recovery is not a straight one, it’s often long, dusty, potholed and filled with more twists and turns than a politician dodging a simple question. But if travel and outdoors adventures have taught me anything, it’s that the best things are often tucked away at the end of that long dusty road or trail. This journey is going to take courage, consistency, patience and persistence, but you’ve got this!