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Nalu Motion | Mobility for surfers

@nalu.motion

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Maude Marchand, online surf fitness & PT
🏄‍♀️Helping surfers overcome back pain
🌊 1:1 Online Coaching
📆 Book your Free Assessment👇or DM me "BACK"

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Already one 1 year for Nalumotion🎉

But this didn’t start a year ago.

It started in 2019, teaching movement classes for surfers in surf hotels, and starting to notice the same patterns again and again : tight hips, sensitive lower backs, shoulders that didn’t love paddling…

But more importantly:

people who didn’t want to stop surfing, even when their body was asking for it.

Then in the clinic, seeing surfers with pain, flare-ups, frustration… some resting, some pushing through, most stuck in between, which pushed me to refine a rehab approach that actually fits surfing.

One year ago, I took it online to reach more surfers and help them stay in the water longer, wherever they are.

Everything in this post comes from that journey!

I’m really grateful I get to combine my passions surfing & rehab and help more surfers GET BACK ON THE WAVE 🌊 by @nalu.motion

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6 months ago

We just hit 1,000 here at Nalu Motion
So if you’re new around here… welcome 🤙

And if you’ve been here for a while, thank you for trusting me with your back, your goals, and getting back on the wave 🌊

Here’s a little about me:

1️⃣ I’m a physical therapist helping surfers with back pain stay in the water without having to worry about their back.
My focus 👉 Spine health, strength, and building resilient surfers who can handle long sessions and bigger waves.

2️⃣ I’m originally from Québec City and now based in Nova Scotia (aka Canada’s cold-water surf playground ⚓️).
I graduated from Université Laval in 2014 and now work with surfers both online and in-clinic.

3️⃣ I didn’t choose spine rehab randomly.
I’ve dealt with my own disc bulges, sciatica, and stubborn neck pain in my 20s. Strength training, posture awareness, and smart programming changed everything for me, and that’s exactly what I bring to my clients.

4️⃣ I caught my first wave in 2012 and was instantly hooked.
After 6 years of being a landlocked surfer, I know what it’s like to chase waves around work, weather, and geography.
Current surf goal: cleaner, more powerful cutbacks.

5️⃣ Nalu Motion isn’t just rehab.
It’s having someone in your corner who understands surfing, respects your goals, and helps you train for the long game ; Calming down pain, building strength, talking surf trips and learn a lot about your body along the way!

Now I want to know more about you!

Where do you surf? 🌎
And what’s your biggest challenge right now? Pain, endurance, pop-ups, something else?

Grateful for every single one of you 🙏

See you in the water,
Maude 🤙 by @nalu.motion

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8 months ago

I saw therapists, tried exercises, and still couldn’t get rid of my back pain.

It wasn’t until I truly understood how my body worked and committed to changing the way I moved every single day that things started to improve.

That experience completely changed how I treat my patients.

I know how frustrating pain is when it stops you from doing what you love.

I know how overwhelming it feels when you don’t understand what’s happening in your own body.

And I know the difference a clear, realistic plan can make.

Now, when you come to me with back pain, I can:

🌊 Spot the small habits that keep you stuck

🌊 Give you the tools to understand your own body

🌊 Teach you exercises and exactly how they should feel

🌊 Guide and support you through the ups and downs

You have to understand HOW the actions you take are helping you.

If you just follow a plan without understanding WHY, you won’t stick with it long enough to see results.

👇 What’s the one thing you wish you understood better about your injury? by @nalu.motion

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a year ago

You’ve found a coach that :

🌊 Understands how surfing matters to you

🌊 Helps you understand your body⁠, and how surfing affects it

🌊 Gives you a plan that fits your lifestyle — not just a list of exercises⁠

🌊 Tracks your progress and evolves with you

🌊⁠ Makes decisions with you, not for you⁠

🌊 Sees the whole picture, not just your injury⁠

🌊 Listens. Truly.⁠

When you’re dealing with an injury, having someone in your corner makes all the difference.

Feel free to reach out, you don’t have to figure it out alone 🤙 by @nalu.motion

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11 days ago

Est-ce que le surf est un sport dangereux? 🚩

Comme dans plusieurs sports, certaines blessures sont difficiles à éviter… mais ça ne veut pas dire qu’on est complètement impuissant face aux blessures de surf.

Le surf demande beaucoup à notre corps :
💥centaines de coups de rame
💥take-offs explosifs
💥changements de direction rapides
💥de la force et de l’endurance
💥beaucoup de répétition

Et lorsque la demande du surf dépasse la capacité de notre corps à y répondre, les douleurs et blessures peuvent commencer à apparaître.

La bonne nouvelle? On peut préparer son corps aux exigences du surf.

C’est exactement ce dont je vais parler lors de mon atelier :

SURFER SANS SE BLESSER

📅 6 octobre
⏰ 19h00 — heure du Québec
💻 En direct sur Zoom + replay disponible
💰 20$

DM « SURF » pour recevoir les détails et t’inscrire. by @nalu.motion

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13 days ago

Your back doesn’t always hurt because there’s something wrong with your back.

Sometimes, another painful or underloaded area is changing the way you move.

I see this regularly with surfers who have back pain + knee pain.

If loading your knee hurts, your body will naturally look for another way to complete the movement. That can mean relying more heavily on your hips and back.

And while a hip-dominant strategy isn’t inherently bad, always avoiding knee loading isn’t ideal for a sport that requires repeated knee flexion and force absorption.

🏄 Bottom turns.

🏄 Pumping.

🏄 Cutbacks.

🏄 Landings.

Your knees need to be able to do their share of the work.

Back pain + knee pain? Look at the whole movement, not just the painful spot.

DM “WAVE” if you think you might be protecting your knees… and overloading your back!

#surfersbackpain #surffitness #lowbackpain #kneepain by @nalu.motion

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21 days ago

Something I see all the time with my back pain clients:

They also have knee pain.

And sometimes, that knee pain is an important part of the story.

Think about what happens when your knee hurts.

Every time you squat, bend down, stand up, or get into your surf stance, your body may unconsciously try to avoid loading the painful knee.

So instead of letting your knee and hip do their share of the work, you may start shifting more movement and load toward your back.

Over and over.

Your back isn’t necessarily the problem.

It might be doing too much of the work because something else isn’t moving or loading well.

That’s why when I work with someone with back pain, I don’t just look at their back.

I look at the whole movement chain.

Because sometimes, to finally change your back pain, you need to address what’s happening below it.

Your knee might be part of the story.

DM me BACK if you think it is you 🤙 by @nalu.motion

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24 days ago

Thank you @lizberhphotography and @saltbox.media for the pictures of log fest 2026.

Thank you @surfnovascotia for organising the event, it was such a fun time at the beach surfing with friends!

Waves were quite challenging for longboard… we got to witness some impressive skills and epic wipeouts. by @nalu.motion

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2 months ago

Most surfers in their 30s are focused on performance.

Bigger days. Harder sessions. Improving skills.

But the real question is:

Are you building a body that will still paddle out in 30 years from now?

Here are 3 things that matter more than you think:

1️⃣ Restore what surfing takes away.

Surfing is asymetrical sport. If you ignore it, muscular unbalances can develop and you’re slowly losing options. Get your mobility checked and get a routine tailored for you.

2️⃣ Train strength.

Surfing doesn’t build your body stronger. You can’t only rely on surfing for your physical health. Don’t wait to feel pain to start strength training.

3️⃣ Respect recovery

Surfing is a taxing sport. Heat, cold, long drive to check the spot, long hours in the water without drinking or eating, the adrenaline rush of of a swell coming…

You have to start prioritizing sleep. Nutrition. Nervous system regulation.

Surfing at 60 isn’t luck.

It’s what you choose to build at 30.

Play the long game 🌊

If this hit, tell me: what’s your age and what still feels tight after a session?

Follow for more tip on surf longevity 🌊 by @nalu.motion

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2 months ago

You might feel stiff and think you need to stretch more.

But if you’re already naturally mobile, more flexibility may not be what you need.

But mobility is only part of the equation.

You need to be able to control it.

If you’re hypermobile and dealing with back pain, focus on strength, stability and control rather than constantly chasing more flexibility.

👇 Tell me in the comments: Do you always feel stiff, even though you’re actually pretty flexible? by @nalu.motion

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2 months ago

The biggest mistake I see when people stretch their hip flexors for back pain?

“Pushing the hip forward… while letting the lower back arch.”

If you want to improve hip extension, you need to control your pelvis and lower back while you do it.

Otherwise, you might think you’re getting more movement from your hip, when you’re actually just extending through your lumbar spine.

If this sounds like you, try one of these 4 variations to optimize your hip mobility.

Save this for your next mobility session, and feel the difference in your surfing 🌊 by @nalu.motion

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2 months ago

So, last weekend I competed in my second longboard competition. 🏄‍♀️

For your entertainment, here’s a compilation of my finest wipeouts and not-so-graceful moments. 😂

As you can see it was a lot of fun!
Enjoy! 🤙

#beachbreak #logfest #wipeout by @nalu.motion

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2 months ago