Want to hear a great story? I have a client who has been having regular massage for 25 or so years. Her husband had never had a massage with me before and called out of the blue one Friday afternoon. “I’ve hurt my back” he said. “Anything you can do?” “We can give it a shot” I told him. “Come in at 3, and I’ll see what I can do.”
He came limping in at the appointed time and explained that he had bent over to pick something up and it just “went out”. He had been like this for a few days. He was in a lot of pain, and was scheduled to play in a golf tournament the next day. “What will you do if you can’t play?” I asked. “Forfeit and lose a lot of money” he said. “Can you help?” “Hmm” I said, “well, backs are funny, It depends if the pain is caused by a muscle strain or “pinched” nerve. Let’s give it a try, It will either work or it won’t”
I learned a long time ago not to gaurantee you can fix something. Sometimes massage can give immediate relief. By stopping the spasm in the muscle and reducing inflammation, a muscle strain will feel better quickly. Unfortunately, the symptoms can be the same in a more extensive injury, such as a herniated disk, that will require medical treatment from a chiropractor or even a nuerosurgeon if there is severe nerve impingement. Massage is quicker, less invasive and less expensive, so it’s worth a try before moving on to medical intervention.
I took him to the massage room, asked him to undress down to undershorts and climb under the sheets. I went to wash my hands, came back and after giving 30 minutes of deep tissue work he was able to get up and stand upright for the first time in days. “How does it feel?” I asked when he came out to the reception area. “Better, but still not 100%”. “Go home and ice it”, I told him, “and if it isn’t better in a few days, call your doctor” I gave him a stretching routine and suggested that regular massage and a stretching routine would not only prevent a recurrence, but could help his golf game. He looked at me skeptically and said “Sure, thanks”. “Good luck, hope you get to play tomorrow”, I said and I went back to work wondering if I had helped him at all.
A few weeks later, his wife Lucy came in for her regular appointment. “How’s John’s back, Lucy? Did he get to play in the tournament?” She smiled and told me that he felt better the same evening and played a practice round. The next day he not only played in the tournament, but his team came in third place, winning a boatload of money! “So the massage helped, huh?” I asked. “John will never admit it, but yes, if he hadn’t come to you for a massage, he could not have played in that tournament.” Men! Anyone with a husband understands, Im sure! Bottom line is, if you put your back through an unnatural act such as a golf swing on a regular basis, you owe it to yourself to take care of it with a regular stretching routine and regular massage therapy. Call for a consultation at 245-6484 or book an online appointment here… http://serenity-the-spa-in.genbook.com
Denise Willinger's Blog 