My back is hurting so bad today I’ve brought my laptop into Gina’s room so I can sit in her bed and write. If you have chronic back pain you’re probably used to the questions and slew of advice proffered by anyone who hears you utter the words “my back hurts:”
Why does your back hurt? What happened? What did you do? Have you tried foaming rolling? You should go to yoga. Oh my gosh you HAVE to see my guy…he fixed my back completely!
I have a nice little cocktail of yoga and acupuncture that seems to keep me out of pain when done religiously…although both those come at a price ($$$) and I’ve downgraded lately on that front. SO here I sit dreaming of my foam roller and an epsom salt bath tonight, and wishing Julie, our massage therapist, were here right now. But alas, she’s booked a corporate gig this morning and has a full schedule this afternoon. So as Phil Collins is singing over Pandora right now, I’ll just have to wait.
Julie loves her job and is sweet enough to give us little fixes, even on vacation. In Puerto Vallarta, I looked over at one point and saw her massaging Maricela’s neck and shoulder, stiff after sleeping in a new bed our first night at Casa Pena del Mar (oh, Puerto Vallarta, how we miss you)! Julie loves all massage modalities but lately she’s been excited about myofascial/myoskeletal massage, in which she recently completed a continuing education course. In an effort to draw attention to her talents outside just the standard relaxation massages, we have highlighted this as a monthly special for March.
In short, massage with myofasical alignment and release focuses not just on the muscles but on how they interact and react with your nerves and fascia. Her techniques can find imbalances, alleviate pain, and give you tools for at-home care as well. Think massage combined with physical therapy.
Not a few days after we set it as a March special, my boyfriend texted from the gym: I’m afraid I just really hurt myself. My back hurts so bad I can hardly move. (Insert total panic mode for someone whose sole hobby and biggest source of happiness is lifting).
He spent the next day in “excruciating pain” – a phrase I’ve never heard him use in six years. I finally convinced him to go to minor emergency and he was given pain meds and an anti-inflammatory. Twenty-four more hours and no difference. No available chiropractor or acupuncture appointments, and Julie was booked too. Yet another day passed and he still could hardly move and was wearing a back brace he said looked like Spanx. Finally on his second day off from work – the man never misses work either – Julie had an opening. She spent 90 minutes working on him and although he came out looking like he needed a several hours nap, he said he felt much better. He texted me the next morning to thank Julie and said the difference was night and day. He was back at the gym shortly thereafter, and has resolved to allow himself a monthly massage with her.
Watching those few days unfold and seeing the incredible difference after she worked on him was enough to know for certain, this woman’s got SKILLS.
You don’t have to wait until you’re texting a loved one from the floor in agony after a snatch pull gone wrong (I just like to say snatch pull). Take a break from your pain and come visit her. Our special is 90-minutes for $69. You can book online, or if you’re not seeing the time and day you need, just call us and we can help.
