Maybe you eat really well, or you’re really active and make sure you stretch before and after your activities. There’s an occasional ache or pain which crops up, but it’s never bothersome for too long, and seems to go away on its own. Perhaps you’re “just getting old”, so headaches and backaches (and other joint aches) are just part of that right??? WRONG! We are ALL out of balance to varying degrees, and so these little aches and pains are actually our body crying for attention. Pain is how your body attempts to communicate with you… unfortunately, many of us are either just too busy to listen, or dismiss it as “just getting old”. While our bodies admittedly are less resilient with age, aging does not necessarily need to be a physically uncomfortable experience. Pain should NOT be expected as the norm! So, so, SO many times I’ve had clients come my way who came in with ‘suddenly very painful’ issues, and the story was along the lines of: * “I don’t know how it happened; I just woke up like this!” * “I just bent down to pick something up / tie my child’s shoes / put my socks on / etc.” * “I just shoulder checked / reached for something on a high shelf / etc, and now I can barely turn my head!” These issues are NEVER truly ‘sudden’, and in most cases during the course of treatment clients find they begin to remember feeling stiff, achy, mild headaches, or an old injury that they just put out of their minds to keep on carrying on. We ALL engage in various repetitive activities which put us out of balance gradually; a few examples include prolonged sitting (without attention to posture), driving, computer use (ever switch your mouse hand?), using our cell phones, carrying purses on the same shoulder or wallets in the back pocket, sleeping in the same position every night, standing with weight on one foot, etc… If you are guilty of absolutely NONE of those, please carry on with your very unique life! For the rest of us, every now and then it is a VERY good idea to come in for a massage and work out these imbalances, and see if there’s anything that can be done to minimize their effect on you.

What do I mean by ‘imbalances’ anyway??? Certain muscles get weaker and looser, while others getting tighter than they should from overuse; this creates stress around our joints, and some muscles that eventually have to work twice as hard to do their jobs. This leads to strain not only one the joints themselves, but on the soft tissue in the area like tendons and fascia (think rotator cuff issues, or plantar fasciitis). That’s for if you’re generally healthy… now if you have a diagnosed pain condition (like arthritis for example, which can be prevented by getting that occasional massage while you’re healthy), than you most definitely need the work! A diagnosed condition from your pain occurs when those little signals your body has been sending go ignored for much too long. Such treatments in this case cannot necessarily reverse damage done completely (depends on the condition), but it definitely helps to slow its progression and make it more tolerable to live with, as well as prevent further issues from your body compensating around your particular chronic pain area(s). We all live busy lives, but making time for ourselves and such self-care actually buys us more quality time in the long run. Each time you give yourself the gift of physical activity, a healthy meal, or a massage appointment, you are making an investment in yourself and your future. We only get ONE body, and this vehicle has to get us through a great deal of travel before the end of the road! Consider the occasional massage treatment like getting an oil change; you might be able to go for awhile without it, but you’ll definitely notice over time as things begin to wear out more quickly. Just like that oil change, a regular massage treatment has a ton of benefits for various different systems in your body. If you ever have any questions about your specific health and wellness needs or goals, or what massage therapy can do to help you, I am only ever a phone call or message away! I look forward to hearing from you!