As a remedial massage therapist, I believe that the hands on aspect of massage is just one part of the treatment. The other major part of the treatment is about educating people and making them more aware of their body and their body’s habits. One of the things I’ve learned from working with so many different types of bodies is the importance of being pro-active instead of reactive. Being pro-active ensures great health and a body that moves well, being reactive means getting sidelined by aches and pains and injuries.
For example, the majority of people usually come in to see me because that TIGHT neck from a week ago has now turned into a PAIN in the neck and they have booked in to see me as a reaction to the pain, a reactive approach. By this stage it can take a few treatments to resolve this pain in the neck. Most of us are lucky enough to have a reliable body that like a car gets us from A to B everyday. It’s easy when we’re busy to ignore the little niggles and messages the body is sending us when it starts to need a service.
Being pro-active is all about getting in for in for regular remedial massage treatments, doing stretches, being aware of your posture and trying to prevent that TIGHT neck from becoming that Pain in the neck.
The analogy I like to use is to think of your body as your car. You try send your car in for regular services/grease oil changes to try keep it running smoothly, and to try prevent any break downs which can usually be quite costly, not only $$$$ but your own time.