Sometimes I over-do it when I’m having fun, and I usually don’t know when to quit until I’m in pain. My wife had been suggesting that I get a professional massage to relieve the pain in my neck and shoulders. She has a standing monthly appointment and swears by massage as the ultimate stress buster.  I’ll admit that I thought she was just trying a new angle to get me to stop complaining. Untold years manning a charter fishing boat operation has taken a toll on my aging body. Even my usual over-the-counter pain remedies are no longer effective. My doctor suggested eventual surgery, but posed no acceptable plan of action to address my current pain. Prescription pain medications are costly, can be addictive, come with nasty side effects, and do nothing to fix the problem causing the pain. I had the option to either live with the pain until I became a candidate for surgery, or consider alternative therapies. I began to take a serious look at my objections to massage therapy. 

     First there was what I call the ‘foo foo factor’. I believed that in the real world only women get massaged, and only at the country club day spa (while us guys go fishing.) I could just see myself sitting in a fluffy terry robe in some designer candle-filled waiting room with a bunch of ladies in hair-curlers and pink slippers. Not to mention that someone (other than my wife) might actually see what my senior body looks like under that robe. 

     No thanks! My wife told me her therapist makes house calls.

     Next there was the ‘therapeutic factor’. No Neck logic told me that it was instinctual to rub a sore spot to make it feel better. Could there possibly be any real medical science to the whole ‘therapeutic massage’ idea? I figured that if the big-name professional athletes demand access to a personal massage therapist then there could be something worth investigating. I’m sure that they have read all of the research on the effectiveness of massage therapy. I had already tried the big-name drugs my doctor had prescribed. I was suspicious about a possible placebo effect. I decided to skip the medical journals. My wife explained that her Nationally Certified Massage Therapist is licensed by the Virginia Nursing Board, and has seen enough bodies to rival even the oldest country doctor. She assured me that the therapist would not judge my beer belly and sagging skin, and would be bound by the same confidentiality laws that all medical professionals must honor. I didn’t even know that massage therapists had different degrees of certification and areas of specialty like other health professionals.

     That brought me to the cost factor. I wondered if it would really be worth the cost. After doing some quick math I discovered that the cost of a one-hour massage was actually cheaper than the few minutes I get with my doctor combined with the cost of maintaining a regular monthly medication regimen. I would have to pay out of pocket, but the possibility that my insurance may reimburse me under certain conditions was a plus. So I talked myself into a one-hour session to explore whether therapeutic massage could help my pain. When my wife told me I could get a 50% discount with her therapist’s ‘couples massage deal’ I let her make the appointment.

     The fact that the therapist came to our home helped to alleviate my waiting room fears, but I was still a bit nervous the first time. She set up her mobile office in our spare room, and asked me an assortment of questions pertaining to my lifestyle and health before we began the session. I explained about my neck and shoulder pain. She pressed here and there around my shoulder joint and had me do a series of arm movements to test my range and ease of movement. She then explained how she would proceed with the massage treatment to address my issue. I felt better knowing that I would be fully covered during the massage, and the only area exposed would be the one she was directly working on. 

     I admit that it took me a while to start to relax. I kept thinking about what my buddies would say if they could see me now. I liked how she kept checking in with me about how much pressure she was using throughout the massage. As soon as I really started to relax I heard a loud snore. It was mine. I must have entered a time warp because an hour seemed to take about fifteen minutes. After allowing me enough time to drag myself off the table and get dressed the therapist returned to the room to discuss the condition in my neck and shoulders. She had me repeat the same tests I did before we started. I had a little better range of movement and considerably less pain. I was amazed! I actually felt much better. We discussed a plan of action for effectively dealing with the pain. I gave her a good tip, and scheduled a ninety-minute session for the next month.

     The stretches she instructed me to do between massages have actually helped me to prolong the time between painful episodes. I actually enjoy my work again, and am better able to assist my charter clients. I still don’t let anyone see me stretching though. The effects of that first massage diminished pretty quickly, but I’m finding that the positive effects are cumulative, and last longer after each session. It took me a lifetime to create those knots in my neck and shoulders. My therapist RuthE Forrest calls it a “chronic restriction” and she jokingly refers to it as “northern neck and angler ache.” I call it a sore neck and shoulder. Whatever you call it – don’t be scared of a little therapeutic massage session – it worked for me. It just might work for you too. Take my advice and let your wife make the appointment, and don’t tell anyone you do the stretches! 

© 2005 RuthE Forrest All Rights Reserved