Pokled and proded

Last week my massage therapist was ill and as a result we missed an appointment... the one I had scheduled for my birthday, January 28. On January 27 I called the massage therapy school both where I used to go and where my massage therapist trained. I had asked if there were a cancellation for Wednesday and in fact there was, so I took advantage.

Turnes out it became a double bonus. The girl who was my student therapist on my birthday knows and trained with my regular massage therapist and sent her well-wishes to Allison. Yesterday night R. phoned to ask if I would be willing to be her case study client for her second-year term. I had been asked before, but with no follow up. R. stepped up to the plate right away and booked me in.

What this translates to is essentially three treatments per week for four weeks. The trade off is of course time (which, you'll notice as per my previous post I am not trading for money, but for wellness. A bonus is that the treatments are indeed free of charge.)

I went in this afternoon for the initial assessment. It was far more lengthy than I had anticipated. An interview led to a physical assessment: range of motion tests, plum-line symetry evaluation and some overall health questions. I've also been asked to get before and after-treatment xrays. So, I've emailed my chiropractor to ask if these could be taken in his office this week.

The evaluation today has me excited because I'm learning as much if not more than my student therapist. Since having taken up yoga, I'm far more self-aware when it comes to what my body is doing and not doing, and I'm sure that to a student of massage therapy, that must be a bonus. I feel like I'm engaged in the whole process, and it's been a long time since I've felt that way going to a Western M.D.

Treatments start on Wednesday this week, and I'm excited. The drawback is that if I were of average, basic, healthy symetry I would not have been asked to be part of the student project. I guess being screwed up helps! So, if you have scoliosis, high arches and dozens of trigger points throughout your body, I encourage you to check out your local massage therapy school. You may get to be a test subject, and in this case the benefits promise to be fabulous.