Monday, July 16, 2012

Yesterday, I began a blog about Shiatsu massages that I’ll finish today….

Used to be that a person could obtain a Shiatsu massage from higher end massage locales.  Not so any more.  Not sure exactly why this is.  Seems whenever I need a Shiatsu massage, usually only once a year, to allow me stand up straight from my spinal injury getting out of whack, I’m told that the one individual who used to provide Shiatsu massages at the locations no longer works there.

Hmmm….

Is this because something went wrong with one of their given massages?  Or is it yet another sad sign of the failed economy?  Or…could it be that due to the higher trained nature of those who can give Shiatsu massages needing higher pay, thus making them one of the first things companies eliminate when needing to tighten their expenditures?

Whatever the cause, it’s becoming harder and harder to find someplace—any place—that offers these specialized Shiatsu massages.  And I for one suffer as a result.  As mentioned, I don’t go all out and “treat” myself to one of these on a regular basis.  Instead, my aim is to keep my body physically fit and functioning by maintaining a higher-than-normal workout and stretching routine from the average individual.  I do so in order to continue enjoying my body’s ability to move and function fairly regularly.   But…every once in a while, things get out of whack.  And from the near fifteen years of physical therapy I’ve undergone due to various serious injuries, the quicker I can get things back into alignment, the better off I am and quicker my recovery time.  Enter the Shiatsu massage.

By undergoing one of these massages as soon as possible, following my body being weighed down by previous injuries, I’m able to pull off a full and complete recovery in an hour or two.  Without a Shiatsu massage, however, the tensed muscles and ligaments surrounding my spinal injury contract to the point of having me literally standing crocked for two or more weeks, constant pain the result.

So why, you ask, don’t I just make an appointment with a doctor?  Simple.  Have gone that route.  But getting in to be seen by a specialized spinal doctor takes time.  In that time, my old injury is allowed to fester.  Then, once I see the doctor, they want to send me to more physical therapy.  Though I’m not opposed to physical therapy, this, too, takes more time.  Time spent waiting.  Having my injury assessed.  More pain and discomfort results.  But…if I can get in for a Shiatsu massage, these further inconveniences magically go away and by the time I leave from my massage, I’m able to stand fully upright with all my pain having been left behind during the massage itself.

So why do I bring this up?  I’m a firm believer in always having options.  In a person taking control of their own lives rather than letting others dictate how, when and why they should do things.  So it seems simple logic to me that if you’ve found something that works more effectively than the alternative conventional methods, why not put it into use whenever possible?  For me, that’s what getting a Shiatsu massage is all about—me taking control of my own destiny.