If you asked me what I missed most during lockdown, aside from seeing my family, friends and my classes, I would have to say my massages.
I’ve been having sports massages for nearly two years now and they’ve made a huge difference to my body, it’s performance and my well-being.
The benefit of seeing my massage therapist regularly has been that any niggles have been nipped in the bud straight away before being allowed to turn into bigger, more painful problems.
Our bodies are very good at compensating for niggles, painful areas and injuries as they respond by placing increased strain on other areas which unfortunately leads to further pain and problems down the line.
Whenever it comes up in conversation that I have regular massages, I either get a, “Ooh, get you!” type of reaction or a, “You’re so lucky, I’m jealous!”
With such a physical job, I view getting a massage as a necessity as opposed to a luxury. Instead of buying my lunch out or a coffee every day, I get a massage once every 3 weeks.
Due to lockdown I ended up going 4 months without a massage.
“Oh, you poor thing!” you might sarcastically be thinking!
Despite doing less physically during that time than I normally would, I ended up with pain in my shoulder, arm and hand very early on in lockdown that I’d not experienced before. I was struggling with sleep and was waking up in the middle of the night in tears with pain. Naturally it was affecting the online teaching I was doing too and I had to dose up on painkillers to get through filming my videos. Everyday tasks like lifting the kettle or a saucepan became difficult.
My massage therapist, Ali of Musclewrx, did what she could to assess me and help via Facebook messenger consultations! She gave me exercises and advice on managing the pain and kept checking in with me.
The provisional diagnosis was a trapped nerve somewhere in my neck which was causing sharp pain and tingling sensations to radiate down my arm, particularly into my wrist and hand.
Fast forward to the 13th of July when Ali was able to treat me.
After more in-depth assessment and treatment, it was concluded that I was most likely suffering with carpal tunnel syndrome.
After the appointment, a significant level of improvement was felt immediately. The difference I felt after a matter of a few days was amazing.
Since then I’ve had another appointment and the pain is now definitely on its way out.
To think if I’d have only been having my regular treatments, we would have been on top of this straight away and I wouldn’t have ended up in such a state!
I don’t know what I did exactly to trigger the condition, but I do know the build-up of tension through the stress of the last few months definitely won’t have helped, nor all the extra hours spent at the computer.
I’m sure many of Ali’s other clients will have ended up in worse shape than me over lockdown and there will be people out there now who don’t have massages who will be struggling. You don’t need to have a job like mine to end up with muscular or nerve pain.
I’ve always said that my massages are for keeping me in tip top form. They allow me to do my job to the best of my ability, free from pain and tension.
This experience has only solidified my view on the importance of massage and looking after your body.
Massages are now not just a necessity in my eyes, but a vital necessity.
Why soldier on with aches and pains that are affecting your life if you can access help?
If this year has taught us anything, it’s that health is wealth.
Check out my massage therapist’s Facebook page here.
