Yesterday my mom treated me to a massage. This was my first time ever getting a professional massage. But this wasn't your ordinary massage. This was a special therapeutic massage that focused on my shoulders, neck, and jaw. Yes, she massaged my whole body but she spent most of the hour on the shoulders, back, and up. It felt amazing. I was so relaxed. Parts of the massage were a little painful (around the base of my skull, my shoulders, and jaw), but she said that's to be expected with the tightness of my muscles. She told me she could tell that I am a clencher because I have very strong muscles at my temples. Hmm, not where I want to have strong muscles. She said my spine was out of alignment, but that was easily fixed with the massage and a couple of painless pops. She showed me where some of my trigger points are located and even how to self-massage certain areas of high tension. She gave me some exercises to do with my jaw (basically some opening and closing of my mouth while rubbing the joint). She said this should help ease some of the tension. Of course she said for me to try not to clench but that is definitely easier said than done. I talked to her about the MORA I'm getting in a few days and she said that should really help because once it starts working in my mouth and jaw, it will radiate down into my neck and shoulders, also helping in my ears too.
I have to admit, I'm quite sore this morning; Ibuprofen is my friend. She had to do some serious deep pressure on my shoulders and neck. She said I would need at least a few more massages to be able to get all of the tightness worked out. Since I can't keep seeing her (she's in WV and I live in MD - 6 hours away) I'm going to try to find a place at home that can do the same kind of massages and maybe make it a monthly treat to myself. I certainly feel like things are looking up but I'm still in constant pain. At this point I'm just praying my MORA works the way it is intended and will keep my TMJ from getting worse. Thought of the Day: "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious." -Albert Einstein It certainly was a mystery to me what was so great about a massage. It was a fantastic experience and I am glad to have had it.
2 Comments
Erin
8/9/2012 10:35:09 am
Massage Envy! I'm making an appointment for some time next week. For first timers, it's $49 for an hour. They'll even focus on your trouble spots. Dr. Kane (chiropractor in Waldorf) also has a massage therapist that you can make an appointment with.
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Shauna
8/9/2012 12:18:16 pm
Let me know if you like them after your massage... I'm still searching for the right place for me.
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Author I was officially diagnosed with TMJ Archives
January 2013
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