By: Jean Johnson for Back1Part 1
There’s much about massage that’s reminiscent of the Navajo approach to medicine. In addition to physical symptoms, so too are spiritual and emotional aspects of people’s problems addressed. While study results on massage’s ability to relieve back pain are contradictory, people keep returning.
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Comments on Massage adapted from the Mayo Clinic:
You might think of a massage as a luxury found in exotic spas, but when combined with traditional medical treatments, it can reduce stress and promote healing in people with certain conditions.
Massage can relieve tension in your muscles, and most people use it as a relaxation technique, to relieve stress and anxiety, and to reduce muscle soreness. |
Eric Beggs, LMT, a licensed massage therapist who practices in Portland, Oregon, is invested in a holistic approach to treatment. Seated in front of one of the vibrant wall hangings where he practices, this father of three rests large hands in his lap while he speaks of his clients. He explains that he tries to keep his fees reasonable so average folks with real physical needs – with or without workman’s compensation claims – can access his skills.Perhaps part of Beggs’ dedication stems from his own physical situation. The 6 foot tall, slender man has had a slight limp since birth. “I have functional scoliosis,” said Beggs, “a condition that develops when there is a differential in leg length.”
Clearly with his history, Beggs understands what physical injuries are all about. “Thomas Moore viewed it as ‘the wounded healer,’” he said. “It takes someone who has been through pain to understand it. Others can sympathize, but they can’t empathize.”
Beggs’ account is compelling, but some are skeptical when it comes to massage. Is massage a genuinely therapeutic modality capable of seriously affecting what ails us without doing any damage? Or is it merely a sensual, feel-good experience for people who like being pampered and can afford it?
In an effort to get at the root of these questions, I volunteered to be Beggs’ guinea pig. I certainly qualify to be a patient. As a writer, I’m crouched over the keyboard for hours each day. And beginning last summer, my back and arms started letting me know they do not appreciate it.
Beggs speaks of the body in cross sections. It’s like entering a world that you thought you knew only to encounter an elegance and sophistication that was previously unavailable to you. As he stepped over to demonstrate a technique, I began to see how closely the massage he was suggesting for my writer’s posture mirrored the upper back exercises my physician and physical therapist had recommended.
“What we do is called active isolated stretching,” said Beggs, supporting my head in his hands and rocking it gently back and forth ever so slightly. “Let your neck drop to the right,” he suggested. “That’s good, now let me do the work.” He started with short motions while I got used to letting go.
This was where Beggs made a believer out of me. He let my head hang to one side in his hand and said, “Okay here it is. This is as far as your muscles will go right now. So to get them to relax more, we’ll press in for a stretch. One second, two seconds, and restore.” He backed off momentarily and then returned. “And another, one second, two seconds, and restore.”
He repeated this several times, and I felt the muscles in my neck respond by softening and loosening. Instead of me doing isometric exercises alone, the added resistance of another human being who knew what he was doing was there as well. I started doing the math – to compute just how many of these articles I’ll need to write to afford a massage from Beggs on a regular basis.
Tune in for Part Two, where Jean's role as guinea pig continues...
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