"GOOD HANDS"

"GOOD HANDS"

"You have such good hands..."

"How can I get you to move to New York."

A true story... it actually happened.

The lady coming in today said she just wanted a massage. But I asked her to fill out the more comprehensive 'Client History Form' anyway because people often have difficulty in describing what is not right with themselves... And then there are those who become so accustomed to their problems and dysfunctions, that they are not even aware that they are being limited by them. However, when their awareness is directed to these conditions... and also to the prospect that they may be able to get past these 'accepted' limitations... quite often they are absolutely thrilled.

Such was the case with Linda from New York... She is a 42 year old mother of one... employed as a chemist... and lives an active energetic life. Back home, receiving regular massage therapy is part of her life. Her main concern was her "Neck, Shoulders and upper Back"... We talked about the circumstances involving her areas of concern and examined them. Then we formulated a workable idea as to what might be contributing to the problems she was having. In Linda's case, it seemed to be related to a Cervical Spine injury some years ago.

The tissues surrounding the area of her major concerns were thoroughly evaluated and treated... And then we continued on to the area of the suspected injury... her Anterior Cervical Spine.

"This isn't massage therapy." she said.

"This is so much better than massage."...

"I have never felt work this good before."

During the session, she recalled important information and events that helped us better understand the injury and conditions... such as something that happened during the birth of her son... and also a skiing accident that occurred years ago. Good therapy requires good communication in terms of what a client is experiencing during the therapy session... such as intensity levels, patterns of referred sensations, recalled events and feelings... and any feedback that will enable the therapy session to become more thorough and effective.

"It hurts... but it is a good hurt"...

"Like something my body needs"...

"It really feels good"...

"I can feel a surge of warmth and energy

going into my Neck, Head and Arms."

"You have such good hands."

"People with hands like that are gifted"...

"This is the type of work I need, and I need more of it."

"How can I get you to move to New York?"

Quite often when people experience something that they greatly appreciate, they want to share it with others that they know. At the end of the session, Linda wanted to talk about a concern that her husband was trying to deal with. "How do you treat a person who is easily fatigued?"... Apparently he is a jogger who suffers from Shin Splints and Heel Spurs... I suggested some possibilities that might contribute to what she was describing.

But a therapist really cannot tell what is going on until he begins to evaluate the quality and the responsiveness of the soft tissues involved. People are different. Their life circumstances and tissue qualities are different. And they even describe similar situations differently... Also people are different in terms of what they will tolerate and permit at a particular time. Therefore, a therapist needs to be sensitive to all these characteristics so as to help people get the most out of their therapy session. The point being... a good therapist needs to employ a variety of skills and techniques to be effective.

"I always felt that a therapist

with multiple modalities is much more preferable...

but, there seems to be so few like that around."

Linda was absolutely thrilled with what we had accomplished. I saw her a few times while she was visiting. She felt that what she had experienced was an absolute bargain in terms of her time and money.

"People's conception of massage therapy get in the

way of judging what you are capable of doing"...

"What you do really is not massage"...

"It is the most effective Physical Therapy

I have ever experienced."

I have treated many visitors like Linda. They find me mostly just by chance. And the point they seem to make each time is that people are not receiving the level of Physical Medicine that they want and very much need. These people come from large metro areas in Canada, United States, England, Australia and so on... Even in our own local area, people are looking for what I am able to provide... and have been having difficulty in finding this level of care. I know this only because clients tell me this.

If you are concerned with pain, dysfunction or some chronic problem... make an appointment with me... If you know of a patient, friend or family member who might benefit from another health care perspective, please refer this person to me. You will be doing something good for them... for me... and you will probably feel good about it as well.

Joel Safran, RMT

over 20 years experience

(416) 665-9737