Saturday, October 6, 2007

Massage Therapists: Giving Until it Hurts

“When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.”

--Abraham Maslow

I love this quote. It leads me to reflect on problem solving and on the winding road to healing. To reword it for massage therapists: “When the only tool you have is your thumb, every problem looks like a trigger point.”

It is always intriguing to get a group of therapists together and talk about techniques to release myofascial trigger points. From divide and conquer strategies to gentle “milking” approaches, the goal is the same: release. I am sure we have all found ourselves at one point, thumbs deep in a client’s rhomboids hell bent on obliterating any restrictions. At times, a client who has incredible tolerance for pressure has asked for more than we could give, so we concede to their request. Out of a desire to please and a competitive spirit, we decide that trigger point is no match for our superior might! After a night or two spent icing our blown out thumbs, we decide that it might not be the best plan for career longevity to give beyond our abilities in an effort to please.

I have had my hands in the ice bucket on more than one occasion, promising it would never happen again, but occasionally it does. One good thing coming from these intimate evenings with the ice is the time to reflect.

In my next series of postings, I will share what the ice bucket has taught me.

Peace--Eric

No comments: