subject: Back Massage Relieve Aches Faster [print this page] If you are a home-owner (or renter), a parent, a caregiver, heck, even a pet-owner, you are on-the-go! Between carrying groceries or kitty litter, moving car seats, picking up small children, carrying back-packs, you are under physical (perhaps mental) pressure. As a parent, I can attest. If I am not making a bed, cooking meals, taking children from one activity to another, I am doing laundry, feeling my back hurt! This is truly common. My solution? Back massage at my local spa. The more frequent the better.
You can go to your local spa and find out more. There will be a whole range of massages offered, and I encourage you to try all of them, but start with the back. Besides the feet, it is probably the most neglected part of your body, but needs special care, as it is used in everything from walking to sitting, to caring for children to even eating.
A caring masseuse will give you plenty of information, including lotions and explain the methods. You, like me, may chose a semi-nude, versus a nude (towel covered) option. My first massage relaxed and refreshed me. My back is still feeling great, even a couple of weeks later.
While spouses are often unsympathetic toward backache, possibly because they are feeling the same, I have found that girlfriends, who very often are having massages, are far more understanding. One particular friend of mine referred me to a masseuse. She's been having back massages often, and really enjoys them. She feels so relaxed that she says she might as well be on vacation!
Massage is an ancient technique, so it is tried and trusted. Modern medicine discounted it somewhat, but it enjoyed a revival in the 1960's, and in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta it was deemed a core medical service.
There are many forms and types, along with areas of massage. In my case, a back massage suits my needs. I am a wife and mother. My duties include chauffeuring girls back and forth, laundry, mealtime, home organization to name but a few. I have been known to mow the lawn, cut back overgrown plants and dig deep in the soil.
In order to keep the back healthy, one must stretch. Sure, we drive our children to dance, sports, track and sports, but do we really get what we need? I know personally, I sit through 3 hours of ballet, 4 of music and 2 of tap dance. Does this keep my back healthy? I don't think so.
However, ours is not a perfect world. My 6 yr old will not run and keep up with me. Heavens, she will barely keep up with my walk pace. She refuses to sit in a stroller or to ride her bike. She also will throw a fit when I mention that maybe, just maybe, she will sit through two hours while her sisters have their ballet class. What's a mom to do. Say nothing, but get a back massage!
