'No pain, no gain' It has to be said! My reputation is based on very deep, specific, thorough massage. Yes, it can hurt but, it is a good hurt! I am not causing the pain, rather tapping into the pain locked inside you and helping to set it free.
'Tactical beating up' My job is to find problem areas and target treatment to breakdown scar tissue, lumps, bumps and adhesions, all non functioning muscle fibres, to then promote your own body's natural healing process, fresh blood, repair and a return to function. So, it is like causing a wound/bruise, you can feel tender and sore afterwards but that is then your own body managing a healing process. Hopefully you will not manifest a surface bruise, but just like them there will be change over about four days as you repair/heal and resume health in the muscle, the body is thorough and cannot be rushed. Non of this should stop you from daily life in any way, in fact I believe the opposite, the feeling can be liberating, energising and like you are re-connected to yourself.
"I know how I will feel after, that is why I come back." During a first treatment the discomfort can be a bit of a surprise but strangely it becomes bearable. Once we establish trust and you know what to expect I promise you will relax, some fall asleep! Usually the way you feel in the following days is so improved that one begins to look forward to the pain! The first treatment is always the greatest effect, hopefully if I have performed my job well you would be over the worst tension.
"You must have strong thumbs?" Yes I do, but this is my job, I get into a zone and can work for hours. Half a day gardening and I would not be able to get up from a chair!
"You are working on the left and I said it was the right that hurts.." I will never work on just the 'problem' area, you are a whole not a part, it is important for me to establish a sense of what you consider to be the good bits (!) and manage any referred pain, quite often the presenting pain is the referred pain and an underlying issue is quietly smouldering. Sometimes I like to follow up treatment with a feedback phone call and I might be told that the 'problem' feels better but another area hurts now, this can be the original one which can be targeted and hopefully by removing the cause we can prevent the symptoms.
"You are mean Sarah!" No I am not, I actually really care about you feeling better, it is your pain, I am not causing it, I am enabling you to set it free.
"What happened to you in a previous life that you feel you have to come back and beat us all up?!" I love this one, it was said to me a long time ago and I have never forgotten it. On a more serious note, I do believe I am in the right job, I love my work, I dread having to retire as my hands do actually begin to suffer. I am quite a co-dependent, the whole need to be needed thing, this job suits, I help you, you help me, everyone is happy. I have always believed I would work until no one books anymore...