The Struggle to Find Relief from Back Pain
My husband Scott has been suffering with back pain for about 4 years. Back pain is a very common problem in the United States and there are a variety of causes. As with any medical ailment, correctly identifying the root cause is key to finding a resolution. One chiropractor that he had visited recommended he wear a heel lift in his shoe because one leg was slightly longer than the other. He was also getting regular adjustments, visited a stretch zone a couple times, and even an osteopathic sports medicine doctor. He started doing yoga on YouTube with Yoga With Adrienne, an instructor based out of Austin, Texas. Yoga definitely helped him, but he still was in pain. He would also get massages here and there, which also helped, but still – pain. About six months ago, he found Heal Me Massage in Pompano Beach. He explained to me that Heal Me Massage took a different approach to massage therapy by focusing in on the areas that were causing the pain, offering medical massages.
My Husbands Experience with Heal Me Massage
After Scott’s first massage with Rawan Gonzalez at Heal Me Massage, he told me that she had identified the root of his pain to be caused by his piriformis muscle. She recommended he continue with medical massages, which focuses on treating the area, which in this case was his piriformis muscle. This involves long massages, sometimes over two hours, with much of the time spent massaging the isolated area that is causing the pain. He agreed to continue with medical massages. Combined with lifestyle tips from Rawan such as sleeping with a pillow between his legs, and a customized stretch regimen designed to target the area of concern, he is finally feeling much better! He still does yoga, and is seeing a new chiropractor that Rawan recommended. Now, he experiences almost NO pain, (no pain on most days, unless its been too long since his last massage and if he skipped too many yoga sessions) plus – his flexibility and range of motion has improved greatly, as evidenced by his ability to do yoga poses hes never been able to to before and doing simple things like bending over to pick up something off the floor with no pain in his back.
Rawan: “The piriformis is the muscle that is attached to the front and back of the sacrum. In order to conclude that the affected muscle was the piriformis, I assessed Scott. He was experiencing tightness and pain in the groin area as well as limited range of motion. This is easily confused with sciatica pain because the piriformis muscle sits on top of the sciatic nerve which can also be confused with other muscles such as psoas muscle, lower back muscle, buttocks muscle, and even the quad and hamstring muscles. That is why at Heal Me Massage, we make sure that we thoroughly assess and educate our clients in order to provide the best treatment for them.”
Rawan and Omar Gonzalez
My Experience with Heal Me Massage
I was so impressed by his improvement that I went to get a full-body deep tissue massage with Rowan to experience Heal Me Massage myself. I don’t have chronic pain, but I do get the occasional lower back and neck pain from being at the computer / on my phone, and my hamstrings are tight. Plus, I recently joined a new gym so I’ve been working out my muscles more frequently. I had never visited a massage therapist in a “medical setting” before. I’ve only had massages at hotel spas and once at a non-hotel spa. Spas are great – they offer fancy amenities and other services such as facials and manicures. But what I realized is that spas are not really designed to be a treatment facility, there isn’t a patient-practitioner relationship. That is what sets Rowan at Heal Me apart.
I visited her office, and we sat down to talk about what I was experiencing before we even began the massage. Her office doesn’t have many “bells and whistles” AKA it is not fancy, but the massage room was relaxing with dimmed lighting, music, with fresh sheets and blankets on the massage table. I had also never had a deep tissue massage before, only regular massages. I had always left massages feeling like I needed more pressure or more time. This was definitely the most therapeutic massage I’ve had. Some areas were more painful than others but that just means that these areas needed massaging because they were tight. Just like stretching, breathe through the pain. The result is worth it. After, I felt light as feather! I will definitely return for another massage with Rawan, and needless to say, my husband will continue with his massages to maintain the comfort he has now.
Medical massages and treatment of the piriformis muscle with Heal Me Massage has been an integral part of my husbands treatment plan for his lower back pain. If you suffer from stress, frozen shoulders, lower back pain, swollen extremities, stiff neck, chronic pain and other common problems – visit Heal Me Massage, a great option for manual lymphatic drainage, deep tissue massage, and more.
– Your health, wellness, and nutrition advocate,
Holli Ryan, RD, LDN
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holliryan_rd/
Disclosure: I received a complimentary experience at Heal Me Massage (just me – not my husband). All opinions expressed here are my own.
MyWellness RD 