My day

    This was my day today...Im a professional massage therapist, so it might be interesting to some of you new folk, and possibly to you guys that have been at this for some time..The condensed version.  I woke up this morning at 8:20am.. I live in an apartment with my wife thats about a 20min. walk from where I work.. I work in a beautiful day spa...I work with a bunch of great people. All women, except for one other guy..Its a fun place to work...Im lucky in that way...There are sixty of us or so all together.. Spa employees doing all different kinds of work that it takes to run a day spa... It was Sunday and I was fully booked with six hours of massage..Just getting over a cold, I was feeling not too bad.. Better then yesterday.  And was ready for a full days work..  I work from 11am to 6pm with a break from 2pm to 3pm...total of six massage hours.I am free to set my own hours..Anyway I got online here. Made a few comments while I drank my coffee.. Then ate a light breakfast , shower and head out the door to work.  I left the apartment about 10am. I walk to work .  It was beautiful sunny with snow on the ground...Cold too..About 15 degrees.. Got to work about 10:20am..  Checked the computer to see my schedule.. It can change. And it did...My fist appointment just canceled.   Now I had 80min. to kill.  I joked around with some of my co-workers.. They are fun to work with.. Got back on the computer to check this site and the internet...At about 12:00 noon my 12:30pm appointment canceled.  dang..  It was another 80 min. massage.. No money today I guess.. My next appointment wasn't until 3pm for an 80min. massage...So I walked back home, it was beautiful outside.. Snow on the ground and sunny...Hung out at home, ate some lunch, took a nap.. I was still bothered by the cold..sniffy nose.  Then walked back to work, got there about 15min. till 3pm... My client had been checked in...So at least I had some work today... Not a total loss...I checked the computer to make sure I got the right room...Set the room up the way I like it...Even though its a spa environment I lay out my anatomy charts...I use them frequently during my work.. sometimes.. If that makes any sense.. lol    I went and met my client... A beautiful young women(26) that was just really tired and sore..She was an athlete..preparing for some triathlon on the Big Island c****** up here real shortly..Her right hip was bothering her..and her feet were just really tired .Exhausted in general..Her friends told her to go see a chiropractor.  One friend told her to go see a massage therapist...Anyway, she just randomly got me..  I introduced myself   And talked to her a bit about how I was going to work on her based on what she told me and why....I started by a trigger point scan through the sheet.. I found a Big glute TP on her right hip and some SI joint pain on the left hip.   Also a couple painful lumbar TPs on the spinal erectors around L4 L5 areas... And a minor TP in one of her upper traps...Sense she was atheletic I knew she would enjoy a firm deep rub down that felt really good.. And thats what I did for an hour...Then I wiped the oil off her and proceeded to eliminate those nasty trigger points...Did  that, then turned her over for some good cervical work.. And that was it... She was more then a happy camper... Pain was gone in her hip and she felt so good..She was truly happy..Said she was glad she got a massage instead of seeing a chiropractor... Then I took her to on of the showers, where we have really nice high end products...She felt good when she left the spa and I got a new regular client. So then I went back to the room, quickly cleaned up, and set up for the next co-worker , as I was to be in another room for my last 80min. massage.   Greeted my next client.. Got her in the room and asked how I can help her and what was her reason for getting a massage.. She was referred to me from another client.. One of my regulars....Anyway she has been under physical therapy care 2 to 3 times a week sense September last year...She said her bill was $2,000.00 or more a month..I didnt bother to ask if it was insurance or not...No time for too many details.  Anyway she had a bad accident.. Fell off a cliff or something.. She has constant knee pain(left knee) and really bad left shoulder pain.. And her hips hurt often.  She just quit going to physical therapy because it just wasn't helping her...and decided to take her friends advice and see me... I like this kind of client...There was more then a good chance I could help her dramatically.. Because I know that no one really ever checks in a serious way if at all for trigger points.  Or even pin points the pain...Shoot Ive been searching those out and pin pointing pain for nearly 30 years...lol    So of course I found some....Big ones...Left SI joint was sore, along with a couple very sore L4 Tps on each side of the spinal erectors.  A couple mid back TPs... I eliminated all of those...just working through the sheet..Didnt bother with oil..I just wanted to get rid of those trigger points...I knew if I did there would be a clinical result that would be very positive...I still had her knee and shoulder to deal with...I dont feel so confident when  with knees.. but I have really good success with shoulders...rotator cuff problems and all that. So I next searched out trigger points for shoulder pain. and found a really super sore pec TP near where it runs into the anterior deltoid on the front of her body...(sorry, I lack anatomical correctness). Also a big sore TP on he infraspinatus on the same shoulder.  I worked the trigger points as I know how...She commented her shoulder felt better.. It should, the two trigger points were gone.  Then I went down to her knee..I wasnt feeling so confident about her knee.. I palpated her point of maximum soreness.. A sore spot below and on the inside of her knee...Not sure the muscle.. I was able to reduce the tenderness by 50% not perfect, but I will take anything I can get.  She had suffered for months with it... Anyway she got up off the table blown away freaked out happy...her shoulder pain was gone... First time in months  along with her hip pain.  She was very happy...ecstatically so. I didnt ask her about her knee... I told her be excited , her pain problem was history.( still not sure about her knee though..but its better).  I felt really good after that...She rescheduled  next week..on a follow up...Oh we finished in an hour..so that saved her some money for her follow up session next week.The follow up should take only a half hour.. I know her shoulder and and hip pain is history.. we will see about her knee.. I will look at a knee chart in my free time, get a close look at the structures where her sore spot was. Do some thinking..Then I cleaned up the room... Thanked the front desk people for all their work.. They have a hard job at times.. Then enjoyed a brisk walk in the snow and sun shine for 20 minutes until I got home...Ate some dinner, did some easy stretching and self massage on my sore thumb. and typed this... I have a half day tomorrow.. I work from 2pm till 6pm... Im sure it will be an interesting day... I love my work...The no shows piss me off though...I can work too hard sometimes.. but its a fun interesting environment...And Im free to help my clients the best way I can.