Meet Tracee
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Tracee takes care of herself so she can care for others.
Tracee, 44, started getting massage therapy for help with her hip pain at the suggestion of her chiropractor over 15 years ago. From the first 30 minute treatment, she realized it would be an important part of her health care routine.
“I’ve gone through four surgeries, falls, relapses of my bad hip – and every time, massage has kept me from agonizing pain and suffering,” she said.
Tracee sees an RMT help keep her hip mobile after an old injury. She also had a gastric bypass, and credits seeing an RMT with helping her remain aligned, flexible and mobile while the weight was coming off. She lost a significant amount of weight in a few months, and as a result her centre of gravity and balance changed. Seeing an RMT regularly helped her with that transition.
“I’ve lost over 130lbs in the past 15 months – so everything is off kilter, and massage helps realign, relax and rejuvenate my muscles while I adjust,” Tracee explained. “I think I wouldn’t be as mobile as I am today if I hadn’t started with massage.”
She has been seeing the same RMT for about 10 years, and credits the progress she has made with massage therapy with helping her keep mobile and to go about her day-to-day life as easily and as painlessly as possible.
In addition to the hip injury, she has had issues with her Achilles tendon, which would make walking extremely painful. She would experience extreme swelling, cramping and pain. Her goal was to get walking and be a bit more mobile in general.
“I wouldn’t be able to walk at ALL without massage therapy,” she said. “It allows me to take care of everyday tasks, as well as walk easily – and when the hip doesn’t work, everything else goes sideways.”
Tracee also views massage therapy as a way to take care of herself while she is usually taking care of others. Her husband had a stroke in 2014 and much of her time is spent caring for him. Massage therapy gives her some time to herself to relax, and also makes the physical part of caregiving a lot easier.
She explained, “I can make meals, do laundry, etc. a lot easier when I keep a regular massage schedule.”
Tracee would recommend massage therapy to anyone who is in pain and wants to feel better. She would encourage people to consider massage therapy an important part of their everyday health care.
“It’s as important as seeing your doctor or dentist,” Tracee said. “Your RMT gets your muscles loosened up and mobile again.”
Tracee plans to continue with massage therapy, and finds when she goes too long without a treatment, her pain levels increase and her mobility suffers. It’s important to Tracee that she remains mobile, able to care for her husband, and bake for her family and friends, and massage therapy helps make that happen.