In massage school, I learned a lot about anatomy. It was a challenge for me at the beginning since I didn’t have a background in medicine or health. Medical terminology sounded like a foreign language. You can’t say something simple like “up” or “down” because the public might understand that. You have to say “proximal or distal” or “superior or inferior” to prove to somebody that they should pay you.
Before you skip to the reply section and tell me what I moron I am, I know what the terms mean, and that they are used to be a clear and precise. It was a new language to me.
So now I’m cursed with the knowledge of anatomy.
Watching the Olympics this week, I’ve noticed that a lot of the uniforms the athletes wear reveal a lot of … muscles. Some uniforms are too revealing in my opinion, but that’s another story.
I find myself as an event is going on thinking of what muscles the person is using and what problems they may have now or could develop. During slow motion replays, my mind wanders away from what they just did to thinking about what muscles they used or looking at their muscle definition.
I’m trying just to cheer on these great competitors, but then I hear in my head –” look at the vastus lateralis on that one!” My family has learned to tune me out if I happen to say those things out loud.
I also now can’t watch a movie or TV show that has something to do with anatomy and compare if they are getting everything right – saying the right words and effects. When I watch Bones, I can understand at least the anatomy portion of what she says.
I do this all for you.
So if you wonder what I think about during a massage, I think about your muscles. I also think of how the session is going to make sure you are relaxed and are getting what you need taken care of. That’s another story too.
Barry is a licensed Massage Therapist at Main Street Massage in Hudson, Ohio. Find out more about him, his business, and massage at www.HudsonMassageTherapy.com
