Three healthcare professionals that I visit on a regular basis for soft-tissue work are Dr. Mae Chan, Mary Tam, and Vlodek Kluczynski. It would be odd for two weeks to go by without me seeing at least one of them. Here’s why.
Mae is a chiropractor, acupuncturist, active release techniques (ART) provider, and an extraordinary multitasker! She’ll needle one part of my body (with an electrostim unit attached to the needles), hook up a laser device to another part of my body, do a number of ART passes on yet another part of my body, and when the fun is all over, she’ll adjust my spine if necessary.
You know, I’ve written about the value of ART many times. I’ve seen it clear up a number of nagging injuries in a single session. It can restore function, reduce and even eliminate pain, and significantly improve range of motion and strength in just one session. In fact, it can even increase muscle mass as I discussed in my Pop ‘Em Out Muscles article many moons ago. Needless to say, I’m a fan of ART.
Mary is someone that I really like not only because she has the same name as my wife and my mother, but because she’s a registered massage therapist and certified structural integrator with a strong interest in sports. She’s worked with, trained, and treated athletes from all levels of competition, and she’s currently performing some structural integration work on me that should help with my pterodactyl wings.
Vlodek is an osteopath, physiotherapist, and massage therapist in one. This guy is unbelievable! His work tends to complement that of the practitioners mentioned above. One word of advice: If you ever decide to experience a treatment from Vlodek, bring a small white flag and a popsicle stick to bite down on!
The point of listing these individuals is that you should be proactive and find a practitioner in your area that performs soft-tissue work. Don’t wait until injury happens to visit one. Go as often as you can afford. Once or twice a month should be doable for most people. Remember the saying, “You either pay now or you pay later!” Not only will the treatments improve your recovery and performance, but they’ll definitely reduce the likelihood of injury.
Tomorrow I’ll reveal a recipe for the ultimate restoration soup… this soup is one that you lay in, not consume!
