I was the passenger in a roll over accident which shattered my entire lumbar spine and my right clavicle, and required a two month stay in the hospital to recover. After over a month in the hospital and several weeks in ICU, I had surgery to fuse my lumbar vertabrae and place metal rods along both sides of my spine, and a bone graft was taken from my hip.Four years later (on the day that Storm King Mountain started) I had to have the rods taken back out because they had become too painful. I spent five years in physical therapy, occupational therapy to make me recover "as best I could under the circumstances."

In spite of the PT and rehabilitation work, there were days where the back pain (and deep muscular hip pain from the bone graft) were unbearable. That is when my mother introduced me to the world of massage therapy. I was fortunate to have a talented and knowledgeable massage therapist help me get through those first few years of pain and recovery. In 1994, I had the rods removed, but the intermittent back pain lingered. My surgeon commented how he was pleased at how the regular massage therapy had made the surrounding muscles and scar tissues more supple than most people he had seen. He even wrote a prescription for me to continue with the massage therapy as a part of my recovery and maintenence of my back, which only served to ratify my decision to be a massage therapist. The endorsement from an orthopedic surgeon was proof that massage therapy does affect our bodies and our muscles in a positive way.

It was in 1993 that I realized that I wanted to be able to help people as my massage therapist had helped me. The car accident which nearly killed me was in fact, a blessing. It was because I was in that accident that I wanted to be a massage therapist-- with a passion for making people feel better by relieving pain and tension. My understanding back pain on a deep, personal level became a part of my passion for massage. I know how pain can be debilitating. My massage technique is specific, personal, and based on an understanding that comes truly from experience. Because everybody and every body is different, I tailor and customize each massage to each person and their specific needs and goals each visit. Massage therapy is an essential part of healing, wellness, and taking care of ourselves. Hence, it is "Essential Therapy" and the name of my practice.

Thank you for taking the time to read about "Essential Therapy." I look forward to the opportunity to work with you.

Namaste,
SYDNEY

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