“I’ve been doing Crossfit for around seven years now, alongside hiking, swimming, running and some cycling. Unfortunately though, in contrast, my day job as a graphic designer means I’m sat at a desk for 8 hours or more a day. The job can be quite stressful at times meaning my good posture often deteriorates and I end up in tense, awkward positions.
I was advised by a chiropractor that a combination of these factors and the repetitive strain on my body culminated in me developing a pinched or trapped nerve in my neck due to myofascial build-up – my muscles were so tense and ‘sticky’ around my upper back, neck and shoulders, they trapped my nerve.
I was experiencing a deep throbbing pain in my shoulder, down my left arm with pins and needles and numbness in my left hand. I attended a chiropractor for five sessions and a physio for three, both of which helped but only briefly, as the pain was reduced only for a day or so.
Luckily I spoke to a girl at my gym and she recommended I try Acupuncture with Cate at Fix. I decided to give it a go.
Cate put me at ease straight away. I felt I was in good hands. At the first session we tried acupuncture with cupping. Almost immediately my tense (and I mean TENSE) muscles melted away. The cupping apparently pulled up my muscles to relieve all the pressure and tension. The pain and tingling almost vanished. I couldn’t believe how quickly and profoundly it improved my symptoms in one session. There were slight circular marks on my back where the cups had been, but these faded over the following day or so. Neither were painful – I enjoyed it and felt relaxed throughout.
In my third session we tried acupuncture with cupping and something I’d never heard of before – ‘Guasha’. I was open to trying something new. Cate applied downward strokes with a smooth implement along the muscles all over my back. It was completely relaxing and I almost fell asleep. She warned me beforehand that I may be shocked at the appearance of red stripes on my back, as the technique draws blood up through the muscles to the surface. I wasn’t bothered and it wasn’t bad at all. It faded in a day or two.
The results of all three techniques have been astounding. I’ve had four sessions and that’s it for now. I feel so much better than before. I’ll definitely return if I need to in the future.”
More on Cate and booking in with her here.