Through dumb luck, I had a massage scheduled for today — perfect timing with my back still being pretty sore from the weekend.
My massage guy (I love having a guy that I can call “my massage guy”), after hearing about what was going on, suggested that I might benefit from some cupping therapy. “Huh?” I intelligently replied. He explained that it involved using cups and suction to increase blood flow to the area which would encourage more healing. Being the adventurous type, I told him to go for it. He did mention that there might be some red spots or bruising, but that it depended on the individual. Since I normally don’t bruise easily, I didn’t figure there would be much to show for it.
The process was uncomfortable, but didn’t really hurt. It felt more like my skin being pulled very taut and held that way for 10 minutes or so. I was happy to have the cups removed, but I could have stayed that way for quite awhile longer if I had to. Afterwards, my guy followed with a normal deep tissue massage, concentrating on my lower back.
Well, here’s the result (sorry for the bad picture — it’s a very difficult spot to take a picture of by yourself, and the dogs weren’t being very helpful, either):
I’m glad your back is feeling better!
Holy cow, those are some serious hickies!