Explore Pathways to Wellness—Worth a Visit

On Thursday I was on day five of a headache. I could feel the tension in my shoulders, and I knew the pain it was causing was creeping up my neck and around my head. I have a massage therapist that I like, I really do. She's good at what she does. But on this particular day, probably because I was wandering around downtown Maynard, I decided to see if Deb Hledik of Explore Pathways to Wellness was available. She just so happened to have an opening at a time when I was going to be available.

Those of you who know me know that I have some significant problems with my spine, so I take massage very seriously. I don't go for those spa-type massages at all because they're completely useless to someone who needs real help. So I consider myself bit of a connoisseur.

I've never had a massage experience like what I had at Pathways. The first thing Deb Hledik did was sit down with me and talk to me about my lifestyle, what was ailing me, what the pain trigger might be, etc. Then she had me stand and she took a look at my posture, front and back. She proceeded to give me very practical tips for improving my posture—so many that I can't remember them all. And finally we got down to the massage.

The work Deb did on my neck and shoulders was concrete and measurable. She checked my range of motion and was able to recheck to see the improvement later. She showed me that my shoulder that I thought I had and injury in (or possible arthritis) was really just muscle pain. And she gave me what I'll call dollar-store techniques for helping my own body deal with tension and discomfort. I was completely impressed.

So, to sum up, I went for a massage, but I came away with so much more. Thank you so much Deb and Pathways!