I try not to be the annoying guy who talks about it all the time, but, as you may know, I am an active Crossfitter. I absolutely love working out at Crossfit because it feels more like a game than a workout.

A few weeks back, I started to feel a little stiffness developing in my shoulder. I didn't think much about it at first, but it started to bother me more and more. The stiffness slowly but surely was turning into an occasional dull pain.

As I navigate through my mid-life crisis years, one of my biggest fears is getting hurt and having to stop my Crossfit hobby. I'll do anything to prevent that from happening. That's why when my shoulder started to nag me, I had a low tolerance. I went to the doctor to get it checked out.

The bad news was that I had tendonitis in my shoulder. The good news was I'd be able to get rid of it by resting it, icing it, and taking ibuprofen. He also suggested I get a massage. Well, that's all I needed to hear. I booked the first massage available. After all, I was following the doctor's orders!

I went to a licensed massage therapist, and she got right to work on my left shoulder. She methodically worked the area in and around the affected shoulder tendon; then, in the interest of balance, she worked on my right shoulder, as well.

Because of how much it was worked, the therapist told me not to worry if my shoulder was a little tender the following day. She suggested that I continue to rest it for a few days before returning to the gym, then avoiding any exercises that isolate the shoulder.

I'm only a week into the plan, and my shoulder is feeling great. I was tempted to take it for a test drive this weekend but decided against it. I want to finish up the rest, then give it a good exercise sometime next week.

I learned that massages aren't just something used to pamper yourself, they can be a key part of health and wellness.

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