Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/398416
Richard says he needed someone who wouldn't be afraid to work on his battered body. "David was up for that challenge. He's the only person powerful enough, or daring enough, to get in there and work on me." However, the relaxation component remains a pretty good benefi t as well. "When I sit up after a massage with David, it's like I can see better [because] I'm so relaxed." Despite all his best efforts, doctors are telling Richard that the health of his left leg remains uncertain. "They've told me there's no guarantee. We're waiting for me to come off this next round of antibiotics [for the MRSA]." By then, a third knee replacement might be ordered, or something more drastic. Whatever the outcome, it won't stop this career serviceman. He's rekindled a passion for archery since his accident and is training to qualify for the US archery team for the 2015 Paralympic Games. He and his family will continue to call Walter Reed home for the time being, until they can return together to their real home in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Until then, Richard will make his way to David's table every chance he can. David's Treatment Notes "I worked on Richard immediately after the amputation. Lymphatic drainage is a big component of what I do for him, as well as work on his knee replacement area. My protocol with Richard is similar to the massage progression I give all my clients: stretching of the tissues, acupressure, opening up of the energy lines from a shiatsu point of view, passive stretches. I get the moisturizing properties into the scar tissue and work it; it's extremely painful for him." Wounded Warrior Testimonials Navy Staff Sergeant Taylor Morris, 25 Taylor is a quadruple amputee—he has a double above- the-knee amputation, his right hand is amputated at the wrist, and his left arm is amputated above the elbow. The massage therapy he receives from David has made a difference in his everyday life. "He's helped me immensely with nerve pain and my lower-back issue." Navy Sergeant Bo Reichenbach, 26 For Bo, who lost both legs above the knee in an IED blast in Afghanistan, and also suffers from scarring on his right arm, massage helped him reduce his use of pain medications—and fi nally stop them completely. "Massage decreased my nerve pain from 8–9 to an average of 2," he says. Army Sergeant Lucas Oppelt, 31 Lucas says he's a different person when he leaves his massage appointments. "I feel like I can walk better right away." In addition to a moderate brain injury, Lucas lost his right leg below the knee and lacerated the back of his left leg when he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan. "I could tell after that fi rst treatment there were a lot of benefi ts from massage," he says. Army Sergeant David Bixler, 29 While trying to prevent an Afghan soldier from stepping onto a minefi eld, David himself stepped onto a pressure plate that detonated two mortars. "Both of my legs were lost; shrapnel to my left arm, abdomen, sacrum, spine, and so forth. My tailbone was later removed, and much of my rear and sacral areas were lost." David says massage helped him be happier and healthier. "Massage helps me dramatically with my back pain, leg pain, and helps release a great deal of tension in my shoulders." Massage not only softens an amputated limb's scar tissue, but also eases pain caused by the prosthetic. Photo by Shy Shorer. DAVID'S HEROES