I decided I would find a physiotherapy clinic and go in today, since it’s possible (on a Saturday) and not expensive, and since my previous experience with physio was pretty good.

Though it was a little difficult to find a clinic, some nice women at a pharmacy gave me the name of one, and some (very confusing) directions. I went completely in the wrong direction, and ended up getting in a cab, in pain, and begging him to call directory assistance and find out where the heck the place was. He seemed annoyed at first but finally was amused by the whole thing, and probably was happy when I gave him double the cab fare, which was only at base rate, for being so helpful—he even wrote the address on the slip of paper I handed him with the name of the place on it, which was what prompted me to give him the extra money.

Anyway, once inside, I chatted with a woman who, like me, was waiting to see the doctor. She told me this was one of the best physiotherapy clinics in town, and then asked me about some foreigners she met, whom I suspect are people I work with. The description, anyway, was amusingly similar to a couple at work.

The doctor spoke pretty good English, though he gave me a chance to try explaining in Korean, and we switched at times when it made his job easier and made understanding easier for me. I learned some interesting things about proper posture and desk setup, which differ somewhat from what I heard in Montreal. In fact, the only hitch for me was that he didn’t seem to happy about my refusing to allow an X-Ray of my pelvis without some kind of lead shielding for my reproductive organs. The doctor reasoned that it’s only a small dose, but I countered that I’d already received 10 small doses of that kind, five of them unshielded, in the past year alone, which improves my odds of having a two-headed child dramatically with each X-Ray. Anyway, he let it go and simply asked me to return if the pain persisted, at which time he would apply a shot of muscle relaxant.

Then I was prescribed to get some physio treatment upstairs. The treatment included a hot pack (which was incredibly hot), some massage and stretching, ultrasound deep-heating, and application of a mild pulsating electrical current.

Now, I was in good enough condition that when I arrived at the clinic, I already felt as if the worst had passed, and that stretching alone would suffice over the next few days, but this treatment has made me feel 99% whole again. I’m sure tomorrow morning will not be as wonderful as I unconsciously assume it will be, but given how much I’d improved when I woke this morning, I have a feeling I’ll be quite happy tomorrow.

Now off to do the remainder of my repertoire of stretches…