Background
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in
Aerospace Engineering from
Texas A&M University,
specializing in
spacecraft dynamics
and
high speed aerodynamics,
Paul worked in the defense industry designing, testing and manufacturing spacecraft systems,
and later administering construction of
highway bridges
as a
Civil Engineer
for
Caltrans.
Intricate analysis and instrumentation
is used to produce such products.
However while visiting a small village in
Moravia
(a region in the
Czech
Republic
next to
Bohemia
, where he was born)
Paul saw a construction crew arrive and one man with two copper rods began walking irregularly about the road. The man suddenly stopped, bent over and marked the road with chalk, and a backhoe excavated a pipe. Such events and people showed that there is more
to nature, and more to human bodies, than has been measured by scientific instruments or interpreted by many people's senses.
In October 2000, while inspecting a bridge on
Highway 154
, a
log
rolled onto Paul's leg. After limping for 3 months at work, his back and leg became
affected such that he could not sit without pain.
Conventional medical treatment, which concentrated on pain medication and physical therapy of the lower back and leg muscles
(primarily
Peroneus Brevis), did not relieve the pain for a year.
It was not until Paul took a
Sports Massage class,
that he realized that the chronic pain was actually referred from
trigger points
in his hip, and that the pain could be removed quickly and easily using bodywork. Apparently there was scientific basis and evidence for the many headaches and other chronic pain that he had relieved since childhood performing amateur intuitive bodywork on friends and relatives.
Although such dramatic results have been documented frequently, established medical fraternity seemed to be evading the benefits of such proven modalities
in favor of lucrative medications and surgery.
Adding this knowledge to his sensory capabilities when performing bodywork on friends and relatives, soon dancers and athletes encouraged him to pursue a career in this field.
Paul Svacina worked as an engineer, while learning bodywork in
Europe
and
the
USA.
His formal massage training began at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and most of his studies were
completed at the Santa Barbara Body Therapy
Institute, where he was a
Teaching Assistant.
Through training, practice on athletes and
dancers,
pro-bono work
and educating others, Paul discovered that various bodywork
modalities can be powerful complements to
diet,
exercise and
rest
in helping people take
control of their well-being.
Paul worked for David Dallmeyer, P.T., Laguna Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Clinic
and the Spine Care Center. and attended pre-med class at
SBCC.
