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Massage therapists frequently interact with patients who have physical and mental illness issues. Thus, to effectively serve this population, they should be prepared to recognize potential contraindications. It is up to massage therapists to be knowledgeable about scenarios when it is suitable and inappropriate to provide massage therapy services. At Download Wellness, a premier wellness center that is Black-owned, providing massage therapy in Oakland, we understand that special needs clients frequently do not disclose medical conditions or their need for accommodations until they arrive for their appointment.
It's all About Teaching Yourself
How would you manage clients with unique needs that need a wheelchair for portability? How might you proceed with massage therapy with a patient whose back has a full skin joint? How would you provide kneading therapy to a patient with a history of seizures? Most medical advisers' solutions to these questions are frequently educated guesses, so learning about potential special requirements situations will help you become informed and prepare for any unexpected requirements and contraindications.
Working with clients who have hearing or vision problems is another illustration. Our massage therapists are always aware of creating a set of hand signals that both parties can use, or have a piece of paper and a pen available to jot down inquiries or statements for clients who have hearing impairments. You should still make an effort to ask special needs clients whether they are too hot or chilly during the massage therapy session even though they might not be able to hear you. How will you talk to your client if they can't see or hear you well? Is the pressure all right? Are you prepared to roll over now?
Setting up Your Practice
The best massage therapist at Download Wellness will have a room set up with a table, support, extra sheets, candles, and a headrest for a regular back rub therapy session. However, our local massage therapists have a closet full of supports in various shapes. Such as, (three-sided, dainty, thick, round, level), a back-rub seat to accommodate clients who can't lie recumbent or inclined, lights that can dim or brighten depending on a client's visual needs, or an erasable board to converse with clients who have hearing impairments.
Handling Clients with Limited Mobility and Reduced Communication
A variety of circumstances can cause mobility restrictions. These include paralysis, disease, aging, and injury, to name a few. There are issues specific to each of these illnesses. In addition, each person has unique problems that need to be addressed, regardless of their disease or handicap, which may or may not be connected to their disability. For instance, people with chronic mobility issues frequently have other medical concerns that make massage inappropriate.
During a thorough client intake and medical history, these concerns can be understood to ensure they receive the maximum benefits of massage therapy.
A customer may require further accommodations if they are unable to communicate adequately. For instance, someone who has cerebral palsy, a closed head injury, or a stroke might not be able to talk. But might, however, be able to comprehend gestures or other forms of communication. Talking with their caregiver about treatment choices would be helpful as well.
If clients cannot communicate verbally, modifications to the treatment plan must be made to remain within their tolerance and comfort. If the client cannot express themselves clearly, the therapist must decipher nonverbal cues and exercise caution.
Paralysis
People with paralysis who receive a therapeutic massage should be given special treatment. Usually, just a tiny area of the body remains paralyzed, which restricts movement or sensation. The muscle and nerve activity in the rest of the body may perform regularly.
Using mobility aids like wheelchairs or crutches, areas not immediately affected by paralysis may develop compensatory habits accompanied by tension or discomfort. Joint stiffness, spasms or contractures, or restricted joint movement can occur together with paralysis. Some additional care is necessary while massaging paralyzed areas.
Although they must be used with extreme caution, range-of-motion exercises and light stretching techniques aid in maintaining flexibility, joint movements must be gentle because osteoporosis may also be present in long-term paralysis patients.
Show Good Judgement
In the same way, if the client's capacity for communication is impaired, the therapist must be acutely aware of nonverbal cues like body language and facial expressions and exercise sound judgment when delivering services to prevent harm to the client. Doing less is sometimes preferable. More profound mechanical techniques are frequently not as appropriate or supportive of the client as compassionate touch and the presence of another carrying person.