Massage, even when practiced by someone who is relatively untrained, not only feels wonderful, but can be wonderfully healthful. Massage improves the circulation, stretches out tissues, improves the lubrication of joints and is often effective at relieving headaches, insomnia, hyperactivity, nausea and a host of other maladies. Like almost anything that can be helpful, massage, if practiced incorrectly, can also be harmful. Too much pressure or traction (pulling against joints) can injure organs and connective tissue and can actually even break bones in some cases. It is important to know if the person you are working on has any medical conditions—blood clots, osteoporosis, cancer or diabetes, for example. In these cases, care must be taken not to worsen the condition or do injury to the person. It is the responsibility of anyone who is performing massage to know how to protect their client.
Please note that, anyone with a serious medical condition such as “cancer or diabetes” should not be offered any form of massage treatment unless they have obtained written permission from their Gp and client’s who have been diagnosed with “blood clots or osteoporosis” cannot be given any form of massage treatment.
The aims of a consultation are:
• To take an accurate medical history
• To find out what the client wants from the treatment
• To determine what the client needs from the treatment
• To ensure that the client is suitable for the treatment
• To determine any need for special care
• To establish a good rapport
• To answer the client’s queries
• To agree a treatment plan
Records of consultations and treatments must always be kept. A typical record card will contain personal and medical details on one side and a record of attendance and treatments on the other.
Medical details are needed to establish the presence or absence of any contraindications to a treatment or whether a medical referral may be necessary. This also gives you the opportunity to discover any conditions requiring special care and note any localised conditions affecting the treatment being carried out.