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MORE MYTHS OF MASSAGE
There are several myths of massage that seem to be passed down through generations of massage therapy teachers. I am going to list a few of my favourites, and hope you will add yours.I'm sure there are lots more. Let's dispell the myths and teach fact-based massage therapy!
1. Massage releases lactic acid from the muscles
2. We cannot treat clients with cancer as massage will spread the cancer through the body
3. A crooked spine (scoliosis) can be straightened by doing tapotement on the "weak" side of the spine and relaxing massage on the "tight" side of the spine
4. We cannot do manual lymph drainage and effleurage in one treatment as the lymph nodes will shut down and the client's legs and arms will swell up
1. Massage releases lactic acid from the muscles
2. We cannot treat clients with cancer as massage will spread the cancer through the body
3. A crooked spine (scoliosis) can be straightened by doing tapotement on the "weak" side of the spine and relaxing massage on the "tight" side of the spine
4. We cannot do manual lymph drainage and effleurage in one treatment as the lymph nodes will shut down and the client's legs and arms will swell up
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by lee kalpin on
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i just looked through everything on the website and all I can find at one place is a list of conditions for which Matrix Repatterning is supposed to be effective. Scoliosis was on that list. I cannot find any other reference to it.
Rick Britton said:They definitely have made claims of straightening curvature. In fact, I believe that is on the website somewhere (in one of the videos, testimonials or somewhere) - has been sometime since I reviewed the material though
lee kalpin said:I have heard of this technique, and as a matter of fact I know some of the practitioners featured on the website.
As with any technique, I would like to see a report of a research study done by an expert (or experts) who are uninvolved in the practice.
When they say there are excellent results I wonder if they are claiming that they have reduced the curvature? Or have they relieved pain? Not sure what the claim is.
Lee
Rick Britton said:Dr.George Roth D.C claims excellent results in the treatment of scoliosis through his Matrix Repatterning method.
http://www.matrixrepatterningcenter.com/patients/Pa_whoarewe.htm
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Good point - that's why we are on the "myths" thread. I do have a concern with unsubstantiated claims of this sort. So many people are looking for the "miracle cure" they are willing to grasp at any straws and are likely to spend money on treatments that are not likely to help them.
Rick Britton said:Lee
the claim was included in an anecdote included on a blog, seminar notes or video. I may well have found it through following links to somewhere else. The anecdote relates to a female with a scoliosis who exclaimed during the session. She reportedly experienced a sudden change and was able to lie flat for the first time in years.
I wouldn't worry too much though.... that's why it's on this particular thread
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Permalink Reply by Stephen Jeffrey on
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What would you do if a 24 yr old client came to you who had been otherwise completely healthy previous to his condition of the previous 2 months in which he had suffered sleep deprivation, 3 severe panick attacks and you check his blood pressure to be 160/90
Is it a myth you should turn down his request for treatment ?
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Bert ! thanks for the link to this truley inspirational work of Eric Dalton. I first came across it some years ago, surely a lesson in treating the extreames of curvature and knowing that we can't do it all ourselves but HVT may be nessesary as well.
Bert Davich said:Hi lee,
My apology, I forgot to include the link to the page. Here it is:
http://erikdalton.com/articles.htm
You will find the "Symptomatic Scoliosis" article under Pain Management Technique Articles Massage & Bodywork Magazine. The techniques in this article have also been effective for clients that do not have scoliosis, but have tension on one side of the vertebral column due to a strain or repetitive strain injury causing a slight spinal curve due to postural compensations to deal with the pain/discomfort.
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When taking the case history I would want to find out what medical tests had determined. Does this client have any type of heart condition that would be a contraindication to treatment? Based on what you have told us, it would seem that this client's major problem is anxiety, which would tend to give him an elevated BP reading. The diastolic reading of 90 is a high normal, and is not a concern. The systolic reading is typically affected by emotions and stress so although 160 is high, it may be stress-related.
I would treat this client using very relaxing techniques, and making the whole atmosphere of the treatment room as calming as possible. Observe the client during treatment and if there are any alarming signs, such as shortness of breath or redness of the face, take his BP (this is rather unlikely). At the end of the treatment I would take his BP again. If the high BP reading was due to stress, it should be lower at the end of the treatment. This would be very reassuring to the client.
The idea that one high reading indicates a pathology is a myth. It is also a myth that we cannot treat clients with high BP. A relaxation massage is going to put less stress on his heart than most of his daily activities, and will most likely be beneficial.
I actually experienced this one. I was Dean of a massage college and I had booked a massage in the student clinic after a very stressful day. When the student did my assessment she found my BP was 160/100 and she didn't want to do the massage. I insisted that she do it and took full responsibility for the decision. After the treatment my BP was a normal 125/85. BP levels vary throughout the day and stress can make them spike temporarily. Relaxing massage should have a benficial effect. If the BP is NOT significantly lower at the end of the massage, send the client to a doctor immediately. .
Stephen Jeffrey said:What would you do if a 24 yr old client came to you who had been otherwise completely healthy previous to his condition of the previous 2 months in which he had suffered sleep deprivation, 3 severe panick attacks and you check his blood pressure to be 160/90
Is it a myth you should turn down his request for treatment ?
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Stephen Jeffrey said:What would you do if a 24 yr old client came to you who had been otherwise completely healthy previous to his condition of the previous 2 months in which he had suffered sleep deprivation, 3 severe panick attacks and you check his blood pressure to be 160/90
Is it a myth you should turn down his request for treatment ?
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I acted intuatively and treated him in the way you discribe above, his breathing normalized and looking so much better he left an hour later. I didn't get to check his blood pressure afterwards but did insist even if he felt well to see his GP again.
I'm glad I did not do as I was taught (refuse treatment ) but it always causes me problems (and probably many other MTs) when intuition and teachings clash.
The more we can do to quash these myths, and change whats taught in the class room, then surely the more in harmony new MTs will be when dealing with medical conditions.
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It is a good idea to contact the GP but not always a feasible one. Where i live, physicians are so busy, they are quite unlikely to answer or respond to a call. Also, they don't always know much about massage and its effects so are likely to give the client an answer based on their own (mis)information. It can be either "Sure have a massage, - Massage can't do any harm". or the opposite of "no, I don't want you to have massage - it won't do any good" without any good reason.
A call from a physician would not necessarily provide legal protection if there were a law suit for malpractice. It's verbal and doesn't hold any legal weight.
I think the best approach is to do a careful assessment, explain benefits and risks to the client, and have the client sign that they have received this information. If there is a concern with BP, monitor the BP before, once during the massage and after the massage.
If the BP remains high, or becomes further elevated, send the client to Emerg immediately.
REmember that many factors can influence BP. If the client just had a coffee and and smoke, before the assessment, BP will likely be elevated. If he drove through rush hour traffic - BP will be elevated. These are normal responses.
Rick Britton said:of course the real reason IMHO that we are taught to refuse treatment is to protect US not the client... we all the know the healing power of touch yet we are asked to deny it it these various groups. If I ever have a doubt I contact the GP before treatment
Stephen Jeffrey said:I acted intuatively and treated him in the way you discribe above, his breathing normalized and looking so much better he left an hour later. I didn't get to check his blood pressure afterwards but did insist even if he felt well to see his GP again.
I'm glad I did not do as I was taught (refuse treatment ) but it always causes me problems (and probably many other MTs) when intuition and teachings clash.
The more we can do to quash these myths, and change whats taught in the class room, then surely the more in harmony new MTs will be when dealing with medical conditions.
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I believe the solution to this is to KEEP EDUCATING YOURSELF. Myths are based on misinformation. Keep reading books/ articles on physiology and patholgy to have a clear understanding of how the body works. That way you will have more to go on than just your intuition. You will have knowledge on which to make good decisions.
Remember, BP fluctuates throughout the day. Many factors will elevate it. If your client just had a coffee or cigarette, it will be elevated. If he drove through rush hour traffic, or if he is suffering from anxeity (as your client was) it will be elevated. These are the body's normal responses and do not indicate a pathology.
Stephen Jeffrey said:I acted intuatively and treated him in the way you discribe above, his breathing normalized and looking so much better he left an hour later. I didn't get to check his blood pressure afterwards but did insist even if he felt well to see his GP again.
I'm glad I did not do as I was taught (refuse treatment ) but it always causes me problems (and probably many other MTs) when intuition and teachings clash.
The more we can do to quash these myths, and change whats taught in the class room, then surely the more in harmony new MTs will be when dealing with medical conditions.
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Yes, me too. Malpractice suits are very rare in Canada and rarely successful.
We must all practice conscientiously, take a good case history and do careful assessments. It is our best protection against doing harm.
Rick Britton said:I get a letter from the physician... verbal agreement is useless as you say. It doesn't happen very often and I am lucky, or should I say fortunate, to live in a country that is far less litigious than the US
lee kalpin said:It is a good idea to contact the GP but not always a feasible one. Where i live, physicians are so busy, they are quite unlikely to answer or respond to a call. Also, they don't always know much about massage and its effects so are likely to give the client an answer based on their own (mis)information. It can be either "Sure have a massage, - Massage can't do any harm". or the opporsite of "no, I don't want you to have massgae - it won't do any good" without any good reason.
A call from a physician would not necessarily provide legal protection if there were a law suit for malpractice. It's verbal and doesn't hold any legal weight.
I think the best approach is to do a careful assessment, explain benefits and risks to the client, and have the client sign that they have received this information. If there is a concern with BP, monitor the BP before, once during the massage and after the massage.
If the BP remains high, or becomes further elevated, send the client to Emerg immediately.
REmember that many factors can influence BP. If the client just had a coffee and and smoke, before the assessment, BP will likely be elevated. If he drove through rush hour traffic - BP will be elevated. These are normal responses.
Rick Britton said:of course the real reason IMHO that we are taught to refuse treatment is to protect US not the client... we all the know the healing power of touch yet we are asked to deny it it these various groups. If I ever have a doubt I contact the GP before treatment
Stephen Jeffrey said:I acted intuatively and treated him in the way you discribe above, his breathing normalized and looking so much better he left an hour later. I didn't get to check his blood pressure afterwards but did insist even if he felt well to see his GP again.
I'm glad I did not do as I was taught (refuse treatment ) but it always causes me problems (and probably many other MTs) when intuition and teachings clash.
The more we can do to quash these myths, and change whats taught in the class room, then surely the more in harmony new MTs will be when dealing with medical conditions.
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Activation of the flight or flight responce !
I've just spent the last 10 yrs working with oils starting gently, doing my best not to activate the fight or flight responce however :-
Having started to introduce skin rolling techniques only recently oct09 and introducing it at the start of my dry massage sessions I have realized some/most of my clients are experiencing pain when I roll the skin (especially lifting away from the spine) only a few have said that it is particularly unpleasant.
This new way of starting my sessions inevitably has meant activating (unintentionaly) the flight or fight responce ( due to the pain/clients unused to this technique.)
However having now started my sessions like this for all clients over the last 4 months and getting feedback that varies between feeling better for longer to exceptional improvement in results and longevity of results I now feel obligated to pass this information on.
So for me its proved a myth to be overly worried about the flight or fight responce .
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Permalink Reply by Leigh Catlett on
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My school taught that massage was contraindicated for women in their first trimester of pregnancy. I have to agree with Lee in that the few women I worked on were pregnant didn't know (or let me know) until they were easily into their 3rd month. From what I could garner from my "research" was that the same regarding not working around the medial malleolus as well as the area between the thumb and the index finger... all based on reflexology points. What I did find in my research was that working those areas during the first trimester would not cause a miscarriage, but only hasten the inevitable. In any event, I continue working on clients who are pregnant but avoid both the areas around the medial malleolus and the hands. If anyone knows anything different I would welcome the information.
Thanks!
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