POST MASSAGE TREATMENT
After the session has concluded, the therapist has several options regarding the client’s treatment. It is common practice to advise the client to receive more massages, typically once a month for maintenance purposes. However, depending upon the client’s specific condition, more sessions in quicker succession might be advised. Whereas client’s whose insurance is paying for their sessions, it is not unusual for massage to be prescribed two to three times a week over the course of one or two months. For client’s paying out-of-pocket, though, how often they can schedule a massage is highly dependent upon financial constraints and their desire to correct a dysfunction. For a client for whom money is no object, so to speak, who wants to correct a dysfunction as fast as possible and is not sore from treatment the following day may receive a massage every day if they so desire. For a client with financial restrictions who also seeks to remedy a dysfunction quickly may be advised to schedule a session once every other week while being recommended self- care techniques. Self-care techniques should be things that are practical for a client to do. This may involve recommending the application of hot or cold therapy, but the therapist should keep in mind that the client will probably not have something like hot stones on hand and will have to substitute a towel that has been heated with hot tap water. Similarly, for the client to apply cold therapy, the client may use a bag of ice cubes from their freezer. When
recommending hot or cold therapy, the general rule is that either should be applied for 15 to 20 minutes or within the client’s tolerance for such therapy. Other practical recommendations may include any self-stretches the therapist may know. Another recommendation would be self-massage for the client by using tennis-, golf- or racquetballs which the client can either stand or lay on to treat hypertensive muscles. A fourth recommendation would be to have the client wear a sports wrap or sports taping which will prevent injured joints from moving too much and stabilize muscles. Fifth, a therapist can recommend postural changes that are negatively influencing a client’s body mechanics. Last but not least, a therapist may refer a client to other health care professionals such as physicians, surgeons, chiropractors, physical therapists, nutritionists or mental health councilors if the therapist feels they are unable to treat the client effectively on their own. A therapist should remember, though, that they can only make recommendations and cannot diagnose or prescribe any course of treatment that is not directly massage related. The intake and interview process, assessments, the massage itself and post massage recommendations can altogether provide a client with a planned treatment. It is a process of discovery, application, revision and mitigation that is on-going and should never be assumed to be complete.
References Beck, M. (2010). Theory and practice of therapeutic massage . (5th ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Milady. Born, B. (2005). The essential massage companion . (2nd ed.). Berkley, MI: Concepts Born, LLC. Capellini, S. (2010 ). Massage for dummies. (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Wiley Publishing, Inc. Lowe, W. W. (2001). Orthopedic massage: technique and theory. (2nd ed.) Oxford, England: Elseveir Limited.
Riehl, S. Massage Magazine. (2015). Easy assessments for clients in the prone position . Retrieved from: https://www.massagemag.com/easy-assessment-techniques- for-clients- prone-on-the-table-30675. Susan, S. (2012). Massage therapy: principles and practices . (4th ed.) St. Louis, MI: Elsevier Limited. Tosch, H. Massage + medications. (2016). American Massage Therapy Association. Retrieved from: https://www.amtamassage.org/articles/3/MTJ/detail/3051
TREATMENT PLANNING FOR CLINICAL MASSAGE Final Examination Questions Select the best answer for each question and mark your answers on the Final Examination Answer Sheet found on page 108, or complete your test online at EliteLearning.com/Book 56. What is an intake form also known as? a. A medical release form. b. A health history questionnaire. c. An informed consent form. d. SOAP notes. 57. What dictates what a therapist can do during a massage? a. The therapist’s desires. b. The client’s desires. c. What an employer says a therapist can do. d. The scope-of-practice as defined by the therapist’s state board. 58. When does the documentation process begin? a. During the massage. b. Before the massage begins. c. After the massage. d. Documentation can begin at any time the therapist chooses. 59. What is the client’s Intake form used for? a. To ask for the client’s health history and the current status of their health. b. For billing purposes. c. To find out when they last relaxed. d. To prevent the therapist’s liability for client neglect or abuse. 60. When is the ‘A’ in APIE notes written? 61. What is a closed-ended question? a. A question a therapist doesn’t want answered. b. A ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question. c. A question with no definitive answer. d. A question the therapist doesn’t ask. 62. Which is a characteristic of acute pain? a. Dull pain. b. Long lasting or chronic pain. c. Non-emergency pain. d. Sharp pain. 63. What does a therapist’s scope-of-practice refer to? a. What a therapist can do. b. What a therapist can’t do. c. What a therapist can and can’t do. d. What the client can and can’t do. 64. Which of the following is an assessment for the head and neck muscles? a. Cervical compression test. b. Upper trapezius strength test. c. Piriformis strength test. d. Ober’s test. 65. What does an analgesic do? a. Increase pain. b. Decrease pain.
c. Warm soft tissues. d. Harden soft tissues.
a. Before the massage. b. After the massage. c. During the massage. d. Never.
Course Code: MLA01TP
Page 105
Book Code: MLA1224
EliteLearning.com/Massage-Therapists
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