Just after some advice re: case study/contra-action.

[blueberry89]

Hi

I've recently started work on my case study for my VTCT Swedish Body Massage Course.

The first treatment I did 11 days ago, my case study really enjoyed. She told me the pressure was good and she felt really relaxed afterwards. The next day she said she felt really good and she felt the abdomen massage helped with her bowel movement the next day (she has IBS).

I massaged her again last night (full body as before) and she again really enjoyed the massage and actually fell asleep for part of it!
She has sent me an e-mail today just to update me on how she is feeling and I'm a bit worried that I have done something wrong! I have copied and pasted her comments below. I didn't do anything different than before!

I have college again on Wednesday so I can chat to my tutor then but I'm an impatientbeggarand wanted to see what I could find out before then!

Her comments:
I felt really stiff when i got out of bed like i
> had done a 10 mile run!! but it didnt feel really bad more like a good used
> muscles feeling? if that makes sense other than that i am fine(most of the
> ache was in my bum and legs)

I constantly checked the pressure with her during the massage and although it was firm it definitely wasn't reaaallly hard. I'm just wondering whether she would have benefited from having this second massage after perhaps 2 weeks or so rather then 10 days? She is a fairly active person who walks approx 7 miles a day and works on her feet for about 6 hours a day (she's a dog groomer).

Any comments would be gratefully received!

Thank you.

 

[fbebcuxeisdiqcets]

Hi Sarah !

I wouldn't worry as a contra-action to massage is stiffness or acheness and also it differs with different people - sometimes the acheness takes a couple of hours or up to a day to disappear. However, I find this surprising for a person who is so active, and think she may be over dramatisising things. The person can only suffer is the massage was heavy which you said wasn't. The only other thing that I can think about is that she relaxed and fell asleep and its the body's way of healing itself.

Hopefully some other people will give you some light on this, but this is what I've come up with.

Tracy

 

[dispirited_princess]

Hi Tracy

Hope you are well. Thanks so muchfor answering. I feel more at ease about it now!

Take care

 

[Meaux]

Sarah, this is not something to worry about if it is transitory i.e. after a couple of days the client feels fine, and often much better than before. You should follow up with the client in a couple more days to check.

Its not uncommon - my explanation isthat regardless of pressure etc. massage can be a very powerful treatment and can give the body a lot to do. Sometimes the body reacts by feeling tired, stiff, tender etc. but this is temporary as it absorbs the treatment. Its often a sign (IMHO) that you have really engaged with the body and delivered a really good treatment - which is fantastic

My advice for subsequent treatments would be to try and 'back off' a little and find a balance between the first and second treatments, and build up gradually. Also - esp with IBS - to make sure the client really understands the need to drink lots of fluids (water) to flush toxins from the body - and lots means more than normal intake - even if that normal is high already (which is often thecase for IBS I think?). Some of the symptoms may well be related to the massage releasing toxins from the tissuesand the body reacting to these. Perhaps finish a treatment with some lymphatic work?

So I would discuss with your tutors - but I think you have done really well and delivered a really powerful treatment. This is exactly why you do practice clients - to figure out cause and effect in a supervised environment - a fantastic lesson - you just need to learn from it.

To my mind there is a distinction between how 'heavy' or 'light' a treatment is, that has little to do with the pressure one uses - but perhaps I am just being pedantic. I am not sure if this is at varience with Tracy or not?

I still find it hard sometimes to find that balance between doing enough, but not too much. This is especially hard withnew clients - I do try and build up gradually - but sometimes the body reacts in ways we cant always predict.

Hope that helps - just my opinion, but I would be very interested to hear what your tutor says - do tell!

InTouch

 

[SccrommS]

I agree entirely with the advice given. I have one client in particular who is always stiff as a board after treatment, he always says the pressure is fine, in fact, it's normally quite light in comparison to others. The next day he's on top of the world. It can be worrying when you treat someone and their body starts to realign.. sometimes it can be profound. People do react in different ways, contraactions can be positive and negative.. you did something pretty amazing in your treatment. If you want to modify the next then do so.. be sure of what you do and do it well.

 

[DeweyWatermelon]

Thank you so much everyone. Your replies have really boosted my confidence and the advice is all reeeally helpfulso I'm really pleased, especially as I had to come home early from my class this evening - I'm all fluey - yuk![:'(]!

Because of my lurgy, I didn't get to speak to my tutor but I'll definitely post a reply on here once I've spoken to him next week.

Thank you again - this is just the boost I needed .

Take care peeps!

 

[Thomas S]

Hi there, I'm doing the VTCT Swedish massage course too and as a treat to myself I'm having a monthly massage. Ihave occasionally felt a bit stiff the day after a massage but I have always thought it was just my bodies response to the treament, sort of a healing crisis and have dealt with it as such, taking it a bit easier, lots of fluids and warm baths. Basically a bit more pampering. Hope your tutor gave you encouraging feedback, sounds a normal but possibly not usual response to a treatment to me.

 

[Your.Aunt]

Hi Trish

Hope you're getting on ok with your course and enjoying it as much as I am. Thanks for the reply. I keep meaning to book myself in for a massage but there always seems to be something that gets in the way. I should really make the effort and make time, I could do with some pampering!

Thanks again!

 

[John 117]

Hi, yeah, I would agree with others too. It always amazes me how much people can differ from session to session, and also in their reaction to it. All sorts of factors come into play with stiffness - temperature of the room - how tense they are durign the massage - and how much has shifted. it sounds to me like you gave a really effective tretment which released tension, and perhpas even a bit of emotional stuff, and she's getting a bit of a reaction.
Assuming you and she are happy with pressure, which you were, and that the ache/stiffness subsided qiuckly, then I would always be upbeat about such a reaction (maybe hold back the that's wooooonderful!! ) but tell people that it sounds like there was somethign shifting, or a release.
Epsom salts - in fairly large quantities - about 500g in a hot bath - really speeds up toxin move on. (But they relaly must drink a lot of water too)
I might also suggest to a client that they do a few stretches on the areas I've been particuarly working, as homework before the next session.
Hope that helps, I ramble, but I wanted to add my encouragement. keep up the good work!