Massage Therapy by Dr Shivam Mishra.pptx

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of massage therapy is that it’s noninvasive and fairly easily tolerated by the client. “Second,” says Jurch, “is that other forms of treatment may not address all of the necessary areas.” Meaning, again, that some of your clients may be feeling pain in one area whose source is actually in another. “A massage therapist can understand the relationship between each of the muscles that have an impact on a joint,” explains Donnelly. “Knowing which muscle needs to be released first in order for subsequent muscles to be effectively treated is immensely helpful.” That a massage therapist is focused on muscles, tendons and insertion points is also helpful, according to Donnelly. “A massage therapist can use the referral patterns of the trigger points to follow the point of pain described by the client back to the originating muscle, locate the trigger point in that muscle and apply direct pressure to release the spasms,” she explains. Typically, massage therapists use a type of compression—sometimes referred to as digital pressure—to help relieve trigger points. “The goal of treating trigger points is to remove the spasm and return the sarcomere to its original length,” Jurch explains. “Digital pressure works by applying pressure to a ‘knot’ for anywhere from 30 seconds to 90 seconds, until a change in the tissue is felt.” However, both Donnelly and Jurch agree that while doing this work, clearly communicating with your clients is imperative, as they may experience some pain and you need to be able to adjust pressure when necessary. “Unlike a relaxing massage, trigger point therapy can be uncomfortable to receive, especially while applying the direct pressure on the trigger point,” Donnelly says. “I always explain to clients that it’s very important for them to tell me immediately if the pain is not tolerable to I can adjust my pressure.” Jurch shoots for a seven out of 10 on a client’s pain scale, cautioning that massage therapists don’t want to be too aggressive with this work and cause irritation to the tissue. “Once the therapist feels the tissue change,” he says, “they should remove the pressure and perform some general massage strokes to the area.” So, while you are used to checking in with clients during a massage therapy session, doing so more frequently may be necessary when doing trigger point work. “What may be just fine in one area might be intolerable in another,” Donnelly explains. “I ask my clients over and over ‘Is this pressure OK?’ Sometimes we laugh because I ask so often, but they definitely get the point that it’s vital for me to know how they are doing during the entire massage therapy session.” Clients who are in chronic pain, no matter what the cause, are looking for one thing: relief. More and more, massage therapy is proving helpful. For your clients who look to you for help managing chronic pain, understanding—and being able to treat—trigger points can sometimes make all the difference.Read less