Clinical Reflection – Plymouth 10K

STYC01 Clinical Reflections

Date Location Total Amount of Hours Overview of Session
 

7/10/18

 

Guildhall Plymouth

 

5

On the 7th of November I volunteered to provide pre and post event massage for runners competing in the Plymouth 10K. This allowed me to gain experience and build my confidence.

 

Reflective Summary  Areas for further Improvement plus action plan
I arrived at Guildhall and was briefed on the timings and running of the morning. I was paired with a more experienced student so I could watch their techniques and they could act as a mentor. Each client has a time slot of three minutes, so the main aim was to  use effleurage to warm up the muscles before the event to improve circulation and range of movement. Following the run the time scale was the same but the focus was more on improving lymphatic flow and circulation to remove lactic acid and relax the muscles. I also spoke to clients to recommend and promote the clinic to them and told them to referrer themselves for an assessment if they experienced any injuries.

 

It was really useful as it taught me a lot about time management and how to use the time with the client most effectively to gain the best results. There was a lot to fit into a small time slot and it was important that I remembered to ask about any contraindications that they may have. In between each client I wiped down the bed and checked I had enough massage medium for the next client.

 

 

I think I need to learn more massage techniques to allow me to treat specific injuries and get deeper in to the muscle to make my massages even more effective. I feel like I also need to practice the techniques I have learnt so far on the upper limb to allow me to be able to work on a wider range of body parts the clients may have injuries in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Returning to reflections at a later date
Since then I have completed my soft tissue module and learnt a variety of new techniques (petrissage, taping, cryotherapy and thermotherapy, as well as a variety of stretching techniques (MET’s)). This greater knowledge has really helped me to offer each client a treatment which is tailored to their needs and I have since realised that in some cases the use of muscular energy techniques such as PIR is quicker and more effective than massage alone.