21.3.19 – Hour 30-31
Todays second patient was was a women who works long shifts in an office environment. She came to me complaining of hip pain, which was also effecting her lower back. Upon observation it was clear to see that anterior pelvic tilt, meaning her pelvis protracted slightly. She had been experiencing this pain for a few weeks and as unsure why. Upon palpation, the TFL was tight, which in turn made her lower back muscles e.g. irector spinae very tense.

To start the treatment, I massaged the patients quadriceps, primarily the lateral side so I could put pressure on the IT band. From this point I then massaged the patients TFL. I also applied effleurage to the patients lower back to try and relieve any tension that had been caused by the protracting pelvis. For aftercare I advised the patient to perform some basic hip stretches such as hip extension and flexion, to break up her long shifts sat down at work. She said she felt alot better and the pain was not as severe. She said she would look to arrange another session with myself the next time she is free.

25.3.19 – Hour 31-32
Today was the last of the open clinics. My first patient today was a footballer for the university first team. As varsity was on wednesday, he was looking to get a general leg massage to clear any tightness. He also stated that he has been suffering with hamstring strains in his right hamstring quite frequently.

I applied effleurage and petrissage to the patients quadriceps, hamstrings and gastrocnemius. I also incorporated vibrations to try and loosen the patients muscles as much as possible, and aid as much blood flow to his legs. To treat his frequent hamstring strains, I applied K-Tape down his hasmtrings, positioning the tape along both the semimembranosous and semitendanosous, as this tape can be left on for up to 7 days, seeing him right through to the day of varsity.

25.3.19 – Hour 32-33
My second patient of todays open clinic was also a footballer for a Marjon football team, preparing for the upcoming varsity on wednesday. He again just wanted a general massage to prepare for the game. I aimed to massage for 5-10 minutes on each of the patients hamstrings, quadriceps and gastrocnemius, however when massaging the patients hamstrings I found a number of trigger points which I removed using NMT.
Overall this massage was good and allowed me to iron out a lot of little things that I have noted I need to work on, such as depth of massage, communication and application of massage medium. The patient said he felt a lot looser in preparation for his big game on Wednesday.

9.4.19 – Hour 33-34
Today I had a friend of mine come in who roughly 2 months ago, tore both his infraspinatous and teres minor when working out in the gym. Although the tear had since healed, he was experiencing some tightness and pain in the gym when performing chest exercises. He is also on my course so this was a good opportunity to relieve some informal feedback regarding my techniques and application.
I started by applying effleruage to the patients chest, primarily the pectoral major, gradually working up to performing petrissage on the patients shoulders and around to the deltoids, in case any tightness in these areas were contributing to the pain/tightness in his chest.
The patient stated his chest felt a lot better following the treatment, however, he did comment that during the treatment he would of liked a bit more communication regarding the treatment rather than just general social talk. This is something I must work on, ensuring I am able to balance professionalism with being social with my clients.

9.4.19 – Hour 34-35
My second patient today was a rugby player who roughly two weeks ago twisted his ankle, and was still experiencing some difficulty with it. Upon observation it was clear it was still slightly swolen. He came wanting only taping but I advised him I am able to perform gentle massage on the ankle to try and aid blood flow to the area and promote recovery.

I performed gentle effleurage on the patients ankle, aiding lymphatic return and therefore aiding recovery. Also, as I was pushing upwards, I also massaged the patients gastrocnemius and soleus so that this did not cause tightness here. I repeated the process on the other leg to avoid causing a imbalance.

To finish the treatment, I applied K-Tape to the patients lateral ankle ligaments, running up the side of the patients shin, offering him improved blood flow to the area, as well as increased flexibility. The massage went very well and the patient reported having less pain immediately after the treatment, as well as there being an obvious reduction in swelling.

11.4.19 – Hour 35-36 – Formative Assessment
Today was my second formative assessment, which involved me massaging the same second year who I had done my first formative assessment with. I chose to use the same second year twice as not only could he give me feedback on my technique and application at this current moment, but will also be able to comment on my improvement since my first formative assessment.
Similarly to the first one, he did not have a specific area of concern, so I just gave him a general massage consisting of mainly legs and back. I incorporated all the techniques; effleurage, petrissage and tapotement, as well as finishing the session with the some PIR of the lower limb. I did plan to tape as well to gain as much feedback as possible, however decided against it as it would of reduced the amount of time I could massage and stretch with the patient.

Overall, I was happy with how I performed in this massage. I took on the advice I was given in the last formative assessment, as well as from other peers on this course. The second year stated that again, my depth of massage was good throughout, and there has been a clear improvement in the application of my techniques since our first assessment. The only thing he said that I could improve on would be asking the patient more questions, such as whether they were happy with the treatment and they understood the aftercare advice etc.

12.4.19 – Hour 36-37
My first patient today was a friend of mine from my old school. However, he studies a foundation degree in Sports Therapy at city college. I thought it would be a good idea to get him in for a session to see if he could advise me on any other techniques that aren’t taught by our lecturers.
This patient had no specific issues regarding injuries or tightness, so therefore I proceeded to give him a general back and leg massage at his request. Throughout the treatment he was questioning me on various things regarding the clinic, the modules on my course etc. so it was important I gave him clear, professional answers to project a good image of the Marjon Sports Therapy clinic/course. I applied general effleurage and petrissage to appropriate areas (hamstrings, quadriceps, laterals, irector spinae etc.).
The patient did not provide me with any new techniques that I did not know, however explained how in some instances during the treatment he may of used his knuckles rather than my whole hand to try and get a more precise pressure onto a muscle. We agreed this was down to the therapists discretion, however I will take a note of this and try and incorporate this into my next treatment and see if I find it effective.

12.4.19 – Hour 37-38
My second patient today was another friend of mine from Plymouth. She does not play sports, but goes to the gym 3-4 times a week, mainly training legs. She said she has trouble getting low when squatting and wanted to see if a sports massage could help with her getting depth in her squats. I decided to primarily focus on her gastrocnemius and hamstrings, with a small portion of the massage being on her quadriceps.
I performed effleurage on her gastrocnemius and hamstrings, and it was clear that she had very tight muscles, showing that she did not stretch adequately before training, a factor in her struggling to squat low. I removed any adhesions using NMT and then applied petrissage to the area as well. Once I had massaged all the muscle groups, I did a short period of stretching in the form of PIR with the patient, focusing mainly on the hamstrings.
Straight after the massage, the patient performed a squat and it was evident she could get a lot lower without being in discomfort. If I was to massage this patient or a similar patient again, I would measure her ROM either through numerical values (goniometer) or through photos, so we could see the effects the treatment had on her squat depth.

15.4.19 – Hour 38-39
My first patient today was a footballer who plays for a local team. He came to me wanting a pre-event massage as he had a football game the same evening. He had no specific areas of concern, just general tightness in his legs from not stretching adequately. I applied light effleurage to the various muscle groups, and incorporated some light kneading where I deemed it appropriate. I found some adhesions, primarily on the lateral side of the hamstrings (bicep femoris), and removed them using NMT. To finish the massage I applied a single strip of K-Tape down running from the patients glutes and down his hamstrings. This will help with any tightness he has been experiencing during his games. The patient reported feeling looser after the treatment and prepared for his game the same evening.

15.4.19 – Hour 39-40
My second patient today was a friend of mine from Plymouth. He was down from uni and was interested in a massage as I had previously mentioned one to him. He presented no specific problems but rather was just interested in the experience, as he had never had a sports massage. I ensured I checked for all the main contraindications and went through a pre-assessment, despite him only being interested in a massage. Upon observation it was clear he had a elevated left shoulder, which I attributed to tightness in his traps. For the treatment, I applied effleurage to his back, working into petrissage on his traps when I reached that point. I also performed effleurage and petrissage onto the patients hamstrings and calf’s , releasing any tightness in this area. Despite the patient not having any injury’s/issues, it was good for me massage him as it gave me a chance to revise my techniques and how I applied them. Furthermore, he asked me a lot of questions regarding the clinic and how it is ran, so was also good to revise my knowledge around this area.