Plymouth 10K – 7.10.18 – Hours 1-5

Today we went down to the Plymouth 10k. While here, we provided runners with pre and post run massages, as well as advertising for Marjons Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation MsK Clinic. This was a great opportunity to not only gain clinical massage experience but also to interact with patients in a professional manor. Together with my partner, we massaged between 25-30 people, all with different areas of pain. The majority of patients desired a whole leg massage, while we also massaged areas such as the lower back and shoulders. Over the duration of the event I grew in confidence using the various massage techniques we had learnt up to this point (effleurage and petrissage), but also in engaging with the customers.

From this event, i can take various positives, as well as areas I can improve on in the future, for example; I should communicate with the patients more regarding their level of pain as an indication of whether I am applying too much or not enough pressure. Furthermore, I need to be more aware of the amount of oil/cream i am applying in order to optimise my results.

To ensure I do these things next time I will inform the patient to make me aware if I am applying to much or not enough pressure throughout the massage, as well as periodically asking them myself. I will also ask for feedback regarding the amount of lotion or oil applied, asking them if it feels to dry for them.

Overall, this event was very beneficial as it allowed me to put the practical and theory I had learnt into a clinical environment, making me more confident. Also, with this being my first hands on experience outside of lectures, it allowed me to gain a better understanding of the industry and the skills required in order to succeed.

19.10.18 – Hour 5-6

Today I massaged a semi-pro footballer who plays for a local team. This was a very good experience as unlike a lot of the people I massaged at the Plymouth 10k, he had previous experience with receiving sports massages and therefore was able to compare me to other professionals. Due to playing football so much and at a high intensity, he had very tight hamstrings, probably as a result of not stretching properly before games and training. I focused on this during the treatment as he had a game the following day.

During the treatment I used effleurage and petrissage as the patient was complaining of general tightness, and these techniques promote blood flow to area, as well as stretching the muscle fibres and therefore increasing the range of movement. Due to the patient wanting his quadriceps and hamstrings massaged, this was a good opportunity for me to practice my towelling techniques.

Personally, I felt as though I used effleurage and petrissage very effectively which was backed up by my client following the treatment. Furthermore, the client said there was times where he feels I could have applied more pressure. If I had communicated more with the patient, I would have known this and therefore would have had better results. None the less, the client said he was very happy with the treatment he received and felt looser going in to his game the following day.

19.10.18 – Hour 6-7

The second patient I saw today was a rugby player for both Marjon university and a local team, playing between 3 and 5 times a week. Unlike my first patient today, he had not had any previous experience with sports massages. When he came in, he explained he had a previous injury in his right quadricep, so I checked for the basic red flags and contraindications before proceeding. It turns out the injury was a tear about a year ago and therefore was not a cause for concern. I did about half hour effleurage and petrissage on the quadriceps as this was my point of focus, and then did about 5 minutes of massage on each hamstring and gastrocnemius to clear any general tightness.

Due to this being my patients first sports massage, it was difficult for him to compare it to anything and therefore comment on my technique etc. However, personally, I felt learning from the previous patient, I communicated a lot more, ensuring I was putting enough pressure on without it being overly uncomfortable for the patient. One area I can improve on will be learning more of my anatomy regarding the muscles as my patient also studies a sports course and was asking a lot of questions in regards to what I was massaging and I was not always able to give him an answer. By revising my anatomy I will be more confident when being questioned by patients and will be able to locate muscles groups more accurately and be more efficient when massaging.

19.10.18 – Hour 7-8

For the final hour today in the clinic, me and another 1^st year student from my course massaged each other for half hour each, as we are in different practical groups with different teachers and may have been taught slightly different techniques. This proved to be effective as we had both been taught slightly different variants of petrissage. I had been taught to essentially ‘pick up the muscle’ to increase blood flow, whereas my friend had been taught to use their thumbs primarily in order to stretch the muscle fibres. By comparing the techniques we had been taught, we were both able to expand our knowledge base and have more techniques at our disposal.

It was hard to find areas for improvement for this session as it largely revolved around learning techniques I had not previously practised. However, I noticed I often applied too much massage medium which made it difficult for me to get deep into the muscle, due to my fingers/hands not getting a good grip on the skin. When I mentioned this, my friend also agreed that they noticed it. In order to improve on this next time I will apply less lotion to start with and gradually apply more as and when it is needed.

23.10.18 – Hour 8-9

Today was another first for me, as I had my first female patient. This was a new experience and forced me to be a lot more careful when towelling and ensure I communicated well when massaging areas such as the quadriceps and hamstrings, making sure she was comfortable. The patient is a netball player, both for university and a local team, meaning the muscles in her legs are constantly being used. She was complaining of general tightness and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in her quads, hamstrings and gastrocnemius’. I proceeded to apply effleurage and petrissage to the affected areas as both techniques increase blood flow to the area which will reduce the DOMS and speed up the recovery process. As I had some spare time following massaging her legs, I also massaged her lower back as she complained of some mild pain, which I put down to referral pain from her tight hamstrings. I primarily used effleurage on the back to increase blood flow as she was complaining of a mild ache, this suggests it was muscle based rather than anything else.

My patient reported she was comfortable with my towelling techniques and furthermore, the communication throughout the massage meant she felt at ease and was able to relax. Similar to one of my last massages, I feel to improve at the moment I must continue to revise my anatomy so that I can be more accurate with my massage and therefore give my clients the best results. Also, I was left with spare time at the end of the massage, but luckily the patient also had mild back pain which I could treat. In future, I must manage my time better when massaging.

23.10.18 – Hour 9-10

My second massage today was slightly different as my patient was not actually a sports player, but rather an office worker. Due to working long hours sat at a computer desk, he was complaining of tightness in his upper back and shoulders, which I narrowed down to his trapezius’ and rear deltoids, and this was very noticeable upon palpation. His shoulders were also slightly rounded. I proceeded to apply effleurage to his upper back, ensuring I got deep in to the muscle tissue around his traps. Due to how tight his upper back and shoulders were, I ensured I communicated throughout the treatment checking he wasn’t in too much pain. I also applied effleurage on his chest as the muscles such as pectoral major would also be put under stress in an office job.

The patient reported feeling a lot more loose after the treatment with his pain being reduced significantly. In the future, I should test the patients range of movement around the area of pain, so I can then test it again after treatment and check if the treatment has been effective. Also, as this was my first massage of the upper back, shoulders and chest, I must continue to practice the techniques until I become fully comfortable with it.