This session was undertaken in the Marjon Sports Therapy Clinic for 1 hour. The client was complaining of upper back and shoulder pain.
Reflective Summary
After setting up the work station and washing my hands, I observed the posture of the client. Within this, it became apparent that they usually slouch their shoulders. Upon palpation, it was clear that this was increasing their muscle tension in their upper trapezius. Therefore, this is where I focused my treatment. Using a towelling technique, they took of their top and go onto the bed. Following this, I moved the towel down to expose the whole back. Firstly, I did efflurage for 5 minutes, to increase blood flow, and to aid the interchange of tissue fluids . Following this, I performed petrissage for 30 minutes, to increase strength of the connective tissue, and to aid the mobility between tissues, (as found out subsequent to being asked about this within my last session). Among the 30 minutes of pettrisage, I also occasionally applied efflurage, to give the client a break from the deep work, allowing me to not overwork the tissue or muscle. As well, I also finished off with 5 minutes of efflurage.
Areas for Improvement
Within this massage, I felt much more confident with my knowledge on the physiology of the techniques, and it was useful to have a greater understanding of this. However, I found it hard to summaries all of the points, and found myself saying things in the wrong order, and over complicating things.
What can I do next?
- Begin to tell the client the basic physiology of the massage techniques in preparation for the exam.