This session took place in the Marjon Sports Therapy clinic for 1 hour. The client requested a full back massage.
Reflective Summary
After making the work station look professional, washing my hands and checking for any contraindications or allergies, I asked the client which massage medium they would prefer I used. After using a towelling technique to protect their modesty, I lowered the bed and allowed them to get comfortable. Within this massage, I began with 5 minutes of effluragre to warm the muscle up and to aid circulation; I did this until the skin was red. Once the blood rose to the surface of the skin, I began to do some deeper work using petrissage techniques (mainly kneading). When using a bolster to allow the scapula to become more superficial, I often use my knuckles to ease my thumbs. I came across some myofacial points, in which I applied the neuromuscular techniques to release them. I also attempted applying these with my knuckles. To finish off, I did 5 minutes of efflurage.
Areas for Improvement
When massaging the back, I did efflurage all over, then did my petrissage techiques on either side (taking it in turns). Due to this, when I got to the second side of the back, by this point it has started to cool down and the skin was no longer red. Due to this, I had to perform efflurage on just that side of the back again to warm it back up.
What can I do next?
- Massage the back in 2 sides from start to finish, instead of just when doing petrissage and neruomsucular techniques.