This session took place in the Sports Therapy Clinic. The client was complaining of tight calf muscles after running at the gym. This session lasted 1 hour.
Reflective Summary
I cleared the work area, washed my hands, checked for contraindications and allergies. I observed the client as they walked in as well as at standing. I checked the clients range of movement in the knee and foot, including plantarflexion, dorsiflexion, inversion, eversion, medial rotation, lateral rotation, flexion and extension. There was no issues with their range of movement. I did this massage one side at a time. I began with 5 minutes of efflurage, until the calf became red (the blood rose to the surface). After this, I did some deeper work with petrissage including kneading, wringing and lifting. When lifting, I tried using the bottom of the palm of my hand, and I found this worked well. Following this, I did some tapotements (mainly hacking) to relieve more tension. To finish off, I did 5 minutes of efflurage. Following this, I did some the muscular energy technique ‘post isometric relaxation’ for the gastrocnemius and soleus.
Areas for Improvement
When doing post isometric relaxation on the gastrocnemius and soleus, the client tended to dorsiflex their foot against my hand, as opposed to using their whole foot.
What can I do next?
- Guide the client through the sequence of movements more clearly to ensure they are performing each technique correctly.