Date: 09.11.18

Location: Plymouth Marjon University

Total amount of hours: 13

In the next session a male client who is aged 19 and plays for a lacrosse team and has complaints of tightness in his calf muscles.

Treatment began by using effleurage to warm up the muscle before any deep tissue techniques were applied. Petrissage techniques were then used which included kneading and wringing to help get deeper to the muscle. Using these techniques helped to identify any tightness within the muscle. It was clear that the client’s right calf was much tighter than his left calf.

After massaging the gastrocnemius, it was decided that it would be more effective to use some stretching techniques. To do this, an assessment was first carried out to test their range of motion at the ankle and how well the client can dorsiflex and plantar flex the ankle, as this will help to assess whether the treatment was effective at the end of the session. By asking the client to move further down the bed so that their feet were positioned off the end of the bed, this will help to perform some muscular energy techniques. Muscular energy techniques (METS) were applied by pushing the client’s foot into dorsiflexion and asking the client to resist the pressure applied by pointing their toes (plantar flexion) by using around 30-40% of their maximal effort. After holding this for 30 seconds, the client was then told to relax as the amount of force applied to the ankle was increased before asking them to inhale and repeat the process. This was repeated 3-5 times.

By the end of the treatment there was a decrease in tightness and an increase in the clients range of movement. An ankle and knee assessment can also be carried out to help identify any underlying problems with the joint/muscles. Measuring the clients range of motion before and after treatment will also be effective when comparing whether treatment had been effective.