Massage Pathology Chronicles

This is actually one I must have missed. Very good disorder to point out, as a therapist must watch out for apnea on the table. Once again, however, I must submit my assignment here, failing yet again to find the button to submit an article of my own. Chapter 8 has a short and sweet introduction. It still gets the job done pretty well, and the images are decent (although the one on asthma seems a bit lacking, without a side-by-side comparison). I really had to appreciate the irony of this section, as I have been nursing cold-like symptoms for over two weeks now. Once again, I have to criticize my "need to know" on several very graphic pictures of lung and upper respiratory tissue, considering that I am neither trained nor qualified in biopsies to see this in the real world (especially without a side-by-side comparison to healthy tissue, to those of us who are visual learners). As critical as I may be at the necessity of seeing internal organs, this chapter did give some good examples of the external signs of certain respiratory diseases, especially when a significant amount of the ailments can be filtered down to fit between the archetypes of COPD.

Original Post
March 9, 2010
Title: Sleep Apnea and Massage
Sleep apnea is one of the common sleep disorders. It occurs when you stop breathing during the night. This is characterized by shallow breathes and loud snoring with pauses between breathes that last 10 seconds or more. People who have this condition, wake up frequently during the night to breathe. Some symptoms of sleep apnea are long gaps in breathing, very loud snoring, gasping or choking and not feeling rested in the morning. This condition usually occurs because of some sort of obstruction in the air passage. Massage cannot be used to treat sleep apnea, but can be performed for a client to rejuvenate and perhaps alleviate some symptoms of depression, if he has any.

Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Respiratory Condition, Massage Therapy Sleep Apnea, Massage Therapy Depression, Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists

Review of Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists, by Salvo and Anderson. Within the course of Dr. Johnson.

Chapter 8 is an overview of the respiratory system, medications used for treating respiratory disorders, and how to recognize respiratory disease. This chapter shows the functions, diseases, and disorders of the respiratory system, air movement, pulmonary ventilation, plus how a massage therapist should know when to refer out because the disorder or disease is too severe, or the client is at risk of having a massage, or the therapist is just not qualified to perform the massage.

Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Respiratory System Pathology, Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists

Review of Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists, by Salvo and Anderson. Within the course of Dr. Johnson.

The respiratory system’s function, with the help of the cardiovascular system, is to allow gas exchange through all parts of the body. It supplies the body with oxygen and expels carbon dioxide from the body. The elimination of excess carbon dioxide enables the prevention of acid buildup in the blood, which regulates the pH of the blood. A common disease of the respiratory system is asthma. Asthma affects 7% of the population in the United States and a total of 300 million worldwide. Asthma causes 4,000 deaths a year in the United States alone. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asthma). Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that is caused by airway sensitivity to various stimuli. There are many common triggers of asthmatic attacks, including: pollen, dust mites, molds, aspirin, cold air, and cigarette smoke. Massage for patients with asthma should focus on the primary and secondary muscles of respiration. The text states several useful massage techniques, including deep friction; kneading; ischemic compression; deep, gliding strokes; vibration; and percussion. It is also important to remind patients with asthma to always have their asthma medications available.

Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Respiratory System, Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists

Review of Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists, by Salvo and Anderson. Within the course of Dr. Johnson.

Chapter 8 related to me personally, because I am an attempting to stop smoker. I am aware of the dangers, but I cannot find a viable solution/habit to replace this one with. Emphysema is a major concern of mine, and it is one of the top reasons why I should quit, in my mind. Many of my friends have asthma, and I try to avoid smoking around them. Sleep apnea is an issue my father had until he was given a machine to sleep with. I was surprised that all three of these conditions were ok to massage, but most (if not all) of the other ones were not.

Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Respiratory Conditions Pathologies, Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists

Sleep apnea is one of the common sleep disorders. It occurs when you stop breathing during the night. This is characterized by shallow breathes and loud snoring with pauses between breathes that last 10 seconds or more. People who have this condition, wake up frequently during the night to breathe. Some symptoms of sleep apnea are long gaps in breathing, very loud snoring, gasping or choking and not feeling rested in the morning. This condition usually occurs because of some sort of obstruction in the air passage. Massage cannot be used to treat sleep apnea, but can be performed for a client to rejuvenate and perhaps alleviate some symptoms of depression, if he has any.

Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Respiratory Condition, Massage Therapy Sleep Apnea, Massage Therapy Depression

Review of Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists, by Salvo and Anderson.

This chapter was about respiratory pathologies. The first portion of this chapter introduces the respiratory system. It mentions that massage therapy can directly affect the respiratory system. For instance, by massaging the client it may relax them allowing them to breathe more deeply and slowly. The chapter also goes into detail regarding the physiology of breathing. It outlines the pathway of air after inhalation and the muscles of exhalation and inhalation. The chapter also introduces questions the massage therapist can use to evaluate the client’s respiratory system. If any of the following problems are present in the client the massage therapist is advised to get clearance from the health care provider: altered breathing patterns, change in breathing sounds, wheezing, nasal flaring during inhalation, pursed lips during exhalation, chest or facial pain, pale skin, cyanosis of lips or fingertips, clubbed finger and toes, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, any sign of respiratory infection, and green-yellowish-rusty colored sputum. There are several pathologies associated which are outlines on pages 236-247. Some of these include asthma, bronchitis, COPD, and pulmonary edema. For most pathologies in this chapter, massage was contraindicated or needed special accommodations. Table 8-1 (page 234) introduces several medications that are used to treat respiratory disorders. I found the overview of the respiratory system very informative and a nice review.

Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Respiratory Pathologies, Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists

Although there is not as strong of a connection between massage and the respiratory system (as is with the musculoskeletal and nervous system), there are still important facets of this system that therapists need to be aware of, especially in terms of respiratory pathologies. Of course the obvious reason is that of contagious respiratory infections or pathologies. However, other conditions can impact the effectiveness or appropriateness of massage therapy treatment.

A good example of this is a client with sleep apnea. The cause of sleep apnea varies from person to person, and thus it is important to know the cause of the apnea before administering massage therapy. Some causes could include: obesity, large tonsils or adenoids, nasal blockage. A client could also have a physical abnormality such as a deviated septum, or the client’s muscles in his/her tongue and throat could relax more easily. Knowing the cause of the apnea is key to deciding appropriate massage techniques. Since the client will generally not be sleeping, and there are not any decisive physical signs to look for, this needs to be predetermined in the pre-massage intake assessment. Information from the client’s physician should also be obtained to determine the course of the treatment plan.

Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Respiratory System Pathology

Review of Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists, by Salvo and Anderson.

Chapter 8 covers a review and the assessment of the respiratory system, medications used to treat respiratory disorders, and how to identify respiratory disease. This chapter emphasizes the functions of the respiratory system, air movement, pulmonary ventilation, when to refer out, and the many diseases & disorders of these systems.

Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Respiratory System Pathology, Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists

I have not known anyone to have any serious respiratory problems so I feel it is especially necessary that I at least familiarize myself with these problems so that I can adjust my clients so that they are comfortable on the massage table or chair. I need to also be educated because it is always helpful to be able to know information that you notice about a client to make sure they are aware of things that they might not know about, for instance if they fall asleep and their breathing is different perhaps they have sleep apnea and don’t know it and can get help finding out if they have it.

Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Respiratory Pathologies

Review of Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists, by Salvo and Anderson.

This chapter went over the respiratory system and how it is combined with the circulatory system. It spoke about the pulmonary ventilation and its processes were inhalation and exhalation. It went over watching your clients breathing patterns and the possible problems your clients may have. And it told you how to approach the problems clients may have.

Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Respiratory System Pathology, Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists

There are a lot of diseases related to the respiratory system. Knowing the muscles that are related to the respiratory system and applying that into your massage routine can help people with respiratory problems. Even having an air filter in the room can help with proper breathing while on the massage table.

Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Respiratory System Disease

When giving a massage it is always important to make sure that you’re client breaths through any discomfort. First and foremost because we don’t want them to pass out. Second because when they are not allowing their body to breath, they are definitely tensing muscles, preventing any relaxing affects. And third because the with deeper breaths more blood is pumped through the body, healing any injuries and sending fresh oxygen and nutrients to the cells.

Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Breathing Respiration