Massage Pathology Chronicles

It is important for any therapist or medical professional to note what medications a client is taking. This falls under the intake process but it is up to the therapist to ask why and how the client is taking the medication. Although some answers might be obvious, such as one taking antihistamines in order to treat allergies, it is important for the therapist to note exactly what kind of allergy the patient suffers from. It could be anything from seasonal allergies to contact allergies, in which case the therapist needs to know what can or cannot be used in a treatment session. It is also important for the therapist to note how medications are administered. If the medication is administered orally, there is less of an effect on the therapy than if the client is taking the medication through injections or even intravenously or through a port. If the client is taking the medications any way other than orally, special care must be taken to ensure that massage therapy is still recommended for the patient and that the injection/IV/port site is not disturbed during therapy. It is the sole purpose of medications to help heal the body and it is our jobs as therapists to ensure the medication is allowed to properly do its job as undisturbed as possible while we work with the medication to also help heal the patient.

I feel as if people over medicate themselves.  They would rather take a pill than put effort into fixing their emotional or physical problems.  Massage therapy is a method to relieve pain and is better for one’s body than taking a bunch of drugs.

For example, it has been shown that headaches can be reduced through neck and shoulder massage.  One lady reports in SaveYourself.ca that after applying intense pressure to her suboccipital muscles and doing simple neck circles, her headache subsided.  She got the same results through massage that she would have wanted through drugs, but without putting foreign substances into her body.

“You’re Taking What?  Massage and Common Medications” by Ruth Werner reports that in 2005, almost 40 million people sought out a professional for a massage.  Most likely, many of these patients were on some sort of medication, many of which have adverse side effects that could play a part during massage.  For example, something as simple as Advil can cause abdominal pain and bruising.  If the massage therapist does not does have the knowledge of these side effects, he could end up causing pain or discomfort for the patient that could have been avoided.  Not only does this defeat the purpose of bettering the life of the client, but it will have a negative effect on the therapist’s business.  It is the responsibility of the therapist to ask the patient about any current medications and then have the knowledge of these medications so he can massage accordingly.