Pregnancy can make a woman’s body feel pretty uncomfortable, sometimes even painful from the extra weight and swelling. Massage is typically safe during pregnancy, but there are a few conditions where a massage during pregnancy is not recommended. Massage will be postponed if a woman is experiencing signs of a miscarriage or if the pregnancy is considered high risk. Signs of a miscarriage can involve pain in the lower back, abdomen and pelvic area and/or cramping and/or vaginal bleeding. Conditions of a high risk pregnancy include but are not limited to: hypertension, history of three or more miscarriages, history of preterm labor or delivery, maternal age of under 15 or over thirty-five, and when prenatal tests indicate fetal abnormalities.
Archive for the ‘Reproductive Conditions’ Category
Restrictions for Massage During Pregnancy
August 17, 2010Reproductive Pathologies, Conditions, and Sexually Transmitted Infections
August 10, 2010One group of massage therapy patients on the rise is pregnant women. Although these women may not have any additional underlying illnesses or causes for massage therapy, they often can develop conditions due to the pregnancy that requires massage therapy. When a massage therapist encounters a pregnant patient, it is important to first and foremost ensure that the OBGYN has consented to therapy for the patient, and to go over any risks of the therapy sessions with the patient. Once this has been accomplished, the therapist should encourage the patient to void as to have a more comfortable experience, but should also be prepared for restroom breaks during the session as well. The therapist should ensure the patient is comfortable, and should also avoid using heat and make sure the client is cool throughout the session. Gentle strokes should be applied when massaging a pregnant client as to not cause a release in hormones or to cause the expectant mother any distress or discomfort.
Pregnancy
July 30, 2010I may come into contact with some women who are pregnant as a Therapist. I should be aware of what positions are safe and most comfortable for them, since they are often experiencing lower back pain due to the extra weight. I should also be aware of the complications and things that can go wrong. For example, in Placenta Abruption, the placenta detaches from the uterine wall prematurely, which causes hemorrhaging in the mother and reduces the baby’s oxygen supply, which is very dangerous. Also dangerous, is Ectopic Pregnancy, in which a woman does not know she is pregnant because the fertilized ovum is outside of the uterine cavity. This situation in particular can be very dangerous because the first symptom is sometimes shock.
Dysmenorrhea
July 23, 2010Dysmenorrhea, or menstrual cramps, is a frequent problem for women. These menstrual cramps are very uncomfortable and may interfere with the sufferers’ daily lives. The release of prostaglandins is a main cause of the pain. There are massage considerations that should be made if one has a client suffering from these menstrual cramps. The therapist should usually avoid the abdomen so as not to make the pain worse. However, gliding and deep friction massage may be helpful when applied to surrounding areas. The client should be put in a comfortable position: this may mean having a pillow under her abdomen while she is prone and she may feel more comfortable lying on her side. A moist hot pack placed on her stomach or her back will also help to ease the pain. A semireclining position should be used if she is experiencing nausea. It is very important for the well being of the client and for the massage therapist’s business to properly address the needs of a woman suffering from dysmenorrhea.
Reproductive System Pathology
July 19, 2010Review of Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists, 2nd edition, by Salvo and Anderson. Within the course of Dr. Johnson.
Now this section i definitely read over a couple of times. Reproductive pathologies, conditions and sexually transmitted infections. I am well aware of the conditions of the female reproductive system it was the sexually transmitted infections that i was worried about. Having had friends with STD who wanted massages was tricky at first because I didn’t know much but having read how things are spread as well as how long one has an STI or how to deal with them helps me decide if a person can get a massage from me. My mother who is an RN told me there is a lot of miscommunication and some things can be spread without an outbreak so most definitely proper safety measures are to be taken when dealing with clients who have STIs.
Pregnancy
July 15, 2010When women get pregnant it is beneficial for both mother and baby to receive massages. As a woman’s body changes massage can help relieve the extra stress to muscles and skin that are stretching. Regular massages including the abdomen can help reduce the amount of stretch marks she gets. Massage also promotes relaxation of the mind, this can help the mother and baby, especially close to the end of the pregnancy. If she combines this with physician approved exercise, she has a good chance at having less complications at delivery. Her circulation will be better also especially in the feet and lower legs where edema can develop and turn into possible life threatening complications.
Reproductive Systems & STDs
July 12, 2010* Pregnant women
* Persons (male/female) suffering with breast pain due to fibrocystic breast
* Recovery from mastectomy
would all benefit from receiving professional massage. Therapist must have specialized training for breast massage.
With regard to STDs the sterilization of linens is an absolute must.
Reproductive system pathologies, conditions and Sexually Transmitted Infections Chapter 13
May 3, 2010Review of Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists, 2nd edition, by Salvo and Anderson. Within the course of Dr. Johnson.
Reproductive pathologies: there were a lot of pathologies in this chapter, Prostate, & Female reproductive system which was very interesting to me because I am female. The pregnancy and pregnancy pathologies were good to be educated on to name a few, Ectopic pregnancy, Placenta Abruption, and preeclampsia. It is always good to be up to date on the sexually transmitted Infections as well. They are Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, syphilis, Genital Herpes, hepatitis B to name a few of the infections. I just took a pregnancy massage class and now see how it can benefit someone that has a pathology that is unable to lie on their back or be in the supine position. The side laying position is very comfortable. I now see why in the previous chapters they have recommended that position for many of the pathologies. I enjoyed the section on pregnancy and pathologies related to pregnancy. Hopefully I won’t run across many women who encounter these pathologies and if I do hopefully I can help them fell less stressed about what they have gone through.
Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Reproductive System Pathologies, Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists 2nd edition
reproductive pathologies and sexually transmitted diseases
April 23, 2010Two of my clients are both of them infertile, they have few things in common, their abdominal area could not be massaged, they are around forty years old, with a lot of stress in their lives and both of them want to get pregnant. It was so uncomfortable for them to be massaged, I tried different modalities and nothing work. I had to quit massaging them in that area and instead, I started using energy work, finally is working very good for both of them. They have not got pregnant yet, but the abdominal muscles are not so tense and painful as they used to be, one of them is being able to accept Swedish strokes in upper and lower abdominal muscles. Reproduction is a very important issue for a couple, some of them have problems procreating, relaxing the body and the mind with massage can help them to procreate. Many of the reproductive pathologies, are related to sexually transmitted diseases, some of this pathologies do not show symptoms for some time, the carrier keeps passing on the pathogen to other people for few years until is to late for their reproductive system. Other have the pathogen dormant as in HIV and they unknowingly pass on the virus to other people, it is not recommended to become pregnant having HIV, because the offspring will be born with the virus.
Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Reproductive System Pathologies
Reproductive System Pathology
April 15, 2010Review of Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists, by Salvo and Anderson. Within the course of Dr. Johnson.
While reading Chapter 11 I learned about Reproductive Conditions, Reproductive Pathologies, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. The reproductive system is divided into two parts, primary and secondary, the primary parts are the gonads or the organs, and the secondary and the body parts involved. Endometriosis is a common pathology; it is when the growth of the lining in the uterus that starts to grow outside the uterus, it can cause a lot of pain and infertility, massage can be a good thing for a client with endometriosis because it can help them relax. Fibrocystic Breast Disease is when one or more cysts are in the breast, they are benign and common but should be watched, massage can be preformed, but laying prone can be painful, so adjust to the comfort of the client.
Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Reproductive System Pathology, Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists
Reproductive System Pathology
April 15, 2010Review of Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists, by Salvo and Anderson. Within the course of Dr. Johnson.
Chapter 11 wasn’t actually as bad as I thought it would be. This section really is relevant to massage in its information on menstruation, the aging of reproductive organs and their effect on massage and general comfort, and of course, pregnancy. In fact, the part on pregnancy massage was rather helpful. I may have to bookmark the section for its examples of side-lying technique and equipment, as well as recommendations on clients who are lactating. However, I do not believe that I will ever find a valid reason for a massage therapist, who abides by the law, to know what genital warts looks like. Sure, the pathological and treatment information is useful, but the images are unnecessary. I feel it would be more useful to show herpes outbreaks on body parts that would be visible to the therapist than that. Information was good in this chapter, but the images were just unnecessary.
Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Reproductive System Pathology, Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists
Pregnancy and Massage
April 12, 2010Review of Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists, by Salvo and Anderson. Within the course of Dr. Johnson.
Chapter 11 discussed the implications of pregnancy and massage. One important considerations for the massage therapist is the position of the client. During the first trimester, the client’s position is not a concern unless she is uncomfortable. During the second and third trimesters, expectant mothers receiving massage should be in a modified supine (semi-reclining) or side-lying position with the appropriate supportive devices. Having seem my own wife during her pregnancies, the pictures depicted reminded me of the way she had to lie during her second and especially third trimesters. In addition to positioning considerations, only gentle pressure should be used in the medial thigh region, since pregnant women are at a higher risk for blood clots.
Tags: Massage Therapy Pathology, Massage Pathology Chronicles, Massage Therapy Pregnancy, Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists
Massage Pathology Chronicles 