Nothing makes fear quake in many massage therapists than the entrance of the super, hyper-mobile client. I too, have experienced the fear, the trepidation and the surprise.
For the record, in Gumby folk symptoms of troubles are completely different than my true forte, people as stuck as me. What I would normally assess test with simple range of motion, these folks will cruise through with exceeding ranges. All orthopedic-based tests are useless. Symptoms are backwards, upside down and inside-out of normal trigger point problems.
The needle is not in the haystack. It may be on the next farm.
As much fun as working with ballerinas and gymnasts may be in terms of their fearlessness, I need a lie-down after they leave.
My latest venture involved a very athletic, very hyper-mobile volleyball player. Good heavens. The assessment symptom was a “cord” pulling the shoulder blade. Normally I would run to the rhomboids or the serratus, but oh no, here was a subscapularis that knew no bounds. She can do anything with these shoulders. They just hurt.
I figured out the problem by following my nose. What do volleyball players do a lot? Hit the ball. Hopefully with hands or forearms. It had to be subscap. Or I am going back to school to take auto mechanics.
And it was a subscapularis of epic proportions. Adhesed and anaerobic yet mobile. Gentle cross-fiber yielded whimpers, adding slow motion got a scream. Would I ever see this client again?
A week later she came back, admitting she wanted to kill me for the first two days and then she felt better. Oh good.
Then my next mobile-as-heck client came in. No sports, no exercise to speak of, just one horrible accident years ago with some seat belt bruising. “I feel like I have a cord pulling my shoulder,” she said.
Hey, it worked once. Gentle cross fiber. Motion added. “That hurts but it seems to be fixing it,” she said. Thank you, patron saint of the hyper mobile for the inspiration. I hope the ballet is not in town next week.
LOL Well if they ARE in town – call me! I love working hyper mobile
as 1/2 my body is – while the other is closer to normal.
Now THAT I have yet to find someone that can work it.
But seriously – these are not impossible clients – but do require you/us to think outside of the normal therapeutic box.
Consider compression therapy to the joint. Deep JOINT compression and then small slow movements of the joints connective tissues. This has a huge sympathetic response in the bound areas.
206.407.3068 is my office # if I can help.
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Toronto Massage Therapy