Sometimes in the course of massage therapy practice, we will meet clients who want to have some delicate and sensitive areas relieved of trigger points and adhesions.
My most recent experience was with a client who had gone into a full-body clench during a car accident, braced with both feet on the brake pedal as the vehicle did a dervish and ended upside down.
It is almost a cliché to say that people who are unaware they are about to have an accident are better off. They don’t have time to react in terror, they don’t have the cascade of hormones and the emotions of fear.
The ones who see it coming, if they brace with arms and legs can end up with not only their accident injury, but a cascade of spastic muscles from jamming into the brake pedal, steering wheel and seat belt.
In addition to the usual back and neck pain, this client developed rectal and vaginal pain referred from injuries to the adductors, hamstrings and glutes.
As a therapist, the last thing I want to do is trigger more trauma to these areas with massage techniques.
First I like to talk to the clients about what areas are involved and could be helped by massage. Then I suggest making sure the client knows he/she is in control and are able to tell me to stop or lighten up at any time.
With these areas, because they are near areas of vulnerability I feel need some special security, especially for female clients. The clients are always draped with a sheet, and if they want they can also wear their outer clothes and underwear. The layers make the massage methods such as trigger point less invasive.
That said, I have always found that it is better to be cautious about client comfort when dealing with delicate areas.
Thanks for sharing this article, its been a really interesting read. I’m anxious for my friend to start massage Calgary school in the fall. Shes been talking about it for some time, I’m excited to see where it goes.
Yes, this is important information. I have worked with lots of people in various stages of recovering from accidents, and in the acute stages I could hardly use the weight of a nickel on them– the simple, full, intentionally soothing touch did wonders. And two months (depending, of course) later, I could dig my elbow into areas that needed work. The body is such an amazing communicator of its right timing.