I don’t know if it’s the change in the weather recently, but I’ve noticed with my clients and even with myself there seems to be a lot of evolving medical stuff going on. This summer my table was filled with people recovering from dermatological surgeries. More recently, new and different prescription medications seem to be making the rounds as well as a spate of heart catheterizations. Go figure…
In talking with colleagues about this recent trend, my friend Hillary Arrieta from The Heeling Hut Barefoot Massage made a relevant suggestion, “…I’ve decided to have client’s fill out new paperwork every two years so I can keep up with changes that slip through the cracks. It’s my hope that we will uncover some new adds (additions) to their medical and prescription history.”
It’s been a while since I’ve gone through the exercise of having everyone fill out new health history and intake forms. In lieu of adding that undertaking to my plate throughout this holiday season, I thought instead I would just set out to remind everyone about some health-related things that you should be prepared to discuss with your massage therapist during or before your next appointment.
Medication Changes
If you’ve had changes to your medication since the last time you had a massage, it’s important to let your massage therapist know. New medicines, stopping medications, and dosage changes are of interest to your massage therapist because some medications affect your tissues directly, some can reduce sensation making deep pressure massage dangerous, and others can affect your mindset and attitude which might translate into tissue issues. Always let your MT know if your medical team has made any changes to your prescriptions. If you’re using herbs as medicine, you will also want to let your MT know about starting or stopping any herbal helpers as well.
Medical Issues
Medical issues you’ve had since the last time you came in are going to be a hot topic with your massage therapist. Anything from a mole removal to a stroke, surgery, or blood clot, we want to know. More than that, we NEED to know. If it’s a medical issue that sent you to the doctor, emergency room, or a hospital stay, it’s important enough to tell your MT. And it’s not always to keep you from getting a massage, it’s so that we can design a treatment for you that is safe and won’t exacerbate any existing or developing problems.
This also applies to previous medical issues that may be changing. For example, you were previously diagnosed with osteopenia, the precursor to osteoporosis, but your last scans show that it’s no longer in the beginning stages. We also need to know if a diagnosis has been reversed. There’s a whole host of medication changes and lifestyle changes, that may be happening when a disease or condition advances or retreats and we need to know about it to keep you safe on our table.
Colds, Flus, & Stomach Bugs
If you’ve recently had a cold or other respiratory virus like flu, RSV, or Covid we like to know. It’s important for us to factor into your treatment the effects of coughing, extended time spent in bed, or unexpected sedentarism. Viruses or food poisoning that cause vomiting and other gastric distress pose different issues and should be discussed after symptoms have subsided.
Injuries
Injuries of all types should be reported to your MT. Remember when you were a kid and you got sunburned and your brother would run by and slap you real hard on the shoulder that was extra crispy and it hurt like H-E-double hockeysticks? We don’t want to be like your brother. Tell us when something is injured or just hurting. I promise, a good massage therapist is going to be rubbing their hands (and feet) together, maybe drooling a little, and will probably be thinking, “I got you, Boo!” Be prepared for us to ask a lot of questions about activities leading up to, during, and since the injury so we can figure out what structures need attention and which ones to avoid. Also, please be honest about how you hurt yourself. It helps us help you!
Your Last Massage
Tell us how you felt after your last massage. Did you get results? How long did they last? Did you notice anything in particular that flared the issues back up? If you’re seeing the same massage therapist, they will be able to adjust the treatment to make this massage even better than the last when you let us know the results of your previous massage.
Emotional Upsets
Let us know if you had something emotionally upsetting happen within a few hours or days of your appointment. It could be anything from a disagreement with your significant other to the news of your favorite aunt passing to unfavorable current events. Long-term commitments as caretakers of children and elders can also cause chronic stress and should be shared with your MT. We don’t want to know the details, but it’s important for us to figure out why your body is holding so much stress. Yes, we can feel your stress in your tissues!
Emotional releases during massage are also more likely to happen when you’ve had an upsetting experience or suffering from ongoing, chronic stress. Giving us a head’s up will help us help you. Some people cry, others get angry and talk (or shout) about it. While most of us are not trained to handle psychological issues, we’re not robots either and can empathize. We are trained to help put your body in a state where it can downregulate so knowing where you are before we begin can be helpful.
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
If you’ve been traveling since your last massage, you might want to tell your massage therapist. Especially if you spent time on a strange bed and with an odd pillow. Traveling can be hard physically as well as emotionally. Between hours and hours of sitting, sleeping in places that wouldn’t be your first choice, manhandling heavy bags, herding uncooperative family members, and dealing with hordes of people stress levels definitely go up during travel, even when you’re relaxed and traveling for pleasure. Add to this that as we age it becomes more difficult to physically recover from bad chairs and beds and your MT can help make a big difference in how you feel after arriving back home from a trip.
In Closing
Hopefully this gives you a short list of the things your massage therapist really needs to know during your ongoing relationship. The initial health intake is great, but people change, accidents happen, and stress can sometimes be unrelenting. We need to keep open lines of communication during our time together.
As always, if you need medical care, please consult a doctor first. Then let your massage therapist know at your next appointment or give a heads up with a call or text if you think it might be something that prevents us from working safely together. It’s never about denial of service. We always want to work with you, we just need to be sure everyone is safe.
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♥
Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!