MASSAGE THERAPY
By Nikki Murray RMT, DIR, SMTO
Introduction
Mrs M is 49 years old; she runs her own chiropody business.
She is happily married and has 2 grown up children. In her
spare time she enjoys walking, gardening and looking after
an array of animals from pheasants, dogs and ferrets.
Presenting problem
For the past few months Mrs M has been suffering from stress,
her chiropody business is very busy, she can sometimes treat
up to15 clients a day. Home visits are her most popular
request. Her main signs and symptoms of stress, have been
a feeling of being overwhelmed, not being able to sleep
at night or to switch off when finished for the day, being
'crabby' with her family and a she has noticed a loss in
her appetite. Her menopausal problems have also been a contributing
problem i.e. headaches and hot flushes.
Consultation
After a consultation was performed and a note of her medical
history, it was established that Mrs M also suffers from
back, neck and shoulder pain from bending over treating
her clients. Also if she over uses her wrists her (mild)
arthritis in her hands and fingers will flare up, and the
muscles in her forearms are also affected. She has an allergic
reaction to aspirin and she is not taking any medication.
Treatment plan
The goals of my treatment were to:
- Ease any muscle spasm in the areas causing her pain
i.e. back, neck, shoulders and arms
- Enable Mrs M to relax
- Allow Mrs M take some time out for herself
- Reduce the number of headaches she had been getting
- Allow her to get a good night's sleep
- Encourage mobility in hands and fingers
First visit
We agreed that the primary complaint this time was her aching
back and neck.
I recommended a back, neck and shoulder massage for the
first treatment, which is relaxing as well as easing those
muscles, which were in spasm.
After the first treatment Mrs M remarked how she felt a
load had been lifted off her shoulders and she found her
range of movement in her neck had improved and her neck
felt much easier.
I advised Mrs M to get a regular massage to really benefit.
For her to get some relaxation time for herself this would
be an additional bonus to the reduction of muscle spasm
in her back, neck and shoulders. Feeling more aware and
relaxed would have knock-on-effects.
Other relaxation techniques were advised e.g. listening
to relaxation tapes and breathing exercises. Also discussed
was the importance of her posture when working and warming
up her wrists and fingers before starting work. I suggested
exercises to improve general circulation and stretches between
clients. I also advised Mrs M to drink at least a litre
of water during one of her busy days.
Second visit - one week later
Mrs M had a busy week with her regular clients, so she reported
that her back, neck and shoulders had begun to ache again.
However, she had felt better, slept better, felt more refreshed
but was becoming more agitated again.
Another back, neck and shoulder massage was done, areas
of tight muscles were found mainly on her right side and
also around her scapula. Again her neck muscles on both
sides were tight and quite painful. During the treatment
I played some relaxing music and suggested Mrs M try to
imagine she was in her favourite place.
Mrs M enjoyed her massage, and although had felt some muscles
were sensitive at first upon massaging. She really felt
the benefit of the massage, also re-energised and felt a
lot of her tension had disappeared.
Third visit - two weeks later
Mrs M commented that her back, neck and shoulders had not
been as tense as normal, her husband also commented to her
that he had found her not so 'crabby' and was more enjoyable
to be around.
For this treatment I recommended a full body massage as
Mrs M had again been busy and was feeling tense and tired.
It also gave me a chance to do some work on her arms, wrists
and hands. I found her arms to be very congested and as
her arthritis in her hands had flared up, I did some gentle
active and resisted exercises.
I advised Mrs M to come back and get some more massage
done to her arms, as I did not have enough time to work
on them during a full body massage. After doing her massage
Mrs M felt pampered and hadn't felt so relaxed in ages and
left floating on air!
Fourth visit - one week later
Mrs M commented on a decrease in the number of headaches
she'd been having and that she slept very well that night.
But she was still experiencing some pain in her wrists and
in her forearms
I massaged Mrs M arms for half and hour to get rid of the
congestion, improve drainage and ease any muscle spasm.
It was also beneficial for her hands and fingers too in
that it helped improve her joint mobility.
Outcome
Mrs M found she was more able to cope with her stress, had
more energy and was able to cope better with her workload.
Her tension and aching muscles disappeared with regular
massage as did her headaches. She now also had the knowledge
of the benefits of Massage Therapy and that if her signs
and symptoms of stress returned all she had to do was make
another appointment, but would also still come once a month
for a MOT session. We agreed that this would help all aspects
of her life. Also massage boosts the immune system.
About the Author
Nikki Murray RMT, DIR, SMTO
Nikki Murray is a practicing Massage Therapist and Reflexologist
at the
Attic Fitness Studio,
21-23 Justice Mill Lane
Aberdeen,
For Further information visit the website
www.theattic-fitnesstudio.co.uk
If you have any queries regarding the benefits of Massage
Therapy or Reflexology contact Nikki on 07811 601124 or
(01224) 581747
Nikki did her training with the Grampian School of Massage
and is a Member of the Scottish Massage Therapists Organisation.
Scottish Massage Therapists' Organisation (SMTO)
70 Lochside Road
Denmore Park
Bridge of Don
Aberdeen
AB23 8QW
Tel: 01224 822 956
Email: smto@ifb.co.uk
For Further information visit the website
www.scotmass.co.uk
