Has anyone here had experience of giving massage to a client who has had a stroke? Just wondering if there are any specific areas or strokes to avoid or recommend, and basically any do's and dont's!
First and foremost you must get GP consent before treating this client. This is one of those cases where direct contact between you and the GP is beneficial and allows him/her to assess your suitability to treat.
You have to be very alert with stroke victims. As you know massage is contraindicated due to the possibility of dislodging more clots/arterial plaque. Also spasticity of the muscles are a particular issue, movement of these areas musn't be forced. And in some cases where speech is affected they may not be able to communicate how they are feeling during the treatment.
IMO if you are unsure what you should be doing for this client I would advise you to refer the client on to a specialist massage therapist or another bodywork professional and then I would personally seek out a course to enhance my own knowledge.
So agree with Cirrus on this - you must work with the clients doctor, and if you are unsure what to do, refer to another therapist.
I treat a number of stroke patients, and always contacted the various GP's first. They usually reply quite quickly, especially if the stroke as been recent, in which case massage is generally not recommended. I no longer do 'classic' massage, but manual lymph drainage (Vodder), and find that this form of bodywork has a profound effect on most people, and especially stroke victims. My treatment regime depends largely on how much the stroke has affected the individual - no two treatments are the same. If you do refer this client on - a more experienced therapist may be willing to 'mentor' you (but only with the permission of the client) & let you observe treatment.
So agree with Cirrus on this - you must work with the clients doctor, and if you are unsure what to do, refer to another therapist.
I treat a number of stroke patients, and always contacted the various GP's first. They usually reply quite quickly, especially if the stroke as been recent, in which case massage is generally not recommended. I no longer do 'classic' massage, but manual lymph drainage (Vodder), and find that this form of bodywork has a profound effect on most people, and especially stroke victims. My treatment regime depends largely on how much the stroke has affected the individual - no two treatments are the same. If you do refer this client on - a more experienced therapist may be willing to 'mentor' you (but only with the permission of the client) & let you observe treatment.
Hi Jabbs
Can I ask where you did your Voder training and if I can be cheeky can I ask how much it cost, oh and the length of the course too? I have Lymphatic training but not Voder and I would really like to get the industry standard training under my belt. Pm me if you would prefer.
Oh and I really like the mentor/student idea for holistic1!
I did my Vodder training in London and Austria in 97. The whole course is now available in the UK. Cost? Varies for the Basic and Therapy 1 modules, according to venue. The Therapy 2/3 (Diploma) course, which is two weeks, is currently run in Austria, Canada, USA and Devon... When I trained the course probably cost around £2000 - I think it is likely to be more nowadays, but worth investigating. I only do MLD now, with the very rare remedial massage and some reflexology. I work predominantly with lymphoedema patients and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!
I do have a bit of a 'thing' with therapists (not you!!!) who say they do MLD - when they may have only done a few hours of lymph drainage massage - the two techniques are poles apart.
If you are really interested in Vodder training, there are some course links on www.mlduk.org.uk - the UK association of therapists.
I did my Vodder training in London and Austria in 97. The whole course is now available in the UK. Cost? Varies for the Basic and Therapy 1 modules, according to venue. The Therapy 2/3 (Diploma) course, which is two weeks, is currently run in Austria, Canada, USA and Devon... When I trained the course probably cost around £2000 - I think it is likely to be more nowadays, but worth investigating. I only do MLD now, with the very rare remedial massage and some reflexology. I work predominantly with lymphoedema patients and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!
Many thanks Jabba, this may also be food for thought for holistic1 too.
Quote:
I do have a bit of a 'thing' with therapists (not you!!!) who say they do MLD - when they may have only done a few hours of lymph drainage massage - the two techniques are poles apart.
I have quite a story in favour of your point Jabba, but not one for a public post! I originally wanted to train as a palliative care therapist and headed down the Lymphatic route but came to a very abrupt halt so I do completely appreciate what you are saying.
Thank you for comments...very much appreciated! Client has had massage before as was recommended by GP but not available on NHS thus client has had to look elsewhere. I have asked client to obtain written consent from GP prior to me proceeding. Have found another therapist who treats stroke patients and she has given me lots of advice and is happy to help if need be but feels I could do this myself with a little guidance from her.
She also does Reflexology as do I and this too can be beneficial for stroke patients. Anyone have comments or experience on this?
I've been doing massage to many patients including stroke victims. My massage technique may not be recognized by any massage schools whatsoever. It is a traditional Kiribati massage called "Te Riiriing". It is more like combination of reflexology and other holistic massage therapies. I never go to school to learn it. I learned it from my grandparents as in Kiribati, these kinds of knowledges are usually passed down from generations to generations through family members only. From what I know, depending on how serious the stroke is, "Te Riiriing" if done within 1-2 weeks after the time of the stroke attack can help recovery within one week to one month. If the massage is done after a month from the time of the attack, the recovery rate will be slower.
I have come to this debate late on. I did my placements when learning massage at a stroke clinic. There must be permission from a doctor to massage said person. And a great deal of sensivitivity and common sense applied. I massaged people with twisted bodies and some you wouldnt even know they had a stroke. A good starter would be feet and hands maybe a face massage-if the person cant talk then thumbs up or down very often my paitents were very adroit in making there prefences known.
I have come to this debate late on. I did my placements when learning massage at a stroke clinic. There must be permission from a doctor to massage said person. And a great deal of sensivitivity and common sense applied. I massaged people with twisted bodies and some you wouldnt even know they had a stroke. A good starter would be feet and hands maybe a face massage-if the person cant talk then thumbs up or down very often my paitents were very adroit in making there prefences known.
It is interesting to note that most of the massages are similar.
I usually start from the toes and work my way up to the head. Some massages like one Phillipino massage starts from the head and down to the toes.
Yesterday, one stroke victim requested if I can give her a massage. She had a stroke 2 years ago. She is able to walk around but she is still having speech problems. I'm not sure if at this stage, I can help with her speech problem but I'll see what I can do. Any advice would be appreciated.
I have recently qualified as a Sports Massage Therapist. A friend has just asked if I would be willing to massage her brother in laws arm. He had a stroke 4 years ago. I know that it is contra indicated so I must seek GP approval first. However, my question is whether it would be of any beneift to him after this length of time. He has minimal movement available at the moment but any improvement would be a bonus.
You will never know unless you try, everyone is different and needs treating as an individual, you should know within a few treatment, what will and what won't work for this person :-)
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Members are not permitted to post email/contact details on the forums, and whilst your a new member, people won't be able to send you a private message either. Also this thread is about 5 years old and it's not clear who you were asking.
Why not start your own thread asking the questions you want to ask, and maybe the members on this thread or other members will be able to help you out?
Massage for client who has had a stroke
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