RE: compensation case clients
Morning all,
I don't feel qualified to post here really, as i'm not a therapist of any kind. However, I decided to add my two pennies worth from the 'non qualified' side of the human race.
I too would err on the side of caution when it comes to claiming to 'cure'. The human body is absolutely amazing but we humans are, in the main, creatures of habit. If we've damamged ourselves once - you can guarantee we'll do it again in exactly the same way / place at some time in the future, before we break the habit that caused us to do this.
Now, I know that massage can cure a muscular condition, and repeatedly too however, in this world of 'sue for everything you can get' and 'each man for himself' (whether we like it or not that's what many people are like today - present company excepted of course - all HPers that i've read on here are the complete opposite to that), then to claim a 'cure' for something is opening yourself up to being sued at some point. Let's face it, if a burglar can get compensation because he gets hurt by the owner of the place he's stealing from, then a therapist can get sued for claiming to 'cure' if the condition recurs!
Anyway, just my thoughts on the subject folks, have a good day all and keep smiling - it makes people wonder what you've been up to at the weekend!
Love
Lorraine
xx
RE: compensation case clients
I would shoot any of my students who claimed to be able to 'cure' a problem (well maybe shooting is a bit harsh 🙂
'Cure?' As has been already said ....what is a cure?
Is it a relief of symptoms (reduction/ removal of pain) which afterall is (normally) why someone would seek help or is it the removal / reduction of the factor (intrinsic or extrinsic) which are 'suspected' to be the cause of the problem.? Or both?
Can a therapist 'cure' a strained muscle???
Can they 'stick' the damaged ends together?
Can they remove all the damaged tissues and resultant exudate?
cos that's the only way it can be 'cured' (so that it's back to how it 'used to be)
Course they can't
In this case
All the therapist can do is help optimise the healing process (to let it continue BY ITSELF efficiently) and then help optimise (that word again) the result 'repair' so the the re-risk of injury (amongst other things) is reduced
It's the body that does all the hard work
If someone has problems due to a poor posture are they 'cured' by telling them to 'sit up straight'? The massage therapist would attempt to analyse to troublesome muscles (the skeleton only goes where the muscles put it) freeing up the tight ones and helping strengthen the weak ones (by whatever techniques they have at their 'disposal') but would this be sufficient to 'cure' the problem? Again all the therapist has done is 'optimise' the functioning of the muscles so the body is better able to do what it is supposed to ('sit up straight') so it still needs to be 'shown what to do' (re-education exercises) so it can 'cure itself'
Basically what I am attempting to say is it doesn't matter what the therapist does in a treatment, if the client doesn't take at least partial responsbility in 're-training' their 'dysfunction' (again, by following after-care advice) any changes made during a treatment are going to be very short lived.
It is therefore impossible for a therapist to 'cure' without at least some help from the client. Since the therapist cannot be 100% sure that the client will do all that is asked, in the manner required they cannot 'guarantee' a 'cure', in much the same way as a PT cannot 'guarantee' to get you into shape (cure?) because they don't know what you are doing when they are not with you.
Best trainer in the world + eating pies = fat
Best therapist in the world + poor posture 'habits' = back ache
I therefore do not believe any therapist should claim to be able to 'cure' since they are too dependant upon factors beyond their control
IMHO of course 😀 Flame away
RE: compensation case clients
No flames here!:D Couldn't agree more, but think have probably made that all too clear.
Welcome to the forum.:D
RE: compensation case clients
Hi DFNU
Welcome to the forum 🙂
Yes there are limitations to what any form of therapy can do and yes most of the time we work with the body to help it to do what it should have done properly in the first instance and sometimes we work against it to force something to happen the body is not happy to allow naturally.
Muscular sprains and strains are our bread and butter, I seem to spend more time breaking down old scar tissue than anything else but yes it is up to the patient to receive the treatment and advice and put it into action.
At the end of the day we all offer a service which must be defined in some way so when someone has x&y dysfunctions they know what type of therapy is applicable to that type of injury.
If all therapist state there form or forms of therapy cannot sort out any dysfunctions then there must be a lot of miracle workers around or a lot of overpriced con merchants so which is it???
RE: compensation case clients
"At the end of the day we all offer a service which must be defined in some way so when someone has x&y dysfunctions they know what type of therapy is applicable to that type of injury"
Couldn't agree more and it has been 😀
National Occupational Standards for Remedial and Therapeutic Massage (Government stuff not VTCT ITEC BTEC or whoever) is now defined and states the criteria as being
Unit CH- M1
CH-M1 Assess the needs of the client
Elements of competance being
CH-M1.1 Evaluate and process requests for massage therapy
CH-M1.2 Prepare to asses the client
CH-M1.3 Assess the client
CH-M1.4 Agree action with client
Unit M2 Treat the client and give guidance on self-care
Elements of competance being
CH-M2.2 Plan the treatment with the client
CH-M2.2 Provide treatment
CH-M2.3 Advise the client on self care
CH-M2.4 Evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment and self care
the scope for CH-M2.4 (Evaluate effectiveness etc.) goes on to state
(Outcome : "improvement in the clients health, effective functioning and well being")
It does NOT require a 'CURE'.
If the Government guidelines for the profession do require the therapist to be able to 'CURE' (just improve) why do you think it is necessary ?:eek:
Ps
Teacher head now 😀
"Muscular sprains and strains are our bread and butter"
Muscles .......strain
Ligaments ....sprain LOL
I could go on to dispute 'breaking down scar tissue" but I'll leave that one for now 😉
RE: compensation case clients
Hi DFNU
Cure is not my definition it is the dictionaries expression of what a therapist does when they apply therapy, according to the dictionary my title as a remedial massage therapist equates to:
Remedial - to remedy, a means of curing, counteracting or relieving disease, troubles etc.
Massage - rubbing and kneading the muscles, etc., as curative treatment.
Therapist: specialist in a particular type of therapy. (Therapy: any treatment designed to relive or cure an illness or disability.)
Does your teachers head not feel that tendons can become sprained as well as ligaments?
RE: compensation case clients
"Does your teachers head not feel that tendons can become sprained as well as ligaments?"
Sorry?.............I seen no mention of tendons in your previous statement :eek:................however..........................since you ask.......................
NO 😀
Tendons are part of the musculotendinous unit and therefore i 'feel' 😀 that they too are strained
'Luckily' I am not alone
The followin Medical authorities........
[DLMURL] http://www.mgh.harvard.edu/ortho/Pediatric_Sprains_and_Strains.htm [/DLMURL]
http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/strain_sprain/strain_sprain.htm#strain_a
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000041.htm
http://www.hughston.com/hha/a.strain-sprain.htm
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=15255
[DLMURL] http://www.robeks.com/Library/Document01.asp?PT=D&PID=95 [/DLMURL]
all seem to agree..............phew :D!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RE: compensation case clients
I have to admit to being confused about this when I read Paul's post. I was taught that a sprain applied to ligaments only. 😉
RE: compensation case clients
The feel of the effect is generally the same when you work a damaged tendon or ligament or often both since injuries often include both tendons and ligaments in the same site, what you find in the belly of the muscle is something else so I tend to lump fibrous tendons and ligaments into the sprain category and the more flexible contractive tissue into the strain category as far as the treatment goes.
I do appreciate that it is not the anatomically correct terminology but as is often the case what you are taught in the classroom does not always bear out in the real world of treating these dysfunctions, the same way a range of movement taken from a lifeless corpse on the anatomists table is often quite different than what you find in a healthy active individual with a good range of articulation.
RE: compensation case clients
where or where is this post going!
SallyB if you are still here do let us know how it pans out...
T
x
RE: compensation case clients
All depends on your opinion as to whether or not a massage therapist can claim to cure 😉
IMHO
I think SallyB is entirely correct in her general apprehension as to not only being able to claim to 'cure' but also to put a time scale on it.
'Improve current condition' .............fine, even putting an approximate timescale on this ..fine but since a 'cure' will be only a subjective state based on others 'opinion' ... well that's an entirely different matter. At what stage will the client consider themselves 'cured'? When the pain goes? When they can get back to sport? When they can in and out of a car without their back hurting?
What was their condition prior to the accident (Objective not Subjective). This would be impossible to establish if they had not had a fully documented and thorough examination prior to the incident.
"I've got one shoulder higher than the other"
Was it always like that and you've only just noticed?
Questions questions..........
I'm sure we ALL agree that manual therapy is not an 'exact science' so how can EXACT results within an EXACT timeframe be predicted?
RE: compensation case clients
Hi all!
I appear to have unleashed a monster in our midst!!!
The current situation is that we are discussing further treatment plans tonight but I am going to be very careful in my wording as my client has a physical job and a busy home life, so for all the good I do each week, most of it is undone by her lifestyle!
Now, before you all start screaming, of course I offer after care advice and point out that her lifestyle is not helping with the recovery, but all my efforts are thwarted by her inability to slow down (it is also not helped that English is her second language and although a relative is always on hand to translate, I am not sure how far my after-care advice is being heeded!)
I am going to suggest a longer plan of fortnightly treatments to see if I can get the shoulder to a stable condition for the medium term, I'll keep you informed of progress...
Thanks for all comments, suggestions and kind words
Sally x
RE: compensation case clients
Hi Sally
Sadly the majority of people cannot afford to put life on hold unless they are bed ridden, so the majority of the burden of them becoming right seems to land firmly into the lap of the therapist 🙂
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.
All you can do is as you are doing and keep chipping away and at some point your chipping should outpace her lifestyle and assist her to recover 😉
RE: compensation case clients
Hi Paul,
So true, so true! Any small changes we can persaude clients to make is always a bonus, but a rare one!!
Off I go, time for another chipping session (!)
Sally