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November 7, 2007

Diminishing Returns?

It's a fact of bodywork that the client will rarely feel as profound a change in their body the tenth time they get massage compared with the first time. The term I use is called diminishing returns. However, this is not necessarily accurate about what is happening in the body over the long term. Once a client's initial discomfort is improved is when lasting change can be made in the body. Depending upon the condition, it is later sessions that can be most significant in transformative bodywork.

I have a client with hip pain and probably some associated depression as a result. They have been to see me twice a week since the beginning of October and they claim that the work we do together has given them a new lease on life. However, I have hit a road block in this client's recovery. The problem, which felt systemic to the client, has been crystallized down to one region in the hip. When I move the leg in range of motion exercises, I find a restriction that I can move through only very slowly. Upon releasing that movement the client feels pain. The pain when palpated is through the gluteal region, but the release of the range of motion is felt in the groin. From my experience, this speaks to an osseous problem. I have recommended that the client be checked by her attending physician or an orthopedist to have proper tests run to identify what is going on with the hip.

Always know when to refer out.

tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health

Posted by linda at November 7, 2007 7:28 AM