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June 5, 2008

Dealing With Incontinence

What on earth could incontinence do with massage? More than you think! After studying the urogenital system in Anatomy class, I'm reminded of my continuing education course in visceral manipulation. In our pelvis class (unit 3 in the Upledger series) we learned techniques that could help with incontinence, among other conditions.

I wish I knew what percentage of people were put in nursing homes because of incontinence. I do know it is one of the reasons why many elderly people end up loosing their independent living status. If we as therapists could help our elderly population regain their dignity through efficacious manipulation, we could probably cut back on the need for assisted living by half.

Another issue surrounding incontinence is practice management. If the majority of your client base is elderly, or you plan to cater to elderly clientèle, it may force you to make some changes in your practice facility. I know massage is supposed to be a warm, inviting sanctuary to get away from the world for a while. One of the ways to make a massage room a quiet haven is to make sure it is carpeted. And that works until one of you clients has an accident. Then it is a haven for no one.

You may want to choose a facility with floors that are easy to clean and dress it with rugs that are also easy to throw in the washing machine. However, keep in mind that elderly people may not have the balance and dexterity to maneuver over throw rugs and it could be a source for trips and falls (better make sure you have good insurance). Another option is to invest in an easy to use carpet cleaner and spot clean when you know there has been a problem. By the way, if you decide to use this option and you don't like the strong fragrance of most carpet cleaning solutions, WalMart's house brand of carpet cleaning solution is mild and clean smelling.

tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health

Posted by linda at June 5, 2008 3:04 PM