manual skills100 Flashcards
professional hygiene
Sterilization – Destroys all organisms by means of heat.
E.g. – Pressurized steam bath, extreme temperature irradiation.
Sanitization – Destroys all pathogens (but not necessarily all microbes on inanimate objects.
E.g. – Chemicals (iodine, chlorine, alcohol, soaps).
electronic devise policy
During your clinic internship (Terms 2 – 5), cell phones are NOT allowed in clinic OR on your body. Please keep cell phone in your locker or classroom
In the classroom, please have your phone on SILENT
During interview assessment, when placing laptop on massage table, place towel underneath for hygiene
In clinic, once assessment is complete, bring your laptop back into the supervisor room.
Always CHARGE your electronic devices the night before clinic and classes
reccommended clothing
NO perfumes or colognes (we are a scent-free environment)
NO scented oils and lotions (Note: Essential Oils: NOT in our scope of practice).
NOT appropriate to have YOUR clothing touch your guest’s body during treatment.
Wear breathable natural fibres that allow you to move while performing a technique.
Shoes should be supportive and offer enough traction to easily transfer and shift your body weight.
Hiking boots, although supportive, are generally too heavy for our purposes.
Bare feet or socks without shoes, flip-flops and high heels are not acceptable in the classroom during exchanges.
Although there are a variety of shoes that meet our needs, cross-trainers seem to be regularly chosen by many massage therapists.
which term is correct
SPAS PREFER GUEST
CLINICS PREFER PATIENT
SOME PATIENTS PREFER CLIENT
use
effect
USE
The purpose of a technique
EFFECTS
The physiological response to a technique
3 types
EFFECTS cont’d
a) Mechanical Effects b) Reflex Effects c) Chemical Effects
indications
Is the condition that dictates the appropriate technique(s) to be utilized
contraindications or precautions
CONTRA-INDICATIONS (CI’S)
Or
PRECAUTIONS
A precaution to treatment
When therapy or certain techniques are not indicated for a given situation
When Massage Therapy is CI’d, a therapist must modify the treatment
cont/precautions
FULL BODY
When the situation or condition affects the whole body
LOCAL
When the situation or condition affects a particular region or body part
components of application of massage
PRESSURE
RATE
RHYTHM
DURATION
PRRIDE!
palpation
Palpation is the skillful art of touching and exploring the body, locating different structures, and assessing the quality of structural characteristics.
Palpation can be defined as – ‘to examine by touch’.
The sensory aspects of palpation start with recognition of your hands touching something.
When we as therapists intentionally touch with mindful, conscious awareness eventually it becomes second nature.
Good palpation skills are critical for massage therapy and therapists with good palpation skills become soft tissue experts.
“There are more nerve endings in the skin than any other part of the body – 600,000 overall in an adult; 50,000 per square inch in the fingertips. A single touch receptor in a fingertip can detect pressure of less than 1/1400 of an ounce, or the weight of an average housefly”. Braun & Simonson, Introduction to Massage Therapy – 1st edition.
When it comes to palpation the term “Less is More” is applied. Palpating with soft hands, molding to the contours of the body allows the guest to be better able to relax.
Too deep or too hard with the fingers may elicit a guarding mechanism in the body, whereby the body’s muscles contract against your contact making it very difficult to palpate underlying structures.
anitomical palpation
To Locate
Finger pressure usually firm
Shorter duration
Descriptive words used are usually anatomical in nature
sensory palpation
To describe
Lighter towards firmer
Longer duration
Descriptive words not anatomical
dynamic palpation
Utilizing your knowledge of anatomy, land-marking structures around the area that lead you to a distinctive land-mark.
static palpation
Going straight to the land-mark with your palpation
4 Ts of palpation
Temperature
Texture
Tone
Tenderness
temperature
The degree of intensity of palpable heat or cold of a body – are there differences between regions of the body.
Temperature can be an indicator of circulation. Excessive heat can be caused by a fever or by the increased circulation of an inflammatory process that is the body’s response to an injury.
texture
Variation or different types of palpable tissue quality – do the structures feel ropey, bumpy, spongy, hard etc.
scar tissues and restricted fascia can feel as if the tissues are bound down and stuck together.
Hypertonic muscles feel tight and resistant when they are in a relaxed position.
tone
The normal degree of tension – the nervous system is primarily responsible for determining the tone / tension in the muscle
How does the muscle respond to stretch – can it be lengthened easily or not.
If you push into the muscle does it spring back at you
tenderness
Patient’s sensitivity to touch and pressure
Some have a higher tolerance to touch pressure than others
biomechanics
Is the study of how the movement of humans and living creatures is affected by both internal and external factors.
Careful and efficient ways to move your body, incorporating the principles of leverage and efficient structural alignment of your body to minimize your fatigue and keep you from injuring yourself.
two components of bio mechanics
Principle of Leverage
Maximizes the amount of pressure you can apply with a minimum amount of muscular work by using your body as a rigid structure that leans into your patient with your body weight
Efficient Structural Alignment
Use of Asymmetric or a Symmetrical stance for different types of strokes
Massage Table at a comfortable height
Correct alignment of your body
biomechanics cont
Leaning
Allows you to apply good pressure with the least stress on the body.
Proper Table Height
Is a critical component of good biomechanics
General Rule, have the table set at a height so that the top of the table is at the knuckle height when standing beside it.
Or at mid-thigh
Symmetrical Stance
Also called Warrior or horse stance
Toes/hips forward, feet shoulder width apart
Good to use for strokes in which your feet are fairly stationary (when a stroke doesn’t travel too far along a patient’s body
Asymmetrical Stance
Also called archer or lunge stance
Both feet on the ground, shoulder width apart, one foot in front of the other, and the back foot is laterally rotated.
Front knee is flexed, and is used for balance
The back foot supports your weight
Most used for strokes that require a lot of pressure or strokes that travel greater distances
positioning on the table
PRONE
SUPINE
SIDE-LYING
SEMI-FOWLER’S
types of massage oil
Lubricants are used to reduce friction between your skin and your guest’s skin to increase comfort of the massage strokes.
Each lubricant has a different;
Consistency, amount of glide, absorption rate, cost, shelf life, scent, storage requirement
Are further broken down into these categories;
Oils, Lotions/Creams/Gels, Powders
At VCMT we use Bon Vital Massage Gel because it has a great glide, it’s natural and good for our patients as well as ourselves and it is hypo-allergenic and scent-free
The only allergy we need to be aware of when using our massage gel, is an allergy to SESAME SEED as this gel does contain it.
