I have found in my practice that many people are not familiar with the word contraindication, and it is an important word to know; not just when referring to massage, but when referring to any medically-related condition as well. So, taking that into account, here is some information that I would like to share.
When referring to massage, a contraindication—”contra” meaning against—is any physical, emotional, or mental condition that may cause a particular massage treatment to be unsafe or detrimental to the client’s well-being. It means that the expected treatment is inadvisable; conditions may exist in which it would not be beneficial to apply any form of massage to part of or all of the body. There are absolute contraindications and regional (or partial) contraindications; absolute meaning that massage is absolutely not appropriate and regional (or partial) meaning that massage is not appropriate in certain areas of the body.
Some examples of absolute contraindications would be:
- Severe, uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Acute pneumonia
- Toxemia during pregnancy
- A fever over 101°
Some examples of regional or partial contraindications would be:
- Local contagious conditions
- Open wounds
- Acute neuritis or arthritis
- Local inflamed areas
Some of those may have been obvious, but keep in mind there are many more. At the end of the day, it is the responsibility of the therapist to fully understand contraindications for massage; however, it’s a good idea for the client to have a good idea as well.
A good book that I have on-hand is Pathology A to Z: Handbook For Massage Therapists. Not only has this book helped me with conditions I’m not familiar with, but it also helped me to understand and realize that some pharmaceutical drugs can affect the outcome of massage treatments as well.
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“Neutral balance alignment is key to becoming pain free!”™ ~ Me