QuestionI'm a mature student doing the vctc Indian Head Massage course (as well as swedish body massage)
I'm doing my first assignment and am stuck on contraindications relevent to IHM.
Our task is to read through a list of medical conditions and say which are total contraindications, which should have a GP referral and which would not prevent treatment but that the therapist should be aware of i.e. cuts or abrasions in treatment area.
We went through the list in open discussion in class but unfortunately I had to leave early and missed some of the conditions discussed. I'd be most grateful if you could either give me the 'answers' and explainations to the conditions below or provide me with web addresses where I can research them myself ... keeping in mind this is for head massage only.
Cheers.
Conditions
spastic conditions
dysfunction of nervous system
history of thrombosis or embolism
scalp infections
AnswerGreetings Valkyrie. First let me apologize for the time it took me to get back to you. I usually answer much more quickly, but that horrible flu has had me down for a week. So, on to your conditions.
Things like spastic conditions and dysfunctions of the nervous system are hard terms to define. Spastic conditions could mean something like cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy. Disorders of the nervous system could mean anything from seizures to paralysis to loss of feeling (peripheral neuropathy). Since you are dong massage only on the scalp, these conditions might not contraindicate the treatment. The only reason that they might be CI is if there is a danger of the person accidentally hurting either themselves or you as the therapist during an episode.
A history of thrombosis or embolism really wouldn't CI massage either. By working the head, you are not stimulating the circulatory system enough to shift a thrombus, if one were present. If the client actually has one at the moment of the treatment, and they have been ordered by their doctors to take it very easy, then I mgith hesitate to work on them. There is always a risk of the clot shifting and moving to the brain, lungs, or heart, even as they are traveling to your place to get worked on.
Scalp infections are definately CI for massage. From something like ringworm to an infected cut, massage would not only cause more pain, but could further complicate the infection. There could also, in the case of something like ringworm, be a risk of you catching it yourself.
The thing to keep in mind with conditions and CI is the effects that hte massage will have on the body, and what the condition entails. If there is obvious source for pain, aggravation of a condition, or possible contagion, massage should not be done. And in general, if the disease or disorder does not interfere much in how a client lives their lives, chances are they can get massage.
I hope this was of some help, Valkyrie, and I again apologize for the delay. Please feel free to write back if you have any other questions (and I will promise to get back to you much sooner).
Sincerely,
Christopher Hall
