QuestionHi Christopher
I have a client who generally has a full body massage once a month. She recently suffered with a very bad mouth abcess and was on anti-biotics for a week (which she finished taking a couple of days ago). When she arrived for her appointment yesterday, I avoided massaging above shoulder height (ie didn't touch the head, face or neck area) as I didn't want to move any possible residual infection around the body. Did I do the right thing, or should I really not have given the treatment at all? I've only been qualified for two years and haven't come across this before, but wanted to play safe.
Thanks,
Sue.
AnswerGreetings Sue. It is always better to be safe than sorry. In this case, it was fine for her to recieve a massage. Antibiotics, especially ones that are taken for one week, are very powerful, and are intended to wipe out all infection; if any bacteria are left, they could become drug-resistant, so the doctors make sure that the infection is gone by making the patient take more than enough. Since she had finished taking the medicince, the infection was, in all likelyhood, completely cleared up. Still, it was not bad at all to avoid massaging above the shoulders, just in case. Her next massage can be full body.
The time to refuse a client's massage is if they are still on the antibiotics. The infection is still being destroyed, and the body is still in the process of healing, so a massage, especially a deep tissue massage, could either spread the infection or add some stress to an already weakened body. Any signs of an infection, like a fever, also contraindicate massage.
I hope this helps, Sue. Please feel free to write back if you have any more questions. Also, please feel free to rate me on AllExperts; both positive and constructive feedback help me learn to help others better.
Sincerely,
Christopher Hall
