Seminar Final

Reflecting on how to be more prepared
as a Student Massage Therapist
Daiana Branco
Amanda Baskwill
Tuesday October 6, 2014
Stage 1: What?
On my second week of internship I was so nervous because it was going to be my
first time treating a patient. I had gone to the front of clinic and introduced myself to my
patient and as we were walked to our cubicle my nerves were slowly building up.
Everything was going smoothly from going through his health history, performing vital
assessment, pain assessment and even getting consent for everything, until I told my
patient I was going to perform postural assessment, thats when I hit rock bottom. I got
so nervous that I just changed my mind in two seconds from about to perform postural
assessment to telling him I was going to treat him. At this moment I was very
disappointed in myself because I knew exactly what to do just didnt do it and dont
know why. Not only did I not perform postural assessment, I also didnt perform any
ranges of motions such as active, passive or even resisted, as well as any special
orthopedic tests and manual muscle testing. At that moment I felt like my patient just
thought to himself thinking this girl has no clue what she is doing, since he gets
massages regularly and knows the process. He was probably also thinking to himself
that he could have spent the money on something better. Even though I had messed up
really hard from not performing any assessments, I knew I had to prove it to myself and
also to my patient while I was treating him that I do know what Im doing. I applied
every technique that I believe was going to be beneficial to the lower back where my
patient was experiencing some pain, and just kept on checking in on his comfort level.
Stage 2: So What?
What I believe went well was when it came to treating my patient I knew exactly
what to do. I asked my patient for consent, I put in the pillows underneath his abdomen
and feet and, I also treated him in the areas that were more needed and lastly checking in
on his comfort levels. I applied all the different skills that Ive learned from the past two
years until now. I performed the different massage principles, and using different massage
techniques. I started off with the most superficial technique effleurage to a deep
technique such as palmar and fingertip kneading. What didnt go so well was me not
performing the assessments that were needed in order for me to know what my patient
was limited at doing. This type of information is very important for me to know because
without knowing what my patient is limited on, Ill never be able to make a proper
treatment plan. This is because I wont know exactly where I need to work on to make
my patient get all of his ranges of motion back to normal. I could have handled the
situation better by being more prepared and less nervous. If I wasnt as nervous as I was
this situation probably wouldnt have happened because my nerves wouldnt have taken
over. If I had stepped out and relaxed a little bit and came back with a fresh mind, the
appointment would have gone better. I would have performed postural assessment, all of
the ranges of motions such as active, passive and resisted as well as some special
orthopedic tests and muscle manual testing. Therefore this would help me have a better
understanding on what his limitations were. If I had been more prepared reviewing more,
things would have gone more smoothly. The nerves wouldnt occur from not
remembering what to do, or even how to perform a certain special orthopedic test as well
as manual muscle testing. If I had reviewed more and been less nervous, I wouldnt have
been so disappointed in myself, and look like I didnt know what I was doing.
Now What?
After talking and listening to my fellow classmates and professor, the solution that
I chose was being more prepared. Being prepared is very important especially when it
comes to massage therapy. As a student massage therapist, I have to be prepared for
anything that a patient comes in with, whether its back pain, neck pain or even
something serious such as whiplash. If Im not prepared about not knowing what tests or
assessments that I would want my patient to perform, I am putting my patient at risk of
hurting him because I dont know what his functional limitations are. By being prepared,
Im benefiting myself and my patient by helping my patient getting back to normal. Since
my patient has low back pain by me being prepared Im able reduce their low back pain
intensity and increasing their range of motion. (Fields , 2008). This is true because by
me being prepared ahead of time, Im able to see what certain ranges of motion my
patient is limited. Also it helps me focus on the areas that are most needed in order for me
to relieve his back pain. After the treatment I would provide my patient with some take
home stretches so he can strengthen his lower back muscles so he can improve his range
of motion. Im also benefiting my professor because Im able to show them everything
Ive learned, and I was able to apply it to the patient. My professor can then show me
some new techniques, tests, or assessment that they believe will be helpful with finding
exactly why my patient has low back pain. The reason why I chose being more prepared
is because being prepared is key for everything. In order for a teacher to teach the
classroom, they have to be prepared with all the new information they would like to teach
the students. If a teacher isnt prepared for their students they wouldnt have anything to
teach them. Thats why being prepared is very important, as it helps you as a person on
what to say and also being able to provide information to someone who is less
knowledgeable than you.
Reference
Fields, T. (n.d.). Journal of bodywork and movement therapies (12th ed., Vol. 3, pp. 281289). New York: Churchill Livingstone.

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