I had a new client into the clinic that had previously had a lot of Myotherapy massage over the past few years and was enjoying the benefits that soft tissue release has on the body. As I had never seen this client previously myself, I asked a full health history and also wanted to do a thorough check of posture/dysfunction and any orthopaedic testing that was necessary for this case.
My client gave me his health history then proceeded to get ready to jump onto the treatment table. I stopped my client and stated that it was important to do some postural observation and orthopaedic testing first. He was very reluctant to do so, noting that he had previously had lots of treatment in the past and to follow on with the same techniques would be fine. I explained that in order to get the most out of our treatment it was very important on seeing a practitioner for the first time, to do some assessment to make sure we were working on the correct areas and making a positive improvement in the clients health. In this way he would get so much more out of the treatment and we would be able to create a treatment plan for him with goals to achieve and potential tasks to do at home to again improve his health.
My client had had previous cardiac surgery and had some traits that were very typical of someone spending lots of time sitting at a desk working hard: very round shoulders and a tight mid back. We tested his back rotation and side bending as well as his neck range of motion before our treatment started. If we had carried on with the treatment as he had always had he would not have had the treatment to release his diaphragm and pectoral muscles which is necessary in restoring an upright posture.
My client still had the treatment that he had previously enjoyed on the back of his body, but now he had also been treated on the anterior (front side) as well. After the treatment had finished and we were re-testing his movement in this spine and neck without me even saying anything he noted how much his range had improved and was very impressed at how far he had come. We had also managed to notify him of some services he was entitled to with an exercise physiologist in relation his heart health history.
By Catharine Bainbridge – Elite Myotherapist
