Massage & Bodywork

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2020

Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1276187

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 79 of 120

C h e c k o u t A B M P P o c k e t P a t h o l o g y a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / a b m p - p o c k e t - p a t h o l o g y - a p p . 77 CONCLUSION Hydrotherapy treatments are great additions to your therapeutic tool kit. They complement your work as a massage therapist and expand your options when it comes to treating clients. Notes 1. Gabe Mirkin and Marshall Hoffman, The Sports Medicine Book (Boston: Little, Brown, 1978). 2. Consumer Reports, "Is RICE Still Nice?," Consumer Reports on Health 27, no. 12 (December 2015): 97. 3. Sven A. Bood et al., "Effects of Flotation-Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique on Stress-Related Muscle Pain: What Makes the Difference in Therapy—Attention-Placebo or the Relaxation Response?," Pain Research and Management 10, no. 4 (Winter 2005): 201–9, https://doi.org/10.1155/2005/547467. 4. Richard Karel, "Treatments Involving Heat Show Promise for Alleviating Depression," Psychiatric News 53, no. 10 (May 2018): 15–17. 5. C. Janssen et al., "Whole Body Hyperthermia for Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: a Randomized Clinical Trial," Journal of JAMA Psychiatry (August 2016). 6. Welcy Cassiano de Oliveira Tobinaga et al., "Short Term Effects of Hydrokinesiotherapy in Hospitalized Preterm Newborns," Rehabilitation Research and Practice 2016, no. 1 (January 2016): 1–8, https://doi. org/10.1155/2016/9285056. Marybetts Sinclair has been a massage therapist, teacher, and author since 1975. She is the author of Hydrotherapy for Bodyworkers (Handspring Press, 2020) and other massage textbooks and articles. Sinclair last reported on hydrotherapy for Massage & Bodywork in 2009. This update is based on current research into ancient and modern techniques, as well as an additional 10 years of using water therapies in her own practice. diabetes, hepatitis, lymphedema, multiple sclerosis, seizure disorders, hypothyroid conditions, or loss of sensation (lack of feeling), or if they are unsteady on their feet, unable to tolerate heat, or they ingested alcohol or drugs. To perform this self-treatment, your client will need a water thermometer, bath towel, and bath mat. Procedure: • Turn on the shower to hot and get in carefully. Use a grab bar if you feel unsteady. • Adjust the temperature to your tolerance (about 105– 115°F). • Let the water beat on your neck for at least 3 minutes. • Slowly continue to stand with the hot water beating on the neck muscles while you move your head as if you were drawing the letters of the alphabet with your nose. This will gently release muscle tension and make your neck more limber. Do all the letters of the alphabet. • Stay in the shower until you have finished this neck- limbering exercise, but for no longer than 10 minutes. • Get out of the shower carefully, and then dry off and put on a warm shirt, so your neck stays warm. Handheld Sprayer Contrast Treatment A contrast shower over one part of the body with a handheld sprayer can be used for soreness after exercise, muscle spasm, muscle fatigue, arthritis pain, tendinitis, joint swelling from a sprain, after the removal of a cast, or simply to increase local circulation. This self- treatment should be avoided if you are cold or have any of the following conditions: peripheral vascular disease, such as diabetes, Buerger's disease, or arteriosclerosis of the lower extremities; Raynaud's syndrome; or loss of feeling. Never spray water over implanted devices, such as cardiac pacemakers, ports, defibrillators, or pumps. To perform this self-treatment, your client will need a handheld sprayer, a bath towel, and a bath mat. Procedure: • Step carefully into the shower stall or bathtub. If you are going to spray the legs or feet, you may sit on the side of the bathtub. • Spray the area with water as hot as you can comfortably tolerate for 2 minutes. • Then, spray the area with water as cold as you can comfortably tolerate for 30 seconds. • Repeat hot and cold sprays for three rounds. • Get out of the shower carefully, dry off, and dress quickly to avoid chilling.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Massage & Bodywork - SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2020