Massage & Bodywork

July/August 2010

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ANTIANXIETY FOOT MASSAGE 7A.1 7B CR, NCTMB, is the massage therapist for the hospice division of the Visiting Nurse Association in Cleveland, Ohio. Mramor is certified in both manual lymph drainage and reflexology and is a member of various hospice organizations. He may be contacted at piggybank61@hotmail.com John Mramor, MA, LMT, CMLDT, 7A.2 STROKE 7B: As usual, the nondominant hand echoes. Perform Strokes 1–7 at least 10 times. 7A.3 7. If staff members interrupt, do not cease the process and do not take your attention off of the client. Simply ignore them and continue, making eye contact if necessary to inform them that you and the client are in a deep communion. You can re-explain your manner once the process is complete and you have exited the room. STROKES 7A.1, 7A.2, AND 7A.3: This final stroke is similar to Stroke 1, except that it is performed on the posterior foot. After the third circle is formed during Stroke 6, instead of the thumb joining the fingers, the entire hand flips so that the palmar aspect is now ready to make full contact with the posterior foot. Perform this flip without losing contact, perhaps using the middle finger as a pivot point along the lateral edge of the foot. The hand is now ready to move perpendicularly over the posterior foot toward the medial edge, where it turns with fingers pointing proximally as the palm engages the foot, fingers on the calcaneus/ thenar eminence near the toes. From this point, it simply traces along the lateral edge of the foot, much like the conclusion of Stroke 1. 8. Therapeutic presence is mandatory for this process to be an effective intervention. If you are unaware of this crucial element of professional conduct, please use the email address below to request the unedited version of "Therapeutic Presence in Hospice Care" (a previously published article). 9. It is helpful to match the initial speed of the stroke with the client's level of anxiety, slowing the process gradually as the client relaxes. Once this process is mastered and applied with grace, a profound connection will arise between the therapist and the client. By engaging it, an exquisite communion develops, one grounded in sincere simplicity and attention to the moment. Clients will be soothed, anxiety transformed or resolved, and the room filled with the awareness of two souls who have shared intimacy. In the final analysis, it is less a powerful technique than it is a spiritual dance of mutual understanding. NOTE 1. Hsiao-Lan Wang and Juanita F. Keck, "Foot and Hand Massage as an Intervention for Postoperative Pain," Pain Management Nursing 5, no. 2 (June 2004): 59–65; Laurie Grealish, Angela Lomasney, and Barbara Whiteman, "Foot Massage: A Nursing Intervention to Modify the Distressing Symptoms of Pain and Nausea in Patients Hospitalized with Cancer," Cancer Nursing 23, no. 3 (2000): 237–43; R. Quattrin et al., "Use of Reflexology Foot Massage to Decrease Anxiety in Hospitalized Cancer Patients in Chemotherapy Treatment: Methodology and Outcomes," Journal Nursing Management 14, no. 2 (March 2006): 96–105; Nancy L.N. Stephenson, et al., "Partner Delivered Reflexology: Effects on Cancer Pain and Anxiety," Oncology Nursing Forum 34, no. 1 (January 2007): 127–32; Y.M. Lee, "Effects of Self-Foot Reflexology Massage on Depression, Stress Responses and Immune Functions of Middle- Aged Women," Taehan Kanko Hakhoe Chi 36, no. 1 (February 2006): 179–88; J. Hayes and C. Cox, "Immediate Effects of a Five Minute Foot Massage on Patients in Critical Care," Intensive Critical Care Nursing 15, no. 2 (April 1999): 77–82; Keturah R. Faurot, Susan A. Gaylord, and J. Douglas Mann, "Training Family Caregivers in Hand and Foot Massage for Hospitalized Patients: Feasibility, Challenges, and Lessons Learned," Complementary Health Practice Review 12, no. 3 (2007): 203–226; Nancy L.N. Stephenson et al., "The Effects of Foot Reflexology on Anxiety and Pain in Patients with Breast and Lung Cancer," Oncology Nursing Forum 27, no. 1 (2000): 67–72; J. Hulme et al., "The Effect of Foot Massage on Patient's Perception of Care Following Laparoscopic Sterilization," Journal of Advanced Nursing 30, no. 2 (August 1999): 460–68; Miguel A. Diego et al., "Fetal Activity Following Vibratory Stimulation of the Mother's Abdomen and Foot and Hand Massage," Developmental Psychobiology 41 (2002): 396–406. connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 61

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