Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/230373
The FAINTING MYSTERY The small act of ensuring that your client's head is positioned correctly in the face rest should almost entirely eliminate the possibility of someone fainting in your chair. But why, you may ask, can the fainting happen at any point in the massage? Shouldn't it happen in the beginning, when the client puts his or her head into the face rest? There's a simple explanation for this and it's once again related to setting your client up in the chair properly. When most clients sit in the massage chair, they tend to sit near the back of the seat. Because the seat is usually angled downward, typically the client slides forward as the massage progresses, especially when the therapist pushes into the back. As the body slides forward, the head moves up on the face rest and the bottom ends of the pads start to press against the neck. Once there is sufficient pressure to the carotid arteries, the reflex is triggered. You can largely prevent this movement in the chair and face rest by telling your client to slide forward, and IF SOMEONE FAINTS IN THE CHAIR 1 If a client faints as you are massaging her, don't panic. Keep her resting forward in the chair and prevent her from falling. 64 massage & bodywork ensuring that their abdomen is fully supported by the chest support before starting the massage. Even if you do this proactively, I would still advise that you check the positioning of your client's head partway through your massage. In particular, you want to confirm that the bottom ends of the face rest are not pressing against the neck. Taking a moment to check for this, and repositioning the face rest if necessary, will again significantly reduce your chances of having someone faint in your chair. DIZZINESS, LIGHTHEADEDNESS, AND NAUSEA These, too, are symptoms of decreased blood flow to the brain, and are much more common among chair massage clients than fainting. They could be caused by a low-level activation of the carotid sinus reflex, or could simply result from decreased blood pressure brought about by relaxation. 2 Even if the client is slumping or leaning to one side, don't try to get her off the chair or straighten her up. january/february 2014 3 Wrap your arms around her and hold onto the frame of the chair firmly to prevent her from falling, and just wait until she recovers.