Abdominal Massage?

[Indumukhi]

[sm=wave.gif]Can I just clarify that it was VTCT aromatherapy massage, not remedial or sports massage, if that makes any difference.

 

[spicerjoe]

Gawd help my hubby then, LOL![sm=speechless-smiley-008.gif]

 

[Emily Ch]

Good grief, Jabba, that would have been the funniest thing I have read for some time - if it wasn't so obviously bonkers! Hard to believe anyone with wacky ideas like that could be teaching a serious course.
Reminds me that when I first met my wife - in her late teens - she was only just getting over being told by her mother, when she was 13,not to wash her hair during her period. It's bad enough old wives' tales being told by old wives, but tutors...?!

 

[naps with cats]

Hi All

fairly new to this board but was interested in this thread.

When I was first taught massage in '98 we were taught the entire body including buttocks and abdomen (though obviously not genital areas!!).
I would only not do any body part after the client expressed that they did not want it done.

Really shocked at tutors telling anyone not to massage certain areas.
As for doing men it doesn't bother me at all. It only becomes "oooeeerrrr missus" if the therapist is uncomfortable. As long as youkeep aprofessional distance theclient should not get any funny ideas. If they do thenI would stop the treatment and tell theem they have misunderstood treatment content and then run them out the door!!.[>:]

 

[whitechick]

I have to say that I would be reluctant to ask for abdominal massage (to even find out if it feels good!) in case it spoils my relationship with a current Therapistwho I think is very good at massage.

I have to say that enough of the posts that I've read have reinforced this, although this thread has been positive

Cheers

KB

 

[mkeahaah]

kenb, once you have an regular therapist, don't be afraid to ask for abdominal work. It is often regarded as a red flag when someone asks for it either during the first phone call or one or 2 appointments, but once you've proven yourself as a legitimate client for therapeutic work, it shouldn't be a problem. It's unfortunate you have to prove yourself to be legitimate, butmany therapists like to err on the cautious side with new clients because there are some that where that caution is necessary. Once you establish yourself beyond the "new client" status, asking about possible red flag issues you'll usually find they are now non-issues (things that are definitely red flag issues, remain red flag issues)

 

[Pompal 09.]

One of the drawbacks of this forum is that it isn't always clear whether therapists answering queries are experienced remedial therapists or newly-qualified therapists (and it is not clear whether some contributors appreciate that the guidance given by aromatherapy tutors may differ substantially from the guidance given by remedial massage tutors). Personally I am very surprised by Cola's comment



At the London College of Massage, abdominal massage is includedeven in their basic six-day introductory course (which doesn't lead to any qualification). It was also included in both my ITEC massage and in my BTEC sports massage course. Certainly there are clients who feel that abdominal massage is too personal and prefer to omit it, butI would suggest that that should be discussed in the initial client consultation. I would have thought that a therapist who refuses to do abdominal massage on a client of the opposte sex may well lose some clients as a result. There was an earlier discussion of what constitutes a ‘full body massage’ on the thread
[link=http://www.healthypages.net/forum/tm.asp?m=282458]http://www.healthypages.net/forum/tm.asp?m=282458[/link]

‘Scorpio’ began that thread by commenting





I think that it is unfortunate that Cola has used the term 'red flag' in the context of abdominal massage: personally I would prefer to confine the term 'red flag' to requests which are definitely unprofessional, eg 'hand relief' and 'tantric massage' (which have also been discussed on earlier threads).

Alan

 

[Visions of Codeine]

hi I'm doing VTCT level 3 holistic therapy... at the moment we are learning swedish massage and today we leart to do chest and tomorrow we do abdominal massage, and we have a male student also doing this


mel
xxxxx

 

[? Christina angel baby ?]

As mentioned by other postsin this thread, having enough time to include the abs in a one hour treatment is usually more of an issue than not being trained in abs work. So much of the general population's need for a massage is as a resuslt of back/neck issues, I would hardly ever manage to include abs work in the first few appointments with someone, that has got nothing to do with it being a red flag, that has everything to do with working on the areas that usually need the most work. I only mentioned the red flag in relation to That sounds like kenb thinks it is a red flag issue to ask for abdominal massage.
In my experience, all phone callers that have not been referred by another clientthat have asked about groin or abs work during the initial phone call have been looking for some other type of work in that area. Those that have wanted to direct the massage during the first appointment to that area have all been looking for some other type of work in that area. I don't do abs work in the first few appointments but back & neck usually take up so much time I wouldn't have enough time anyway. I don't do a cookie cutter treatment of what I was taught during my first massage course on any client (abs work was included in the first course I did).
Unlike some, I don't want to discuss someone's bowel movements during a first appointment, call me a prude if you want, but I do discuss it in relation to abs work, that's another reason I don't do it during the first appointment, unless they specifically say"I am extremely constipated", but then most people do not think of having a massage for constipation.

 

[Snob 2 (Suspended)]

Suzanne mentioned the above, and I am just interested to find out what it does feel like!!

However, I am concerned that my therapist would think that it is a red flag if I don't relate it to GI issues.

 

[Gerik]

Why don't you tell a little fib then, and just say you have had some mild constipation recently and does she think that ab massage could help?

Once you have tried it (and if you enjoy it) hopefully you would feel more confident to ask for it again.

 

[frustrator]

I have chronic consipation/IBS and tell therapists this before I get a massage. I tend to hold a lot of tension in my abdomen and my stomach gets upset easy. I am not brave enough to ask for abdominal massage, so I just kind of say my symptoms and hope. I have found 2 therapists who do include the abs, and after having it done, I won't go back to a therapist that does NOT include abs. I thoroughly enjoy it. I fully understand the hesitation on some therapists minds in including this, but if they trust the client, perhaps after a few sessions they should include it as an option. Definitely relaxes my stomach and aids with digestion a little bit.

 

[spider]

Trow - It's a good thought to go along those lines, even if it is just from an "internal health" standpoint.

Ken

 

[Legolas Varagov]

Abdominal massage is not just for treating people with dysfunctional bowel movements, what about all the muscles that are being omitted, stomach muscles are just as likely to be damaged as a persons back, some of the insertion points will give pain into the back but a back massage will not sort it.[/align][/align]What about massaging the diaphragm to assist with breathing dysfunctions, not to mention that some of the leg musclesgo right up to the bottom of the stomach, and the transverse abdominals go right round the person.[/align][/align]There are a serious amount of people who are not getting the corrective massagetreatments they require and are paying for, and for what? to appease some teacher misguided ideas of what is a correct form of massage.[/align][/align]The correct form of massage in my book, is the one that addresses the problem and sorts it out, I will get of my soapbox now.[/align]

 

[?? Kitty ??]

I agree with Paul – and I think this thread is worth re-reading in view of some of the comments on the thread [link=http://www.healthypages.net/forum/tm.asp?m=363904]Male Clients- urgent! [/link]

In view of one of the questions on that thread, it’s probably also worth noting that Cola described a request for abdominal massage as a ‘potential red flag’ rather than as a ‘definite red flag’ :she explains the difference in more detail on that other thread. A therapist can of course decline a request by a male client for abdominal massage – but a request for abdominal massage doesn’t in itself justify the therapist terminating the massage !

Alan