help!! advise please client with tight hamstrings

[Freddy P]

Hi all,

Just want a bit of advice from those who may be able to advise and possible suggestions please.

I am qualified in holistic massage and have a client who presents with tight hamstrings and calf muscles, he works out 2/3 times week. These are areas he asks for me to work on, and occasionally his back.

He seems to be pretty pleased with the massage he receives and comes back almost weekly. He can be quite chatty at times which i find somewhat distracting.

I was thrown off last week as when i had finished working on his hamstrings, of which I feel that I cover quite thoroughly, he said something along the lines of 'if i turn over maybe you can get to them better?? As i am not qualified or too familar with sports massage techniques, i thought maybe i was missing something, or maybe i need to brush up on my anatomy & physiology lol!

Stupidly, i agreed, he turned over, towel covering private area and legs bent, i preceded to work on the hamstring muscles that i could get to along with quads, which i found quite awkward without pushing him off the couch! Starting to wonder if he likes more than just the massage! I felt quite uncomfortable i must say.

Just wanted some clarification really, so I am armed next time i see him. If asked to work on tight hamstrings does one do so perhaps incorporating lower back and calf muscles? is that enough? or does one also need to get client to turn over and do front of legs as well, even if this is not what client has asked for?

Thanks in advance

Marion

 

[DammavidoNoms]

Hi Marion[/align][/align]It is usually better to cover all the muscles in the leg to make sure that everything is in balance, you might find it easier to do the quads first and then turn him over to tackle the back of the legs.[/align]

 

[thegreatone]

Thanks for replying Paul.

I do generally do front and back of legs in order to cover all muscles. Usually start on backs first and then get client to turn over once finished. It's just that he wanted to turn over before I had even finished working on calf, and the way he positioned himself made me feel uncomfortable and it was quite awkward to work on him without pushing him off table!

Well, next time i think i'll suggest he keep his legs straight as I find it much easier to get to and work the muscles, as well as doing fronts and backs of legs.

 

[pmdmnotv]

Hi mhussain,

If someone told me they had tight hamstrings and calfs and halfway through treating them they said 'if i turn over maybe you can get to them better?' alarm bells might go off. It obviously depends on what the client was like and my rapport with them.



Being thorough is important and i would turn them over to stretch their hamstrings. I think it's important to take charge of the session and not do things unless they make logical sense to you. Comes with experience I think.

I've not had any dodgy experiences with my clients (thank god) but men requesting to turn over just sounds a bit odd.

Good luck

KW