Sports Massage
Contraindications - By Dale Elliott
Introduction -
This leaflet is to show the Contraindications of Sports Massage and the different types that they are, being either yellow or red flags. I will be covering 6 contraindications, these are Pregnancy, Cancer, Fractures, Recent Surgery, High Blood Pressure and Varicose Veins.
Pregnancy
Massaging is dangerous for any individual that is pregnant, as the massage that the client parttakes in increases the blood flow, this then redirects the blood to other areas of the body, but it is needed at the area of the baby, this could then be dangerous for the baby, this can be seen as a red flag, this is mainly at the start of the pregnancy as the baby is most unstable at this point, and may cause miscarriage, however light massage at the later stages is acceptable.
Cancer
Risk can be, that massage may spread the cancer through the lymphatic system, if it is broken down, anything that stimulates the area of the cancer is dangerous and is very bad, this type of massage that breaks down the cancer is thumb kneading, which is a type of manipulation, petrissage, this would be categorised as a red flag.
Fractures
A light massage to the surrounding areas can improve circulation and be quiet helpful as it helps the healing process allowing more blood to the area carrying nutrients and oxygen, but massage of areas where fractures occured can cause further damage or further pain as you will be putting pressure on the area, break already existing union and lead to deformation of the limb, an example of this would be fracturing the wrist, you would not massage the wrist of lower arm but could massage the top of the arm, around the bicep and tricep, this would be categorised as a yellow flag.
Recent Surgery
Massage can distract the healing process and break off the blood clots that have formed as the increase in blood pressure could open the blood clot and cause it to bleed out again due to the increase in blood pressure, and could cause further damage, or it can cause the recovery period to be extended as the blood clot will then need to be reformed which takes more time, this can be categorised as a red or yellow, you can not massage anywhere near the area, how ever for example, if they have had surgery on their shoulder you can massage their leg.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure means any excessive pressure against blood vessel walls could cause damage to the client and could cause the blood vessel's to rupture, as massage increase the blood flow and enhances micro circulation, which means the blood pressure increases as there is more blood rushing round the body in the same size blood vessels that have been stretched, this is a contraindication where you cannot massage at all, this is a red flag.
Skin Conditions
Any form of skin condition that is uncovered should be avoided, as there should not be any cross contamination from client to physiotherapist, causing the condition to either spread to the physio or spread to other areas of the client, or massaging them areas could also cause harm to the client, these can be conditions such as eczema or acne. However it can be the same as the recent surgery as other areas can be massaed as long as no contact to the area has been made, this is a yellow or red flag.