Pathology: Indicated or contraindicated? That is the Question

    Are you the person who can't keep scrolling when you see the videos of black heads wiggling their way out of a pore? Puss filled abscesses exploding after a slight push? Do you get a strangely satisfying sensation from pulling the burnt layers of your skin off after a sunburn? It's gross stuff but you just CAN'T look away right! Well I have great news for you.... you will LOVE your pathology unit.
    Pathology is the study of disease, their causes and how they affect the body. As massage therapists we need to know enough about these conditions so we can keep our clients safe by not exacerbating the condition. As well as keeping ourselves safe from catching contagious conditions. Before we can go any further, you will need a quick vocabulary lesson.

 Contraindicated: Describing an intervention that may have a negative outcome in a given condition

Indication: The basis for an intervention that is likely to have a positive outcome in a given condition

Local: Describing a limited area of the body

Systemic: Describing a whole body involvement

Sign: An objectively observable indication of a disease or disorder

Symptom: A subjective experience relating to a disease or disorder

    These terms are a great place to start in understanding the different conditions you clients may have and how to best care, or in some instances put off an appointment. There is a lot our bodies can and will put up with in our lifetime. Although, as massage therapists we can't diagnose or 'treat' these various conditions it is important to have a good understanding of them in order to up hold our promise to do no harm.  We can also be a voice to help our clients find the proper medical professional to help them.
    While this is another unit where the amount of information you are getting can feel overwhelming, it is very interesting and Christy, as usual, presents it in a very fun an engaging way. In class we were all assigned different conditions to act out with our partners and they had to discern what condition we may have and if it would be appropriate to keep our massage appointment, reschedule or maybe modify our treatment. Not only is is fun to get creative and do some role playing but it kind of felt like we were in med school studying to be doctors ;-) I mean we are basically doctors by the end of the year (not really but it's the running joke in our class) So as I have found thus far, don't get overwhelmed by the information. There is a lot there but have fun with it!

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