Introduction
Chronic back pain is one of the leading health complaints that doctors encounter. Massage therapy can be a complementary therapy treatment in helping to alleviate back pain (Neighmond, 2011). Myself, I have experienced back pain due to a ski racing injury, so I chose to receive a massage to see if it would help with my back pain. I received the back massage in Fort Kent, Maine on March 4th, 2015 by Sherry Stedt at her home practice. Sherry is a licensed massage therapist that received her state license in massage therapy after completing two years at Downeast School of Massage in Waldoboro, Maine. During these two years of schooling she had to do 1,500 hours of hands on massage therapy along with science and biology classes. Every …show more content…
Massage promotes healthy skin, circulation in the body, relaxes muscles, helps with joint mobility, and improves immune system functioning (Benefits of Massage – Pamphlet I have….). If a nurse had a patient seeking massage therapy for their health problem, to make sure it was a progressive treatment they would need to check in with them regularly. The nurse needs to make sure they are attending sessions, doing what the massage therapist instructed, stretching on their own, exercising and eating healthy. All of these things would help improve the patient’s health, along with the massage therapy. This type of therapy may vary from person to person depending on their age and culture. When massage originated, most cultures believed that the body needed massages that allowed the body to relax and have good energy flow, which is how one remained in good health. Different cultures have different methods to their massage therapies; however all cultures believe people benefit from massage (Massage Therapy, …show more content…
If the massage is for pleasure than one would pay out of pocket however, when talking with Sherry, who was my therapist, she said insurances sometimes cover the expense. She had known insurance to cover when the patient had workmen compensation, specific accidents, or a doctor’s referral (Stedt, 2015). If money is a concern one could go to a massage school where often for free or a very low price will give massages, because many of their students need clinical hours before receiving their certifications (Massage Treatment, 2012).
Legal and Ethical Considerations
As a nurse it is important to be respect your patients at all times and make yourself aware of all types of alternative therapies, so you can make sure your patient is using them correctly. Due to the increase in these alternative therapies ethical issues have come up relating to safety, scope of practice, and cultural diversity (Cipriano & Ludwick, 2001). It is shown nurses who are more educated about these therapies work more effectively in making sure these therapies do not interfere with their prescribed treatment, if they have one (Cady, 2015).
Chronic back pain is one of the leading health complaints that doctors encounter. Massage therapy can be a complementary therapy treatment in helping to alleviate back pain (Neighmond, 2011). Myself, I have experienced back pain due to a ski racing injury, so I chose to receive a massage to see if it would help with my back pain. I received the back massage in Fort Kent, Maine on March 4th, 2015 by Sherry Stedt at her home practice. Sherry is a licensed massage therapist that received her state license in massage therapy after completing two years at Downeast School of Massage in Waldoboro, Maine. During these two years of schooling she had to do 1,500 hours of hands on massage therapy along with science and biology classes. Every …show more content…
Massage promotes healthy skin, circulation in the body, relaxes muscles, helps with joint mobility, and improves immune system functioning (Benefits of Massage – Pamphlet I have….). If a nurse had a patient seeking massage therapy for their health problem, to make sure it was a progressive treatment they would need to check in with them regularly. The nurse needs to make sure they are attending sessions, doing what the massage therapist instructed, stretching on their own, exercising and eating healthy. All of these things would help improve the patient’s health, along with the massage therapy. This type of therapy may vary from person to person depending on their age and culture. When massage originated, most cultures believed that the body needed massages that allowed the body to relax and have good energy flow, which is how one remained in good health. Different cultures have different methods to their massage therapies; however all cultures believe people benefit from massage (Massage Therapy, …show more content…
If the massage is for pleasure than one would pay out of pocket however, when talking with Sherry, who was my therapist, she said insurances sometimes cover the expense. She had known insurance to cover when the patient had workmen compensation, specific accidents, or a doctor’s referral (Stedt, 2015). If money is a concern one could go to a massage school where often for free or a very low price will give massages, because many of their students need clinical hours before receiving their certifications (Massage Treatment, 2012).
Legal and Ethical Considerations
As a nurse it is important to be respect your patients at all times and make yourself aware of all types of alternative therapies, so you can make sure your patient is using them correctly. Due to the increase in these alternative therapies ethical issues have come up relating to safety, scope of practice, and cultural diversity (Cipriano & Ludwick, 2001). It is shown nurses who are more educated about these therapies work more effectively in making sure these therapies do not interfere with their prescribed treatment, if they have one (Cady, 2015).