When you come in for your first massage therapy appointment at KW massage , a few things need to be done in preparation for your massage therapy treatment.
First, I do not charge an initial consultation fee. What you pay depends on the length of treatment you request when you book the appointment. I do not charge any additional fees.
I have a health history form that you need to fill out before we get started. Try to come about 10 minutes early to fill out this form. Or, you can also print it out and complete it ahead of time. Just be sure to bring it with you on the day of your first appointment.
This health history form gives me a general overview of your state of health so that we can be sure there is no risk to the treatment plan I create for you. Once I have gone over your treatment plan, we will have a short discussion about what it is you want me to treat. I try not to take up more than a few minutes with this stage but it is important for me to have a clear picture of what we will be working on before we get started. I commonly ask questions like:
- where does it hurt?
- what does the pain feel like?
- what sort of things aggravate the injury?
- was there and accident to create the injury?
Sometimes I will want to have a closer look at your posture (the way you stand) or maybe I will want to do some range of motion testing. These tests will allow me to zone in on the source of your problem. Often, I don’t want to do any of these tests; I find I can get the same information while you are on the table by making the testing and treating procedure one and the same.
After I get a general idea of what it is I’m going to work on, it’s time to get started. While I go wash my hands, it’s your chance to get ready for your treatment. You always have the final say regarding how you get ready and what clothes you are comfortable taking off.
Most of my clients are comfortable removing all their clothing but their underpants knowing that I will always make sure they are covered discreetly with a sheet. I only expose one part of your body at a time, and only the specific body part I will be working on.
During your treatment, I will be using an assortment of massage techniques. Some of these can be relaxing and others can be kind of tender. In most cases, a little pain is necessary to get the results you are looking for from a massage therapy treatment.
It’s important that you be able to rate your discomfort on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the most pain you’ve ever experienced. A discomfort level of 7 or under can be appropriate depending on the injury or need, but any more than that won’t bring you healing benefits. If, at any time during your treatment, your discomfort level becomes intolerable, please speak up. You may find that some areas of the body are more sensitive than others, or that your sensitivity changes day to day. Feel free to let me know how you’re doing. It’s entirely okay to ask me to adjust my pressure and technique at any time during your treatment.
During your massage treatment, I will try to spark up a conversation. Not only does this allow us to become better acquainted, but I also find that a light conversation helps distract you from when I find a sore spot like a Trigger Point or Scar Tissue. This distraction technique allows you to stay relaxed, helps keep your muscles from pushing back against me working, and reduces pain overall. I often try to direct conversation to subjects that might give me clues or hints about what is creating your pain or discomfort. Topics like your work, the kind of car you drive, or sports or athletics you are involved often give me lots of information about you posture, repetitive movements you often do, or strength or flexibility issues.
When your treatment is complete, I will let you know, then go wash my hands again (I do this a lot). This gives you time to get up, get dressed, and come out to see me. If, during your treatment, we discussed any exercises, stretches, or heat/cold treatments for you do at home, this is when I will go over that in more detail.
After the massage treatment, it is also time to handle the payment and rebooking. I don’t have credit or debit machines so cash payment is necessary.
If you have extended health care benefits, on my receipt you will find my registration number as a registered massage therapist. When you send your receipt to your health care company for reimbursement, this registration is what they need for approval.