Steel rods/plates

[magnumgirl]

Hi allHas anyone had any experience working with clients that have steel rods, plates or pins in their legs etc as a result of severe fractures, trauma or whatever. I had a client the other day told me about his son that has had part of his leg & knee blown away in a rifle accident & now has a steel rod in his leg.  Apparently he likes to have massage regularly.  Haven't met him yet so don't know the whole situation, but it has prompted me to think about treating people with such injuries.  Any thoughts?ThanksLindy

 

[Stefi28]

Steel rods/plates

I work on someone regularly who has a steel chain in her back for scoliosis. It's not really a big deal, you just need to be very cognitive of the physical limitations of the individual. If it's something they've had for a while, and especially if they have had a lot of massage before, they will probably have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't for them. Just make sure to check in with them regularly, and be careful about deep work in the affected area (you probably wouldn't do deep work around a knee anyway).

 

[?Ms.LaLa?]

Steel rods/plates

My Mom had a steel plate, a screw and a pin in her right hip after an intertrochanteric break of her right femur several years back. After the first 6 weeks (where her Dr said it was healed as hard as a rock and she had his permission to do whatever she wanted, including massage) we started working on her legs following PT.She enjoyed massage and felt it helped with the pain... as little as 10-15 minutes of massage on her legs at night helped to make the Vicoden obsolete within a few weeks.I also had a client at the salon where I used to work with a plate and screws in her ankle, who really felt that massage (especially to her feet and leg) helped with pain and to improve her ROM, even though it was 2 years after the initial accident and she'd had 2 surgeries on the affected ankle. If you work slowly, carefully, and request lots of feedback, I think you will provide incredible comfort and pain relief to clients such as the one you described.

 

[brian Z]

Steel rods/plates

clients that have screws in their hardware have told me that sensitivity is high there.in addition to the techniques mentioned, i tried some gentle skin rolling with good feedback.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Steel rods/plates

My dad has a plate and 9 screws in his leg (rollerblading for the 1st time at 49, need I say more?)I think I've been more sensitive about it than he is. He has limited ROM there, and I tend to go a little more gently over that area, but it really helps the circulation there. In general, I treat it like the other leg. I suppose it would depend on where the plates and rods are. One would need to be mindful if it restricts movement.

 

[Mycala]

Steel rods/plates

I think massage would GREATLY help in that it helps remove built up scar tissue from around the rods inserted in the body. Also think it would help reduce any built up stress from over the months/years caused by the traumatic event. Check in with your client on intensity of pressure/strokes (like you normally would anyway) and it should be just fine.Be well,Jen

 

[ThatBoyThamer]

This should be obvious but, One caution is to not heat the area.  If you get the implanted steel too hot, there is no way too cool it back down quickly!It can be more sensitive to pressure also.

 

[leo lion]

Steel rods/plates

Here's first hand feedbackecember 23, 1999, I was carrying a tray down a flight of steps, blissful about life and the holidays. I was also trotting down those stairs a little too fast, miss-counted the number of stairs still under my feet and stepped out for the floor that wasn't where I expected. The next sensation was... Youch! After an initial howl (mostly of surprise), I felt no pain at all. But no way could I stand up. An ambulance was called, and I felt a little embarrassed. Was it called for nothing? The paramedics said, "Ummm...NO." (My left foot swung perpendicular to the tibia.)The second brief mild howl was in the x-ray room. My family warned the doc that I had a low pain tolerance. So I sat twiddling my thumbs in a lobby waiting for my turn, and the doc put up my films before he was called away. A bright little girl ran up to them and said, "Hey Mommy! Looks like someone busted a whole foot right off!"The doc turned and walked quickly back when he heard her. He looked at me in surprised and asked why I wasn't screaming. The kid was right!  I had also snapped the fibula in two places... heh. The upshot was that they implanted a titanium rod from knee to ankle. I was sooooooo terrified, while it was healing, that I would limp for life. Especially because I was one of those MT's who hadn't the funds for PT.So as soon as I could, and the bone man approved, I walked walked walked walked walked, until I was walking 3 miles a day. With a good heavy pair of Doc Martins, my step normalized. My leg appears slightly different. There's mildly perceptible indentation where the break was. The ligaments are still numb on the mid and lower exterior side of the knee.  There's also small bump on the lower medial side, probably a calcification? If you weren't aware of the injury, those signs might puzzle. Massage feels very good on that leg. Occasionally I do feel the steel, (a sensation like "weather bones") but most of the time I forget that I have it. Gi

 

[Dirtbiker2714]

I have a client who has a titanium plate in her face.  She likes minimal facial work, but really needs her "sinuses" worked on due to many surgeries and congestion still occurring.  I just have to go with pressure that is tolerable to her.Keeping good feedback has always helped me.  Hope this helps.