I do onsite massage in offices, and this time of year is a nightmare for people feeling run-down, for having flu and colds and coughs etc, and many still come into work. At what point shouldn't I massage these bodies? I do IHM and acupressure chair massage which helps them while they are feeling bad, reduces headaches etc, but I don't want to catch anything myself!
How can I protect myself? Should I say no? Theya re still 'well' enough to be in work so is it really a problem?
Would be good to hear your thoughts!
Cat
RE: Onsite Massage During Cough & Cold Season!
I would never treat anyone with an acute infection, or within 48 hours of starting a cold. Not only might treatment make them feel more 'bunged up', but the chances of you catching the virus is extremely high.
People who think they are indispensible really annoy me! It is not just themselves they should think about, it's the people that they could potentially pass the virus on to. My husband works in a busy open-plan call centre with hundreds of people. In his section there are 20 people. Amongst those 20 are 3 pregnant women, 2 men recovering from cancer treatment, 1 man who has two severely disabled children and 1 woman with MS. Colds caught by these people can have serious ramifications. If anyone comes into his officewith a sore throat/fever/cough, they are sent by their managersto the medical room and then home. Why leave home in the first place!
RE: Onsite Massage During Cough & Cold Season!
I think it's just down to hygiene Caty. I don't treat people when I have a cold, and similarly I don't treat a person who has a streaming cold or a hacking cough, or any other acute infection. Plus, they are not feeling great so I don't think it's a good idea to treat them until they are 100%.
RE: Onsite Massage During Cough & Cold Season!
Thanks for both your replys - At One, I think you point it out perfectly...i wouldn't treat anyone if I was unwell and it should be vice versa. I'd always not treatindividual clients if they had a raging cold or flu etc however I've only recently come across it with my corporate ones and didn't really know what to say so I gave them the acupressure massage! There were breaks forblowing noses and caughing - not very pleasant! 🙁
It really drives me mad too - one person gets it then because they come to work through the illness everyone in turn gets it so it hangs around the office for months sometimes!
RE: Onsite Massage During Cough & Cold Season!
How about surgical masks for therapists? 😀 Only kidding! It doesn'tquite go withour caring image, does it? [8D]
On the subject of hygiene, I have just had an idea. You know that antibacterial hand gel you can get, that kills 99.99% of germs? How about putting some on the face cradles of massage tables and massage chairs, in case someone who's had or who's getting a cold coughs or sneezes on to it (in addition to covering the cradle, of course)? I'm not sure what effect it would have on the stuff the cradle is made of, mind you, but it seems a reasonable precaution.
RE: Onsite Massage During Cough & Cold Season!
This is not my normal forum but.
You should always use anti-bac wipes on your face holes after every treatment, and massaging any one with a cold is a contraindication, deep massaging someone with a flu/fever could be very dangerous.
RE: Onsite Massage During Cough & Cold Season!
just curious gman, but which is your normal forum?