How to Give a Swedish Massage Body Assessment
A Swedish massage body assessment will help to determine which areas of the body need to be focused on more, and what types of problems the client may have prior to even beginning the massage. The following steps will provide information about basic Swedish massage body assessment.
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Instructions
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Look at the client's body alignment. Whenever possible, look at bare skin to get a better assessment rather than trying to guess what the problem is underneath a sheet. Provide the client with privacy and comfort, but also be sure to get a good pre-massage body assessment.
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Note if one leg looks longer than the other and how the feet are positioned. If both point upwards, the client's hips are aligned. If one foot is off to the side, that side of the body is more relaxed compared to the other, and the focus should be on the tighter side.
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Notice the hips and whether or not they are misaligned or askew when you do the body assessment. This will give you clues as to which areas of the body you should focus on during the Swedish massage.
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Locate tender spots through both physical examination and by asking the client to point out problem areas. Compare these tender spots with areas of misalignment that you note on the body.
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Determine which muscles refer pain to the area that the client is complaining about, what muscles seem to be shorter or tighter than others and may be causing the misalignment and if the misalignment could be due to the client compensating for some other injury.
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Tips & Warnings
The ability to correctly assess posture will help to provide a better massage session and future massage sessions by providing the attention needed at critical parts of the body.
