As an increasing number of people seek their services, the profile of massage therapists will continue to grow within the medical community. Delivering therapeutic results while maintaining the safety of each session are the backbone of bodywork\u2019s value within medicine. As such, it is the responsibility of bodyworkers to stay current on factors that may pose an additional risk to the work they perform.<\/p>\n
While energizing blood circulation can relieve pain, relax muscles, flush accumulated toxins out of the body and infuse new healthy cells to areas in need, enhancing circulation can also initiate an embolus. According to medicinenet.com, an embolus is: Something that travels through the bloodstream, lodges in a blood vessel and blocks it<\/em>. Depending upon the location, an occluded blood vessel can have dire repercussions by lodging in:<\/p>\n Being prepared to recognize what may pose a risk can help massage therapists avert a potentially lethal combination of performing circulatory massage on a client at high risk for an embolus. While there are many health problems that predispose a person to developing a blood clot, there are also seemingly innocuous lifestyle choices fostering the same predisposition.<\/p>\n The oral contraceptive pill is the leading method of birth control in the United States. Approximately 12 million American women (19% of those aged 15-44) use the birth control pill. Historically, oral contraceptives have posed a considerable risk of emboli development. This risk is the reason women with other predisposing factors for blood clots, including smoking, hypertension or being over age 40, are encouraged to find other methods of birth control. By using lower doses of the active ingredients, safer oral contraceptive options have become the norm.<\/p>\n In addition to the birth control pill, two newer contraceptive options are increasing in popularity:<\/p>\n Because they are relative newcomers to the contraceptive market, assessing the risk of a blood clot for the transdermal patch and vaginal ring hinges on the most recently published research. According to reputable studies published in 2006, the transdermal patch demonstrates a significantly higher risk of blood clots compared to oral contraceptives.<\/p>\n In the July 2006 issue of American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, researchers reported that when comparing a contraceptive vaginal ring with an oral contraceptive, the ring does not pose a higher risk of causing a blood clot. On the other hand, research on the patch revealed a different level of blood clot safety. In September 2006, the US Food and Drug Administration updated the warning label on the Ortho Evra transdermal contraceptive patch, cautioning users about the higher risk of blood clots associated with its use. The study, commissioned by drug manufacturer Johnson and Johnson, revealed that patch users faced twice the risk of clots in the legs<\/span><\/a> and lungs compared to women taking traditional birth-control pills. Dr. Daniel Shames, the acting deputy director of FDA’s Office of Drug Evaluation in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said, \u201cBlood clots occurring in the legs or lungs are serious and rare events that are a potential risk for all hormonal contraceptive therapies.\u201d<\/p>\n For massage therapists, the implications for Ortho Evra\u2019s higher blood clot risk lie in determining possible contraindications for a circulatory massage. This information also serves to expand a therapist\u2019s questioning during an intake interview. While simply inquiring about a client\u2019s medications is imperative to rendering a responsible massage, the news about Ortho Evra demonstrates the need to probe beyond medications. While asking whether a client uses any type of hormonal contraception may accurately cover the contraceptive patch, a client may not consider it to be a medication since it\u2019s not taken orally. With the reported increase of risk for developing blood clots in Ortho Evra users, a responsible massage therapist must ask all of the appropriate questions to determine whether their clients are exposed to this risk.<\/p>\n\n
The Pill<\/h3>\n
New Options<\/h3>\n
\n
Ring and Patch Blood Clot Risk<\/h3>\n
Applicability to Bodyworkers<\/h3>\n
Recommended Study:<\/h3>\n