Massage...diabetic?!
Question: what are the contraindications of giving a massage
to a diabetic
Answers: what are the contraindications of giving a massage
to a diabetic
As a massage therapist, I see several diabetic clients who regularly enjoy massage.
Even being on the table can have an effect on a diabetic. Be sure that your blood sugar is stable, and have a food/glucose stabilizer ready if you tend to require it after an hour-long nap. Receiving a table massage is a physically similar situation.
While many contraindications result not from diabetes itself but from complications, one possible direct effect of massage on diabetics is a raise in insulin levels when massage is performed at the injection site. Other local contraindications are bruising and swelling (common in diabetics).
I do not perform hydrotherapy or hot stone on my diabetic clients. Decreased sensation due to neuropathy could result in tissue damage as a result of exposure to high temperatures (stones or water).
Additional contraindications due to neuropathy include deep strokes. However, "warmed up" tissue can receive friction as well as effleurage (gliding).
Even with diabetes-related vascular dysfunction, massage can be an enjoyable and beneficial part of a diabetic's wellness regimen.
If you have any questions or concerns about receiving massage, please consult your healthcare practitioner. Below are two links with additional information about a study (massage and diabetics) and a massage student asking the same question (with an expert answering it).
Best of luck!
There aren't any, it's diabetes not leprosy.
I think as it increases blood flow around the body something to do with the body using the insulin they injected faster or something thats all i can remember when i did it.
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Massage away. I am diabetic and I will take a massage anytime! The only time you would not want to give someone
a massage is if they had a blood clot.
I have found this information
as long as you keep a few things in mind. The first thing to be aware of and to talk to the client about is that massage can lower blood sugar. This is beacuse as the body relaxes it can begin digestion, including using the sugar that is in the blood. So the client needs to be aware of his/her sugar levels, and if they feel them drop, have some juice or snack on hand for them.
Another important aspect of diabetes is what is called peripheral neuropathy. Excess sugar in the blood over time begins settling around the nerves in the extremities - most often in the legs first - causing loss of feeling. If the clients has peripheral neuropathy, this contraindicates (CI) deep tissue massage, since they will not be able to properly judge the depth of the massage. This could lead to you causing injury, since they are not able to tell you when there is pain. Another facet of this is that they could have sores or cuts on the feet or legs that they are unaware of, wounds that can be a long time in healing. Any open sores are locally CI for massage. As diabetes also inhibits the immune system, infections can be major trouble from these wounds.
In advanced cases of diabetes the excess sugar can also damage blood vessels. This would CI massage, since all that rubbing gets the blood circulating. This would add more stress to a system that is not completely healthy. Exxtra blood being forced into vessels that are damaged could cause further damage, and lead to more problems. In this case, it might be best to get the client's doctor's permission before massaging.
And that is the most important thing. If you are unsure about a client's ability to get massage with any condition, it is better to be safe and get a doctor's okay. Massage is supposed to both help the body and to feel good, and no wants to cause more injury if it can be avoided.
None as far as I can ascertain.
Diabetics have a condition where the pancreas does not produce insulin to break down sugar in the bloodstream (type 1)
Or there is a failure to produce sufficient or poor quality insulin (type 2)
Poor control can often lead to some constriction of the blood vessels,particularly in the extremities and therefore any massage techniques that stimulate blood flow can only be beneficial.