Obese clients

[Toot N Come In]

I am a new therapist and have worked at Massage Envy for about 4 months. I am loving my job and work on around 4 clients a day. Occasionally, I have massaged individuals who are large and I have developed a different approach and technique for them. However, I have a had a few obese clients and one booked a two-hour session with me this weekend! The thing is when I work with obese clients I rarely feel like I am being effective. Even though they seem to enjoy the work I never notice any palpable change in the tissue and man does it take forever to get the superficial muscles warmed up. And then when I go back to a previous area it's cold again! I can't really palpate much and even in the course of two hours I'm unsure that I'll be able to affect all the tissues of the body (in a full-body session).

I am looking for advice from fellow MT's with experience working with obese clients - particularly techniques. I do basic Swedish and Deep Tissue and also like to work with TP's. Also, I am having a hard time finding some reading on the subject of massaging obese clients.

Thanks for the help everyone

 

[HisBabyGirl<3]

Obese clients

I agree, working on obese clients is challenging. Especially if it is their first visit and you didn't have a chance to prepare. I like using the body pillow and will offer it to clients that have a large bosom, or is barrel chested, or is larger then your average client. Some like it, some don't.
I also have a very sturdy wide table and that makes a difference, I dislike skinny or contoured tables, they are fine for your average person, but there are plenty of un-average people out there.


If they seem to be enjoying it, then I think your doing just fine.

 

[The Wrathful]

Obese clients

I would offer to you to consider stepping back a bit from the idea of affecting change in the body. We do the best we can with the tools, techniques and ideas that we have, and then we have to let go and allow the client to absorb that information and do what they like with it. Regardless of the size of the person, some people are just more likely (and some are less likely) to assimilate the work into their bodies. Sometimes it takes time, sometimes it happens instantly, and sometimes, it just doesn't happen- and that is OK.

 

[Elizabeth Ebullience]

Obese clients

Being obese myself, I can tell you massage makes a difference. There may be extra layers between the skin and the muscle, but you are still having an effect. Sometimes just the act of being touched is more of a therapy than anything else. It may just take a little longer to warm the tissues and melt the muscles. You may not be able to do focused work on every part of the body, instead, ask the client what is bothering them, and focus on that, and do a more general massage on the other areas.

Work in smaller areas, and stay in an area longer after you've warmed it, don't start on an area and come back, or make the use of heat packs or extra towels. I have also found working from the smaller muscles to the larger groups also works well. On larger clients I tend to start at the calves and work my way up to the back, instead of back to calves.

Hope that is some of the advice you are looking for.