Sleep Apnea

[Pompal 09.]

Hello all!
I have a client who is on the obease side, and although has not "officially" been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, definetly has the disorder.
My question is, how should I position this client so as to not aggrivate the condition throughout the massage? He is a sleeper most of the time, and I can tell his body needs it.
I just read another post by Pandora that stated she elevates her client... And I have a wedge I could use to elevate with, but how should I position him in order to access the back? (in general, he has more difficulty face down than face up anyway.)
Any suggestions?

 

[om nom nom nom nom]

hey premoMT. my boyfriend is also obese and was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension secondary to sleep apnea last year.

the main suggestion i would give would be to perform the massage with the client in the sidelying recumbent position. because of the obesity, this seems to be my bf's preferred position, and we tried everything else... incline, bolstering, etc.

i am not really sure how (or if) massage affects sleep apnea. i would think massage would help with the mind/body connection, and help teach the client proper diaphragmatic breathing. if the client is open to receiving work on the diaphragm and intercostals, maybe you could ease restricions there, as well as other muscles that assist in inhalation and expiration.

my understanding is that apnea can even affect people while they are awake... they are breathing, but not efficiently taking in oxygen. (breathing may be too shallow or infrequent to provide sufficient oxygen to blood or tissues.)

also, check this link for alternative treatments for sleep apnea. these suggestions include nutrition and weight-loss (my bf's doctor said weight loss would reverse his condition) as well as links for breathing exercises.

http://www.holisticonline.com/remedies/Sleep/sleep_apnea_alternative.htm

i am eagerly anticipating other thoughts or information on this topic as well.

 

[AJ Rawr Chomp Grr]

I agree,, the side lying positioning would be more comfortable. Just like doing a pregnancy massage so to speak. ccMarie, I like the web site you attached, thanks!

 

[bigj]

If your client hasn't gone in for a diagnoses, it would be helpful if you strongly encourage him to do so. Sleep apnea can lead to serious health issues if not treated.

There are also a few reasons for someone to have sleep apnea. In lesser cases, losing weight or surgery may be the answer. In more extreme cases, the only thing to be done is wear a mask at night that forces air into the throat when the person stops breathing (the mask is connected to a machine that senses when the airway is blocked).

My husband has sleep apnea and has to wear the mask at night. His father passed away in the hospital about three years ago due to complications created by sleep apnea (he was only 68) that was untreated. His lungs and heart were extremely inflammed. His wife (my mother-in-law) suspected he had sleep apnea but never pressed him to get checked out. The surgeon said if the sleep apnea was bad enough and left untreated could have definitely contributed to the death.

Untreated sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure and inflammation. The person rarely is able to achieve REM sleep which contributes to constant high stress and always feeling tired and worn down.

 

[ArmyChemo]

Not sure why the face appeared on the age, but my husband's father was only sixty-eigth years old.

 

[Pompal 09.]

He knows he is overweight, and he knows he snores very badly. He understands he may bave sleep apnea, but still has not gone in for diagnosis. I mention something about it every time I see him (2x a month or so) and he seems more embarrased than concerned. I try not to make him feel too uncomfortable with it.

My only concern is that he enjoys deep pressure, and in a sidelying position, I have no idea how to properly apply pressure where he needs it without killing myself. I feel I am lacking with some of my pregger clients in that respect as well.
Any suggestions for deep work in the low back/ glute and trap/rhomboid area in a side lying position???
Thanks for the link Marie. any others would be appreciated.

 

[Edward Carson]

That is a tough one. Let me look around for the answer.

 

[BC13MF]

You may already know this, but in order to apply good deep pressure in a side-lying massage you need to WAY lower your table down (like so its near your knees), also using elbows and fists and leaning your whole body weight into them.

On glutes you can use fists, with your arm straight and lean your whole body down into them. In order to get in this position the client needs to be very low down, hence the low table. You can use the same fists/knuckles on QL, doing the trigger points on the medial aspect of QL. As for traps, it's nice to stand superior to the clients head and use the fist to go from the medial portion of the shoulder to the lamina groove using knuckles.

Also, don't be afraid to push him over. What I do is give my clients a big giant pillow to hug. This way I can push and lean into their back, rhomboids, scapula, etc and they don't fall off the table. They just get pushed into the pillow.

I know I"m not very good at getting this stuff into words, but I hope it helps a little. Maybe search on youtube for videos? Good luck!

 

[Katharine K]

Shiva,
Common sense would tell me to lower the table, but have I? no. Silly me. I will try that next time.
Thanks!!