Whether you are new to massage or new to Mountain Massage, there are a few things you should know about your massage, including safety considerations and ways to enhance its effectiveness. 

Safety First: Are you healthy enough to receive a massage?

While massage has many benefits, there are a few conditions that may prevent you from safely receiving massage at all (contraindications), or at the least, require a physician's approval (precautions).  Please read through these 2 lists before booking your massage. If you find you have any of the conditions listed below, please consult your physician before booking a massage. For any precautions, we have provided a physicians referral form for your doctor. For further questions, please reach out to us via text or phone call to 615.397.8348.

Contraindications

When patient is in shock, is having or just had a stroke, or a heart attack (acute stage)

Intoxication (drugs and alcohol)

High Fever

Right After a Major Surgery.

Meningitis

Patients who are experiencing severe unexplained internal pain

Hemorrhage (the escape of blood from vessels).

Severe Atherosclerosis

Acute Pneumonia

Pregnant women who are suffering from Eclampsia

Severe Hemophilia

Advanced Kidney Failure

Respiratory Failure.

Liver Failure

Appendicitis

Highly Metastatic Cancers eg. lymphoma, malignant melanoma

Diabetes Mellitus 1 or 2 with advanced heart or kidney disease or advanced vascular complications

Sudden onset of severe undiagnosed headache

Organ Failure.

Pitting Edema

Chronic active hepatitis

(Infective and non-infective) endocarditis/pericarditis.

Lung abscess or lung tumour

Sepsis (blood infection) or Bacteremia (blood stream infections)

If a patient has a contagious, airborne, infectious disease such as flu, colds, sore throat due to strep throat, shingles, etc.

Patients with Infectious Skin Conditions (visit Contagious Skin Conditions Where Massage Should Be Avoided for more information

Precautions (you need a physician's permission if you say "yes" to any of the conditions below)

Relative/ Partial Massage Contraindications: The following conditions require treatment modifications:

Aneurysm (may be absolute contraindication – it is recommended to get patient’s physician’s permission)

Bell’s Palsy (see Bell’s Palsy Massage Procedure)

Cancer

Chronic Arthritic Conditions

Chronic or Long Standing Thrombosis

Conditions of Spasticity (Cerebral palsy, Hemiplegia, MS, spinal cord injury)

Conditions of Rigidity such as Parkinsons disease

Contusion

Chronic Congestive Heart Failure

Chronic Kidney Disease

Debilitation

Diabetes (see Contraindications for Diabetes Massage)

Drug Withdrawal

Epilepsy

Fibromyalgia

Flaccid Paralysis

Fracture (see Massage for Bone Fractures )

Frozen Shoulder (see Frozen Shoulder Massage Procedure)

Hypertension and Hypotension

Inflammatory Arthritides (Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus, gout, pseudo-gout, ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), gonorrhea, tuberculosis, and osteomyelitis)

Joint Dislocation (see Massage for Joint Dislocation)

Joint Hypermobility / Joint Instability

Kidney Infection / Kidney Stones

Lymphedema

Osteoporosis / Osteomalacia (see Osteoporosis Massage Procedure)

Patients with Compromised Immune System

Pregnancy (see Pregnancy Massage / Prenatal Massage Procedure)

Raynaud’s Disease

Recent Head injury

Severe Asthma massage therapy contraindications

Severe Emphysema c

Seizure Disorders

Spasmodic Torticollis (see Wry Neck Massage / Torticollis Massage)

Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disfunction (see Massage for TMJ)

Uncontrolled High Blood Pressure