Tips for Effective Massage Client Interviews and Building Trust with PPALM
Being a massage therapist is fantastic, but creating a treatment plan in just a few short minutes can be a challenge. So how are you supposed to gather all that information, gain informed consent, and perform your massage all in the allotted time? The answer is PPALM, my favorite assessment method. In this guide, I’ll explain what PPALM is, what questions to ask, and how you can use it to master your client intake interviews.
Assessing clients with PPALM?
PPALM is an acronym for the categories of information you should be gathering before you start your massage session. It stands for Purpose of session, pain and discomfort, allergies and skin conditions, lifestyle and vocation, and medical and health information.
This method will help keep you organized and streamline your questions, so you’ll look like the professional that you are. By using PPALM, your clients will have more confidence in you, and your level of trust with them will definitely benefit!
Purpose of Session
The first section is purely to discover what the client hopes to gain from today’s massage. If this section is not discussed, the client’s expectations may not be met. The problem is, sometimes our clients are vague and don’t offer a lot of information voluntarily. Asking them what they hope to achieve from their bodywork directly might give you an answer, but here a few other ideas to help get you started:
- What brings you in today?
- How can I help you?
- What are you goals for today’s massage?
You may also get a client that starts railing off a huge list of goals for their session. In this case, it is important to communicate to them the limits of a single massage session. You can’t hope to get to all their ailments in a single one-hour massage! This is an opportunity to educate your clients in realistic expectations for the session and maybe even have a chance to up-sell your client to a longer service in order to better meet their needs.
Pain and Discomfort
Once you know your client’s goals, any pain your client is experiencing will need to be acknowledged, even if your client isn’t wanting to specifically address it in their bodywork. This step helps to further clarify your client’s needs and ensures that you are creating a plan of care that is both safe and effective.
If your client reports that they do have areas of pain or discomfort, you’ll need to ask some follow-up questions. Another little handy acronym can help with that: OPQRST. The answers to these questions will help you better understand their pain and may even change what you do or don’t do during the massage!
| Onset | When did the pain start? |
| Provocation & Palliation | What makes it worse? What makes it better? |
| Quality | Can you describe your pain? |
| Radiation & Region | Where is the pain located? Does the paint radiate or seem to be triggered anywhere else? |
| Severity | Would you consider it mild, moderate, or severe? On a scale of 1-10, what would you rate your pain? |
| Timing | How often does it hurt, how long does it hurt, and at what time of day does it hurt? |
It is important to note that unexplained pain that is severe may need immediate referral to a doctor. In that case, postpone the massage for now, and recommend your client see a physician as soon as possible. Better safe than sorry!
Allergies and Skin Conditions
Asking your clients about allergies and skin conditions is vital to providing a safe massage experience. Some conditions can be life-threatening, and you may need to adjust the products and techniques you use. In addition, massaging contagious skin conditions can spread the infection and is contraindicated. Understanding the products and their ingredients, as well as inquiring about reported skin conditions is crucial for providing a safe massage. Here are a couple of question you might ask during this part of your intake:
- Do you have any skin conditions or rashes I should know about?
- Do you have any allergies or sensitivities?
Lifestyle and Vocation
Knowing what kind of activities your client enjoys and what they do for work can help you understand the why and how of their ailments. Its often-times what we do every day that slowly add to our aches, pains, and injuries. Knowing how your client uses their body can also help you determine the best course of treatment and home care to help them reach their goals faster! Ask you clients questions like:
- What do you do for work?
- What does a typical workday look like for you?
- What activities do you enjoy outside of work?
- Would you consider yourself active or more sedentary?
- Tell me about your average stress level.
Medical and Health Information
We have finally reached the last area of the PPALM assessment. Make sure to take advantage of any documents you have already collected from your client, such as their health history form. You’ll want to know more about any conditions, diseases, surgeries, injuries, or medications they have listed. Pay special attention to anything that has happened in the past two years.
Several conditions and medications exist that would require modification to your massage, some contraindicate massage altogether. If you come across a condition or medication that you are not familiar with, ask further questions, and “When it doubt, Doctor out”. This means it may be prudent to obtain a physician’s release before performing massage to ensure safety.
Putting it All Together
Using the PPALM assessment tool, you can streamline your client intake interviews and be more organized. You will improve your communication with clients but also build their confidence and trust in your expertise. It is critical to ask the right questions, listen attentively to their answers, and be aware of any red flags that require further investigation. Overall, by incorporating PPALM into your practice, you can crush client interviews and establish a foundation of trust with your clients.
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