Nobody wants to work on sick clients. In fact, we’re not legally allowed to in Ohio. Especially this time of year, when we are in close proximity with multiple clients in often small, heated rooms, it’s important to understand who you can work on in regards to common illnesses. Today, I’m going to talk about the difference between viruses and when antibiotics are used.

Part 1 focuses on 4 common viruses, how long they’re contagious, and the symptoms. At the end of the post, I’ve got a list of what to do if a sick person has come into the office. Part 2, coming next Friday, concentrates on antibiotics, their use, and contraindications.

Will antibiotics help?

Antibiotics will not improve viral infections–we just need to “ride them out”.  Antibiotics are prescribed for the treatment of a bacterial infection, but they are NOT effective against viral infections.

Viral infections, and how long to keep people off your massage table.

✓ cold

People are contagious only 1 day before symptoms develop but the person remains contagious for 5-7 days. In other words, if your client feels like they have “something coming on”, have them reschedule!

How it spreads: colds are transmitted by virus-infected airborne droplets or by direct contact with infected secretions. (Ick, right?) No, you don’t catch a cold by going outside in cold weather! (But being outside in cold weather often encourages close contact, which is how it’s spread.)

Cold symptoms:

• sore throat
• sneezing
• fatique
• cough

✋?Germs can easily spread throughout your small, cozy massage room. Avoid working on clients who feel like they are getting sick or within 1 week of symptoms if you’d like to prevent your own cold and protect your other clients.

Plus, they’ll probably experience full-blown symptoms fast and hard. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

✓ flu

Usually most infectious from the day your symptoms start and 3 to 7 days after that! Children can be infectious even longer, sometimes up to several weeks. That means that you can give someone the flu before you know you’re sick as well as after you are feeling better.

How it spreads: Respiratory droplets are dispersed when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or simply talks and can be propelled 3 to 6 feet, landing on surfaces or going straight onto another person

Flu symptoms:

• Fever
• Headache
• Extreme tiredness
• Dry cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle aches
• Nausea and/or vomiting

✋?If your client is too sick to go to work, they’re too sick to get a massage. 

✓ chickenpox

People are infectious of from 2 days before the spots appear to until they have crusted over.

How it spreads: Chickenpox is transmitted from person to person by directly touching the blisters, saliva or mucus of an infected person. The virus can also be transmitted through the air by coughing and sneezing.

Symptoms include:

• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Headache
• Tiredness and a general malaise

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,

Each year, more than 3.5 million cases of varicella, 9,000 hospitalizations, and 100 deaths are prevented by varicella vaccination in the United States.

Immunize.org states that “until a  [chicken pox] vaccine became available, there were an estimated four million cases per year. Since the vaccine was licensed in 1995, the number of cases of chickenpox has fallen more than 95%.”

This leaves 200,000 people per year who may contract the virus.

It’s quite possible that you may have a client who has not been vaccinated for a multitude of reasons. This means that having a client with chicken pox in your massage office could potentially infect someone who’s susceptible.

✋?The only massage your client should get when they have chickenpox is to massage their own body with calamine lotion.

✓ measles

They are most infectious after the first symptoms (high temperature, rash, cold-like symptoms) appear but before the rash develops. Incubation is 7-21 days.

How it spreads: Measles can spread to others through sneezing or coughing. The germs can live in the airspace and on surfaces for 2 hours. Measles is highly contractible without a vaccination.

Symptoms:

• high temperature
• rash: flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet. Rash may last 7-10 days.
• cold-like symptoms

If you think no one gets measles anymore, think again.

In 2014, there were 667 cases, including the largest single outbreak since the endemic spread of measles was eliminated). There were 377 cases in Ohio alone.

2015 wasn’t good either-there were 188 cases with an outbreak in California, including 1 measles death.

There have been 11 measles deaths since 2000, 8 of which have been since 2005.

✋?Completely avoid massaging when a client presents with any symptoms of measles.

Helpful tips if a sick client has come into your office:

✓ send them home ASAP

✓ wipe off door handles and any surfaces they’ve come into contact with, using disinfectant wipes such as those with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration number on the label (like PDI Sani Cloth Plus Germicidal Wipes-note: these are ony good for hard surfaces, not skin)

✓ wash hands if you’ve touched them and dry with paper towel-throw it away!

✓ use hand sanitizer in a pinch if you realize during the massage they may be sick

✓ if they’ve gotten a massage while sick, clean off your face cradle, and make sure to wash your fleece. Protect your massage table with a cleanable cover such as the Earthlite Professional Table Cover, which can be wiped off after each client.

✓ run a diffuser with essential oils that chomp on bacteria, such as cinnamon

Mary-Claire Fredette, instructor & co-owner of Center for Barefoot Massage, was probably the only one of her friends in college who loved writing research papers.

You can learn more about her and register for a class (usually in Cincinnati) by going here.

Feel free to share ? this post with your clients!

Knowledge is power (and perhaps even health!)

Sources:

Medical News Today
Perfomance Bodywork
Backdoor Survival
Palo Alto Medial Foundation
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Immunize.org
Health.NY.gov
Vaxopedia