Therapist and patient accountability through tactility and sensation in medical massage sessions

This paper looks at the issue of therapists’ and participants’ accountability regarding a perceived problem in routine medical massage sessions. Specifically, it shows how therapists and patients communicate their tactile perception and sensation of the problem by negotiating their accountability f...

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Main Author: Satomi Kuroshima
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Copenhagen 2020-05-01
Series:Social Interaction
Subjects:
Online Access:https://tidsskrift.dk/socialinteraction/article/view/120251
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author Satomi Kuroshima
author_facet Satomi Kuroshima
author_sort Satomi Kuroshima
collection DOAJ
description This paper looks at the issue of therapists’ and participants’ accountability regarding a perceived problem in routine medical massage sessions. Specifically, it shows how therapists and patients communicate their tactile perception and sensation of the problem by negotiating their accountability for the current state of the treated body part. Drawing on video-recorded data of 12 routine medical massage sessions at home and five sessions at a clinic, this paper demonstrates that there is a normative order with regard to the participants’ accountability for the patients’ problems. In routine sessions, patients presumably have a problem (e.g., body stiffness or tension) that needs to be treated. The physical therapists’ accountability for the problem is usually displayed via direct access to the treated body part for their attentiveness to as well as validation of the patient’s claimed problem, making the medical treatment relevant. The patients are also accountable for their own problems as they are expected to have the primary right and obligation to look after their own health. Through multimodal and sensorial practices, therapists balance their medical and professional authority with their patients’ concerns, for which the patients claimed to have first-hand experience and independent access to the problem. The data is in Japanese.
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spelling doaj.art-bf3b2fc392d64f08bfbbd1831ae12b612023-07-09T11:34:19ZengUniversity of CopenhagenSocial Interaction2446-36202020-05-013110.7146/si.v3i1.120251Therapist and patient accountability through tactility and sensation in medical massage sessionsSatomi Kuroshima This paper looks at the issue of therapists’ and participants’ accountability regarding a perceived problem in routine medical massage sessions. Specifically, it shows how therapists and patients communicate their tactile perception and sensation of the problem by negotiating their accountability for the current state of the treated body part. Drawing on video-recorded data of 12 routine medical massage sessions at home and five sessions at a clinic, this paper demonstrates that there is a normative order with regard to the participants’ accountability for the patients’ problems. In routine sessions, patients presumably have a problem (e.g., body stiffness or tension) that needs to be treated. The physical therapists’ accountability for the problem is usually displayed via direct access to the treated body part for their attentiveness to as well as validation of the patient’s claimed problem, making the medical treatment relevant. The patients are also accountable for their own problems as they are expected to have the primary right and obligation to look after their own health. Through multimodal and sensorial practices, therapists balance their medical and professional authority with their patients’ concerns, for which the patients claimed to have first-hand experience and independent access to the problem. The data is in Japanese. https://tidsskrift.dk/socialinteraction/article/view/120251Physical theraphyAccountabilityTactile perceptionProprioceptionKnowledgeExperience
spellingShingle Satomi Kuroshima
Therapist and patient accountability through tactility and sensation in medical massage sessions
Social Interaction
Physical theraphy
Accountability
Tactile perception
Proprioception
Knowledge
Experience
title Therapist and patient accountability through tactility and sensation in medical massage sessions
title_full Therapist and patient accountability through tactility and sensation in medical massage sessions
title_fullStr Therapist and patient accountability through tactility and sensation in medical massage sessions
title_full_unstemmed Therapist and patient accountability through tactility and sensation in medical massage sessions
title_short Therapist and patient accountability through tactility and sensation in medical massage sessions
title_sort therapist and patient accountability through tactility and sensation in medical massage sessions
topic Physical theraphy
Accountability
Tactile perception
Proprioception
Knowledge
Experience
url https://tidsskrift.dk/socialinteraction/article/view/120251
work_keys_str_mv AT satomikuroshima therapistandpatientaccountabilitythroughtactilityandsensationinmedicalmassagesessions