Suspected or active DVT is an absolute no — not "adapt your technique", not "work gently around it". Massage over or near a clot can dislodge it, and a dislodged clot can travel to the lungs (pulmonary embolism). This is one of the few contraindications in the treatment room with a genuinely life-threatening downside.
The practical standard:
- Active or suspected DVT: no massage, no body treatments on that limb, full stop. One swollen, warm, hard, or painful calf — especially one leg and not the other — means stop and send the client for urgent medical advice. Don't book them back in until they're cleared.
- History of clots, now resolved: ask for written confirmation from their GP or specialist before any deep leg work. Many clients on long-term anticoagulants are fine for adapted treatment, but that's the prescriber's call, not yours.
- On anticoagulants: lighter pressure only — bruising risk is real even when the clot risk has passed.
- Higher-risk clients: recent surgery, long-haul flights, pregnancy, and immobility all raise clot risk. A leg that looked fine at the last visit can be the red-flag leg today, so check every time, not just at the first consultation.
Every client, remembered — safely.
SAY-OS keeps each client's contraindications, allergies and history in one place, and flags them at booking — so the right call happens before they're in the chair.
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