Craig Gibbs just wanted a relaxing foot massage at Rockhampton shopping centre. But now he’s been maimed for life after it all went horribly wrong

A Queensland man has suffered life-changing injuries during a routine visit to a shopping center massage clinic.

Craig Gibbs, 55, visited the massage clinic in Parkhurst, north of Rockhampton, while visiting the local shopping centre, unaware of how his plans for a foot massage would change his life.

By the time his ordeal was over, Mr Gibbs had suffered third-degree burns, a month’s hospital stay and persistent pain and anxiety.

Mr Gibbs needs regular foot massages to help deal with a medical condition known as neuropathy, which causes nerve damage in the legs and blood flow problems that lead to the endless feeling of ‘pins and needles’ in the feet.

Fed up with painkillers, Mr Gibbs told Daily Mail Australia he discovered a simple foot massage could help relieve the awful tingling sensation for up to three days in a row.

He said he went to the clinic for a quick massage when he was ‘sold’ a moxibustion treatment.

Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine treatment in which a dried herb called “moxa” is burned on or near the skin to stimulate the flow of qi, or “life force.”

It is thought to improve body function, reduce the side effects of cancer treatments and help with a variety of other conditions.

Willing to try anything to help relieve the endless tingling, Mr Gibbs, who ran a local resort at the time, said he agreed to give the treatment a try, forking over $200 for the session.

The treatment involved placing a hot pot on his leg.

“I’d never heard of it before, but they had a big exhibit, foot massage, acupuncture, moxibustion and they kind of sold me on that,” he said.

Mr Gibbs said he was forced to use a mobile app to help translate his instructions to the workers, who appeared to be of Chinese descent.

He had maintained that the condition he suffered caused him to lose feeling in his legs.

“I thought, ‘They must know what they’re doing,’ but I don’t think they understood that the whole thing about neuropathy is that you don’t feel anything. I could walk on hot coals or nails and not feel it.”

What happened next is the stuff of nightmares.

Distracted by the hustle and bustle of a bustling crowd at the mall, Mr Gibbs claimed workers left the device on his leg and cooked him for almost an hour.

Unable to feel the pain, it was only that night in bed that he discovered that a large weeping blister had formed on his leg.

“Over the next 48 hours I was taken to A&E and then to the Royal Brisbane Hospital and they operated the next day,” Mr Gibbs said.

‘I was in that hospital for a month. Two skin grafts didn’t help and now it’s like I have a permanent mark on my leg.’

Mr Gibbs said the injury continued to cause him problems, making it difficult for him to carry out simple tasks such as mowing the lawn.

Aided by a walking stick, Mr Gibbs claims the massage clinic owner failed to take responsibility for his shocking injuries, forcing him to launch civil proceedings that would go to court.

Maurice Blackburn contributor Sarah Williams told Daily Mail Australia that healthcare providers have a duty to inform themselves of any medical conditions and be appropriately qualified to provide treatment in accordance with Australian standards.

“These types of injuries are unusual, but if something goes wrong they can have very serious consequences for those involved,” she said.

‘As a result of this incident, Craig now has serious injuries and this serves as an important reminder to healthcare providers to ask the right questions at the start of any treatment.’

Mr Gibbs said he had no intention of taking legal action but believed business owners should be held accountable for their actions.

“The doctors told me if they did this to anyone they would be struck off the registry. He said these people shouldn’t get away with it,” Gibbs said.

“And now I’m paying for it… I could lose my leg in two years.”

Mr Gibbs said the scar remained a constant reminder of the terrible day when a simple decision had drastic consequences.

“This is an ugly thing they left on my leg… and it’s a matter of how often this happens,” he said.

‘It’s not okay. I don’t let them brand my leg like that and just think, “Oh, it’s another day.” Who does that? I don’t understand that. They knew I had neuropathy, he looked at an app so he knew what it was. Well, just say “no, we’re not doing this”. That’s all they had to say.

“If I had just gone through my normal foot massage without selling this stuff, I wouldn’t be going through this.”