You could theoretically use a little oil on the feet. However the problem is that your clients are dressed and wouldn't appreciate getting oil stains on their clothes once you move up from the feet to the legs. You also don't want to have slippery hands which would make it much harder for subsequent stretches.

Or you had to interrupt the session to wipe the oil off your hands which is not so great for the flow of things. If you want to try this on people with very dry skin, I suggest you try something like Jojoba oil which is not greasy and gets absorbed quickly. It is also great for the skin.

There is a style of Thai Foot Massage that is similar to Western reflexology but more pleasant and also more comprehensive. There you work 100 percent with oil on the feet. We have a separate course for that.

I am glad that you have a sense of humor about yourself. Taking yourself too seriously when learning Thai Massage can be depressing. Nothing beats a good laugh when something goes wrong - well, as long as it's not on a paying client.

"So many good ways to work the legs."  -  Yes, Thai Massage is famous for having excellent leg work. Regarding the knee work, we even have an entire course just for the knee. Most massage modalities have very little knee work, but Thai Massage is really strong there.

"What do you recommend for people whose hips shift in and out of where they are supposed to be?"  -  Years of bad lifestyle habits or lack of exercise or lack of good posture cannot be remedied quickly. What I sometimes do in such cases is give clients some 'homework' in the form of some yoga or other exercises. This can help build strength in the hip area which is the one thing Thai Massage cannot do. 

"Also how long do you usually wait to work on a knee replacement for Thai Massage?"  -  Once someone had a knee replacement, working directly on the knee doesn't work anymore as before. You have to focus more on leg work. It depends what kind of knee operation they had. I once had a client who had three knee operations, and it got more messed up with each one. So you have to interview the client as to the specifics.

There is no fixed time frame for waiting. In my experience it works best if you do some gentle knee moves and ask the client how it feels for them. If it doesn't feel right, avoid working on it.

You are right, many people will not do the exercises unless you keep it down to only a couple of them. But my attitude is that I provide the information, and if they don't follow up on it, it is not my problem. I try to do my best, but their part is not my responsibility. Every now and then you have a client who is in such bad shape that they will do the exercises and will be grateful.

Muscle cramping - when that happens you need to avoid stretching and just work on the muscles. pressure, rocking, circling. You might have to experiment a bit to find out what does work for such a client.

"I would just like to say I really enjoy the feedback you do after every post. Thank you!"  -  Thank you, it means a lot to me that you appreciate my input.

You seem to be getting great results with the hip work. I think you will be able to get similar results in other areas of the body. Thai Massage is really good for therapeutic work because of all these moves like stretches and rocking. It is a movement therapy instead of just pressing or rubbing on muscles. This adds a whole new dimension to massage therapy.