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An elderly client has severe back and hip pain as she recovers from her second bout with COVID. Her doctor gave her a steroid shot, but her MT wonders if the pain is a post-viral form of myalgia. Join us in this episode of “I Have a Client Who . . .” as we look at some research about post-COVID musculoskeletal pain and the many mechanisms involved (and host Ruth Werner throws a short tantrum about a narrowly focused study that misses some important factors).

Full show notes and resources available at https://www.abmp.com/podcasts/ep-382-post-covid-muscle-pain-i-have-client-who-pathology-conversations-ruth-werner

A contributor writes, “I said no to massage to a patient after fresh dialysis. When would it be OK to work on this person?”

Seems like a simple question. But it’s not. We know a fair amount about kidney disease and about dialysis. And here’s a surprise: The interface between massage therapy and people using dialysis has sparked a lot of conversation in research and medical circles.

What are people saying—and learning—about massage therapy for dialysis users? Better listen to this episode of I Have a Client Who . . .

Full show notes and resources available at https://www.abmp.com/podcasts/ep-377-dialysis-i-have-client-who-pathology-conversations-ruth-werner

A client has an undiagnosed situation with the skin over their glute, and to the massage therapist it looks suspiciously like ringworm. What is ringworm? How do we get rid of it? And what is the risk to the massage therapist in this situation?

Listen to this episode of I Have a Client Who… as Ruth Werner talks about one of her favorite topics: ringworm (RW).

Full show notes and resources available at https://www.abmp.com/podcasts/ep-373-ringworm-fungus-among-us-i-have-client-who-pathology-conversations-ruth-werner

A client reports having Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS)—a version of shingles that affects the facial nerve. Her massage therapist can’t find any useful information to help guide their decisions. But they were able to establish that it isn’t contagious, so they pulled on their gloves and got to work.

Listen to this episode of I Have a Client Who . . . with host Ruth Werner to find out what happened, and why you might be seeing more about massage and RHS soon.

Full show notes and resources available at https://www.abmp.com/podcasts/ep-368-ramsay-hunt-syndrome-i-have-client-who-pathology-conversations-ruth-werner

A potential client—we don’t know how old, or how healthy—has sickle cell disease (SCD). There’s very limited information about safe massage therapy in this context. What’s an MT to do?

One option is to reach out to an expert and hope you’ll get a quick but thorough response—if you get one at all. Another option is to check your bookshelf: you might be pleasantly surprised. (And if you don’t own a pathology book, maybe it’s time to remedy that situation—see some options listed below.)

SCD is a complicated and serious condition with lots of decision points for massage therapy: What are the complications, how is the person treating it, and what is their risk for infection?

Listen on for a short primer on faulty hemoglobin, collapsing red blood cells, and implications for bodywork.

Full show notes and resources available at https://www.abmp.com/podcasts/ep-364-sickle-cell-disease-i-have-client-who-pathology-conversations-ruth-werner

Are you a manual therapist with joint mobility issues? Then this episode of “I Have a Client Who . . .” is for you. And if you have a client with joint mobility issues, you’ll want to tune in too.

My colleague Natalie Pendergrass recently reached out to me to share her experiences with being diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS).

EDS is a genetic disorder involving the formation of abnormal collagen. It occurs in 13 different identified subtypes, starting with hypermobility of joints and covering a wide spectrum of variations in connective tissue problems.

Natalie shares what it’s like to receive massage as a person with EDS, but also the special challenges of being a massage provider with EDS. She developed practices that allow her to do demanding work while protecting her joints.

Natalie also recently started some contact points for people with EDS so MTs can get more of this important information.

Full show notes and resources available at https://www.abmp.com/podcasts/ep-359-mt-eds-i-have-client-who-pathology-conversations-ruth-werner