Ruth Werner
Author, Educator, Artist
A client in a student clinic has a chronic, debilitatingly painful condition: trigeminal neuralgia. She gets surprising relief, if only for a short time, from massage—not on the painful area, but close by. Why did this happen? Can we recreate this success? Can we prolong it?
Full show notes available at https://www.abmp.com/podcasts/ep-246-trigeminal-neuralgia-tic-tic-tic-douloureux-i-have-client-who-pathology-conversations-ruth
A person reports sporadic episodes of unexplained goosebumps all down one side of the body. No other symptoms are present: no pain, tingling, numbness, or anything.
Is it dysautonomia? Is it a weird kind of seizure?
What are goosebumps good for, anyway?
It turns out they might be more important than we thought.
Full show notes available at https://www.abmp.com/podcasts/ep-243-goosebumps-i-have-client-who-pathology-conversations-ruth-werner
A weightlifting client who has never had professional massage wants help with back and leg pain. Simple enough, right? But in their first interview they reveal a 4-year-old history of thyroid cancer, thyroidectomy, and lymph node removal.
What repercussions does this have for their massage? Can we move forward? Do we need to look for signs of lymphedema? Does lymphedema even happen with lymph flow in the neck?
Stay tuned for a look at thyroid cancer, and some excellent information-gathering practice guidelines.
Full show notes available at https://www.abmp.com/podcasts/ep-241-thyroid-cancer-i-have-client-who-pathology-conversations-ruth-werner
A client has a knee replacement on his RIGHT knee, but then develops nerve symptoms in his LEFT foot. It’s been five years, and he’s seen a variety of specialists, and no one knows what’s going on. His massage therapist has some strategies to help him, but what is really going on here? Spoiler alert: I have no idea, but I learned some fascinating things about post-surgical neuropathy!
Full show notes available at https://www.abmp.com/podcasts/ep-238-post-surgical-neuropathy-i-have-client-who-pathology-conversations-ruth-werner
A client with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive and ultimately terminal nervous system disease, is getting amazing results with massage and other interventions. How is this possible?
ALS is a serious situation, but if the client can communicate clearly, it is a great match for massage. Listen in to hear what this therapist has seen happen over the course of their work together.
Full show notes available at https://www.abmp.com/podcasts/ep-236-als-i-have-client-who-pathology-conversations-ruth-werner
In my last call out asking for I Have a Client Who . . . stories, several people asked about working with people with psoriasis. There’s no specific story for this one, but this is a challenging condition, and the people living with it deserve all the support they can get.
Will massage cure psoriasis? No.
Will massage improve the quality of life for people who have this condition? You bet.
What does that look like? Listen in for more.
Full show notes available at https://www.abmp.com/podcasts/ep-233-psoriasis-i-have-client-who-pathology-conversations-ruth-werner