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