A massage therapist accidentally finds an electrical wire running down their client’s neck, alongside their SCM—surprise! It turns out to be a deep brain stimulation (DBS) device to help treat Parkinson’s disease.

DBS can also be used to treat a handful of other conditions, and treating more conditions continues to be investigated. So the chance you could have a client with a DBS device is higher than ever. How do we do that safely? Listen to this episode of “I Have a Client Who . . . ” for more.

Sponsors: 

Books of Discovery: www.booksofdiscovery.com  

Advanced-Trainings: www.advanced-trainings.com

Host Bio:        

Ruth Werner is a former massage therapist, a writer, and an NCBTMB-approved continuing education provider. She wrote A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology, now in its seventh edition, which is used in massage schools worldwide. Werner is also a long-time Massage & Bodywork columnist, most notably of the Pathology Perspectives column. Werner is also ABMP’s partner on Pocket Pathology, a web-based app and quick reference program that puts key information for nearly 200 common pathologies at your fingertips. Werner’s books are available at www.booksofdiscovery.com. And more information about her is available at www.ruthwerner.com.   

Recent Articles by Ruth:       

“Unpacking the Long Haul,” Massage & Bodywork magazine, January/February 2022, page 35, www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1439667-january-february-2022/36.

“Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy and Massage Therapy,” Massage & Bodywork magazine, September/October 2021, page 33, http://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1402696-september-october-2021/34. 

“Pharmacology Basics for Massage Therapists,” Massage & Bodywork magazine, July/August 2021, page 32, www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1384577-july-august-2021/34.   

Resources: 

Pocket Pathology: https://www.abmp.com/abmp-pocket-pathology-app

Image of Deep Brain Stimulation: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deep_Brain_Stimulation.jpg

Deep Brain Stimulation (2021). Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/deep-brain-stimulation (Accessed: 26 October 2022).

Deep Brain Stimulation – Advantages, Risks and Conditions Treated (no date a). Available at: https://www.aans.org/ (Accessed: 25 October 2022).

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) FAQ | Boston Scientific (no date) www.dbsandme.com. Available at: https://www.dbsandme.com/en/support-and-resources/faq.html (Accessed: 26 October 2022).

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS): What It Is, Purpose & Procedure (no date) Cleveland Clinic. Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21088-deep-brain-stimulation (Accessed: 26 October 2022).

Franchina, P. (2019) ‘Deep brain stimulation and swimming’, American Parkinson Disease Association, 4 December. Available at: https://www.apdaparkinson.org/article/deep-brain-stimulation-and-swimming/ (Accessed: 26 October 2022).

‘Life after deep brain stimulation – eParkinsonPost’ (no date). Available at: https://parkinsonpost.com/life-after-deep-brain-stimulation/ (Accessed: 26 October 2022).

St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix (2022) Exercise in Advanced Parkinson’s Disease (PD) With Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). Clinical trial registration NCT05204680. clinicaltrials.gov. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05204680 (Accessed: 25 October 2022).

What you need to know about deep brain stimulation (DBS) | News (2020). Available at: https://news.llu.edu/patient-care/what-you-need-know-about-deep-brain-stimulation-dbs (Accessed: 26 October 2022).

About our Sponsor:

About Til Luchau and Advanced-Trainings.com:

As a Certified Advanced Rolfer™, Til was on the faculty of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® for 20 years, where he served as Coordinator and Faculty Chair of the Foundations of Rolfing Structural Integration program. The author of the Advanced Myofascial Techniques textbook series (which has been translated into 6 languages), his regular Myofascial Techniques and Somatic Edge columns have been featured in Massage & Bodywork magazine since 2009, and (along with Whitney Lowe) he co-hosts the popular Thinking Practitioner Podcast. He is the Director of Advanced-Trainings.com which since 1985 has offered short, credit-approved professional trainings and certification for manual therapists of all types, in person and online.

Website: Advanced-Trainings.com

Email: info@advanced-trainings.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/Advanced.Trainings1/

Instagram: instagram.com/tilluchau

YouTube: youtube.com/user/AdvancedTrainings

Ep 290 – Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS): “I Have a Client Who . . .” Pathology Conversations with Ruth Werner

The ABMP Podcast | Speaking With the Massage & Bodywork Profession