QuestionI am a new masage therapist and I am going to see a client who says he has PMR? Im not sure what this is, but if you cound please provide any sort of information and if it is indicated to massage a client with this condition, the areas I should focus on and the specific technique that I should use? Also if you have any links/books that you know of where I can look conditions up and provide the same sort of answers that would be fantastic!
Thanks so much Melany
AnswerWow, I had to look PMR up on WebMD. Here is what they describe it as:
"Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and temporal arteritis (also known as giant cell or cranial arteritis) are inflammatory conditions that sometimes occur together and are thought to be related. PMR is an inflammatory disease of the larger joints of the body. Temporal arteritis (TA) is an inflammation of the branches of the carotid arteries, which supply blood to the head. Both conditions are the result of the body's immune system reacting against itself, known as an autoimmune response. Although this kind of reaction resembles lifelong (chronic) autoimmune diseases, PMR and TA respond to treatment and most people are free of disease in 5 years.
PMR is the more common of the two conditions; TA is the more dangerous, because it sometimes leads to serious complications."
Since it is an auto-immune disorder, it does contraindicate (CI) massage if it is currently flared up. If the condition is quiet, either disease free or controlled by medication, hey can be massaged like any other client. A little extra care might be warranted if they still have any discomfort in their joints.
My two greatest sources: WebMD online - it can describe most diseases and conditions. You can use this information to determine if massage is indicated or not. There is also a great book for just this area called, aptly enough, "A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology", by Ruth Werner and Ben E Benjamin (what a name). It gives a great breakdown of conditions and how massage would affect them.
Hope this helps, and please write with any more questions (this saves me from subjecting my friends to lectures about massage and the body!)
Sincerely,
Christopher Hall
