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    I like to think of myself as a somewhat knowlegable massage therapist. I have for the past 4 years worked on a friend of the family for free because he was always my "guinnepig" durring school as well as after. He was taken ill a year ago with a respitory "mrsa". Yes, it almost killed him. Recently he was diagnosed with both arthritsis. All major joints are causing a lot of discomfort.

    The problem arrived when he called a few nights ago to ask for help. It seems he woke up and is not able to move his arms. I went over to see what that ment. He was right, he is unable to even so much as lift his hand to feed himself or use the bathroom. It was ok and it didn't cause him any pain for me to passively do R.O.M. stretches on him, but the second he tried he said the pain was to bad it felt as if his joints were being ripped apart. He is only 50 years old but suddenly very old before his time. This happened over night really. I don't even know how to start on this or what to say to him. He dosen't have medical to just go to the doctors. he can't work to make some money to go. Is there any suggestions I can go to him with. Is this normal for someone with both osteo and rumatoid?

    Any insight would be greatly appriciated.

  

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In that case, your friend seriously needs to get checked out by a physician. Sure, massage can help relieve stress and other things, but when you're dealing with complete loss of ROM and such, he really needs to see his doctor.

 

There are several options for him to see a physician...there are free health clinics that go by your income, the emergency room (which bills later and you can work out a plan) or even CVS has a health clinic (at least on the West coast).

 

Seriously, your friend needs professional help from a doctor. He may have suffered a stroke.

He is able to move his limbs. It just causes an enormous amount of pain.
Look for trigger points...What else can you do...You move him, and it doesn't hurt...That means his joints are fine...When he moves it hurts..So massage his muscles..Look for trigger points..  Are his muscles sore when you massage him?  Just be a massage therapist..Nothing else you can do...He may need medical attention... But if you move his joints and it doesn't hurt...Sounds to me, his joints are fine.   Sounds like he is bad off.. But Ive had clients that couldn't lift an arm, and were told they needed surgery when they didn't..They just had massive trigger points. And they got well with massage work.
thanks Gordon i was hoping that you might check in soon. his muscle are no more sore than usual;however, when i worked on them breifly the fibers had a strange texture to me. It was almost like a "mushy-ness"?Not at just the endfeel,it's hard to explain because it suprised me a little. there were knots but even thoses were kind of "half-assed"(excuse the term)sqishy that release very easily. I didn't want to seem alarmed but it was very unlike him mayo structure as i know it. He knows he needs to see a dr soon. I don't want to leave him hanging but without having more info on what is really going on i dont feel it would be in his best interest for me to work on him. You see, I haven't taken my mblex yet, so i have no insurance and would hate to actually injure him unknowingly. I doubt that i would, but not going to take the chance. He did say that the muscles don't really hurt at all even when he lifts his arms/hands. it it like his shoulders are beind ripped apart at the joints with intense pain at the joints. but when i do passive rom,no pain at all, anywhere.? baffling
thank you and yes, i do agree with the fact that he needs to see a doctor. He does know that as well.

Rajam K Roose said:

In that case, your friend seriously needs to get checked out by a physician. Sure, massage can help relieve stress and other things, but when you're dealing with complete loss of ROM and such, he really needs to see his doctor.

 

There are several options for him to see a physician...there are free health clinics that go by your income, the emergency room (which bills later and you can work out a plan) or even CVS has a health clinic (at least on the West coast).

 

Seriously, your friend needs professional help from a doctor. He may have suffered a stroke.

On that note..., An instructor, that is also a doctor of natual medicine for over 30 years. Well, I remember her explaining to the class about the effects of the "night-shade" family of veggies( i.e. potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and so on) she had explained how a large group of people tested positive for various diseases that weren't related, some of them were-fibromyalgia, diabeties, arthritis, lupus. Yet they had a significant percentage of the test subjects that after cutting the group of veggies out of their diet, found their symptoms disappear or recede considerably. Has anyone ever heard of this. What do you think?

hi gordon just wanted to give you an update  on my friend here,as i aprieciated you input. he was finally able,or had to,see a doctor. he was diagnossed with leukemia. not good, but an answer anyhow. thanks again

 

 

Look for trigger points...What else can you do...You move him, and it doesn't hurt...That means his joints are fine...When he moves it hurts..So massage his muscles..Look for trigger points..  Are his muscles sore when you massage him?  Just be a massage therapist..Nothing else you can do...He may need medical attention... But if you move his joints and it doesn't hurt...Sounds to me, his joints are fine.   Sounds like he is bad off.. But Ive had clients that couldn't lift an arm, and were told they needed surgery when they didn't..They just had massive trigger points. And they got well with massage work.

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