Are you a small animal massage pro stumped on how to help your neurological clients?
Learn nerve techniques to help improve your clients' movement and quality of life
Learn nerve techniques to help improve your clients' movement and quality of life
When I went through massage school, I was taught that there wasn’t much we could do for neurological conditions. It was disheartening to have to explain this to owner after owner. And when my own dog Fergus developed intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), it hurt in a visceral way to not be able to help him with my own two hands.
I maintained him with medication, acupuncture and physical therapy, but would have loved a way to help him myself.
Then I met Brady, who had IVDD. He walked into my office dragging his LH and his hind end dragged low. I did my usual techniques while avoiding his back and was amazed that he walked out with his back level and his feet placed well. Brady was my first indication that massage could affect the CNS in a functional way. I sought to study ways to affect the nerves more directly.
By applying nerve stretching and gliding techniques, and using nerve stimulation like kinesiology taping, >90% of neurological clients with various issues saw a benefit in function. Even stubborn musculoskeletal conditions could be affected.
Coupling this work with veterinary care, and other modalities like physical therapy and acupressure supplies a fully-rounded care plan for challenged animals, leading to quality of life improvements and long-term clients.
I’m Lisa Ruthig, a mentor at Power of Touch for Animals. I’m also Director of Animal Programs at Bancroft School of Massage Therapy, and Past Chair of the National Board of Certification for Animal Acupressure and Massage.
I have a massage practice for small animals and equines, and do energy work, as well. My personal mission is to make sure that every animal that needs bodywork, gets bodywork. It is my honor to guide and train other animal bodyworkers to provide quality work to their clients.
I have a passion for science and love to know why my mojo works. I like to break down complex topics into simple concepts applicable to your work.
...is to learn nerve techniques to help your clients' balance and gait, so that they can resume more normal activities,
and you can help more animals while building long-term client relationships.
Learn easy techniques to stimulate the Wanderer to promote relaxation, increase appetite, and improve quality of life for your client. Improve the function of the Vagus nerve in conditions like geriatric onset laryngeal paralysis. The effects range from very subtle to life-changing.
Free up stuck nerves, with potential benefits for ataxic and partially paralyzed animals, as well as many musculoskeletal conditions. Feel these techniques on your own body so you understand their power. Understand the underlying anatomy of major limb nerves and how to affect them with nerve gliding, nerve stretching, and myofascial techniques.
Wake up weak limbs with game-changing stimulation techniques like kinesiology taping, so you can help your clients integrate their bodies and move better. Including maunual techniques, kinesiology taping, joint compressions, and brushing.
Learn the pathologies you can most easily affect with nerve work. Deeper understanding of physiology will enhance your ability to apply the techniques and develop your own alternative strategies.
Worried about massaging the back in cases like IVDD, spinal tumors, and other possible contraindications? Learn a few safer ways to relieve back pain and relax the tissues without using pressure.
Neurology A&P Review
Optional lecture to refresh your knowledge of the nervous system in small animals, so you can hit the ground running.
Acupoints for Nerve Issues
Learn acupoints you can use to support your nerve work, by Nationally Board Certified Acupressure practitioner and past NBCAAM chair Kim Bauer.
Conversations with Clients
How to navigate the marketing language around your new skills. How to use stories, reviews, and testimonials to supercharge your connection with potential and current clients. And how to know what's legal to say in your jurisdiction.
Lisa's work has been nothing short of magnificent with our 9 year old Border collie mix who recently suffered neurological complication due to aging. Her work took him out of pain and discomfort and has facilitated a close to total recovery. Now that science has revealed the neuroplastic brain's capacity to change and heal itself through non-invasive sensory stimulation and informed touch, it is time to share the richness of this phenomenon with our beloved animals. Lisa integrates expertise as a practitioner with infinite knowledge about animal physiology and behavior.
I have been using the techniques with my client dogs, especially Maddie, the dog with degenerative polyneuropathy. Maddie has seen remarkable improvement. After implementing these techniques, she is now able to walk up hills in her yard and play with their other dog. She has even been able to play ball with her dad! Maddie has more stability in the rear than she has ever had, and her quality of life has greatly improved.
I have been working with geriatric clients for some time, and while there are many benefits from the modalities that I use, I was not always satisfied with the results when it came to neurological symptoms. I enrolled in 'The Art & Science of Nerves' taught by Lisa Ruthig and it opened up a whole new field of possibilities to enhance my work and make a difference for my clients. Her course is in-depth, regarding both science and its practical application. She also provided a tremendous amount of helpful information regarding materials and client information to use in the future. I have already seen the difference I can make by using the techniques I learned and highly recommend the course. I love that that the knowledge I gained can be incorporated in what I already practice and will therefore enhance my work.
Before ASN as a canine PT I was pretty confident in my skills to help neurological clients, but my confidence has improved even more with knowledge and skills gained during this course. Lisa makes complicated topics easy to understand. The coaching calls and forum give you plenty of opportunity to ask questions and not only learn from Lisa, but also from others in the course. I have already seen accelerated progress using the techniques covered in this course! This course would be great for anyone working in animal rehab or body work who wants to enhance their manual skills to assist dogs with conditions affecting the nerves or those with mobility issues.
I had a couple of clients with Intervertebral Disk Disease (IVDD) in the past, and there were minimal massage techniques I could offer. This course taught me nerve techniques that I can apply to my future cases. Lisa is an excellent instructor and very responsive. Lisa breaks down complex scientific concepts into understandable pieces. The class was fun, and I highly recommend it. Thank you, Lisa!
Prior to participating in the Art & Science of Nerves, I felt inadequate in both my knowledge of nerves and my ability to directly support my massage clients who were presenting with nerve issues. Lisa makes the science piece accessible, through her clear and thorough information and visuals. Her videos working with the animals were also 'real life' and she was able to demonstrate on animals that were wiggly, and discussed modifications as needed. I appreciate this wonderful opportunity!
I really loved this class and am so glad I took it! Lisa is a fantastic teacher who really understands, and is able to teach, a variety of information about the nervous system and individual nerves. The class was extremely comprehensive, and Lisa was always available for questions and help. This class gave me a new understanding of how to work with some specific nerves, and how this work may positively effect certain kinds of issues. Having more information about how to work with nerves is a new tool and skill I am excited to incorporate into my practice. The clients I have talked to about this class are just as excited for me to try my new skills with their dogs. It's a win-win! I highly recommend this class!
I signed up for this course because I wanted to have a deeper understanding of the nervous system and how I can help my own clients gain mobility and function better without pain. The graphics were excellent and the material was well-researched and presented in a way that I could understand and apply what I had learned. I love Lisa's teaching style and I appreciated learning through the input of other classmates. I highly recommend this course for animal practitioners, therapists and bodywork professionals.
The course not only gave me more tools to work with dogs with challenging neurological issues, but it also gave me insight and confidence to work with nerves. The course was very well done and I could go at my own pace to grasp the techniques and material. The bonuses were great and overall, I got a lot out of ASN.
Before taking this course, I was working with a dog that had lameness issues. She saw me every other week in combination with chiropractic care. She seemed to plateau and remained unable to enjoy activities as she once had. She was the first dog I worked with using the nerve techniques and it worked wonders. The owners called later that day to report amazing results. Their dog was walking on all 4 legs without any issues and is back to running and playing with other dogs. I'm so glad I took this course!
The Art & Science of Nerves course was a real eye opener for me! I've had clients as well as my own dogs that have suffered with some form of neurological conditions that I felt massage could only help very temporarily and if given more frequently and sometimes massage felt superficial to the overall care plan. With the new techniques (and there are many) I learned in this course I feel so much more confident in helping these clients be their best selves given the afflictions they may have. Lisa did an incredible job providing background for several common nerve pathologies and their symptoms while teaching effective techniques for working on these conditions in your clients. There is plenty of bonus content as well. I am really excited to take these new tools and add them to my sessions!
Working with neurological cases can at times feel confusing as there are many symptoms and so many possible causes. Taking this course helped me take a step back and put on a 'scientist hat': try this then record the result, observe, experiment, record. I found this extremely helpful in planning out my future sessions. I have incorporated the techniques learnt and I am already seeing results! Very highly recommended.
The wonderful content that built upon itself was incredibly helpful and I will apply it as I encounter animals who could benefit from it (although, there is a ton that would benefit all of my clients). This course also taught me, once again, that less can be more. The nervous system (and tissues) can be activated simply by touch, which can activate a marvelous set of benefits to the animal. Energy matters :-)
If you are a certified small animal/canine massage practitioner or a certified small animal rehabilitation professional, this course is for you.
The course is ready and waiting for you. Coaching calls are monthly, currently the second Tuesday of each month, but can be adjusted according to the schedules of who is in the course.
ASN is approved for 14 hours of skills credit and 2 hours of general credit (and growing!) To claim skills hours, you will need to choose the assessment option and submit video. (Otherwise you will receive 16 hours of general credit.)
Your time is precious, and I respect that. That's why I've designed this course with flexibility in mind. With pre-recorded materials, you can progress at your own pace. If you can't make the coaching session, send in your questions and view the recording. It's about fitting learning into your schedule, not the other way around.
There are ~6 hours of core training, ~5 hours of Q&A, and 3 hours live coaching.
In-person training is essential to initial massage training. Online learning can be effective if it builds on and recombines your basic skills. It's also flexible and accessible, allowing you to learn at your own pace, and you can return to videos over and over, unlike live workshops.
Most of my practice is now clients with neurological issues, and these animals see me regularly, for life- meaning their owners see great value in this work. The testimonials of my students also speak to the difference you can make in the world by working with nerves.
We have a payment plan to make the course more managable, and have made the individual assessment feature optional, if you don't need that, to keep costs down. Using these skills in my own practice provides animals and their families the sorts of results they are willing to pay for over and over.
You can either bring video to group coaching, which is included in the course, or purchase an individual assessment for $75, at the time of course purchase, or later.
