Massage & Cancer

[Baileymonster. :]]

I have a friend that was diagonosed in 99 and finished treatment in 2000 and has had no recurrance of cancer since then.

Is massage still contra indicated for her? I have had conflicting information, and thought I would throw it out there.

I did find some info, that massage would not be contra-indicated.

http://www.massagemag.com/2004/issue107/research107.htm

http://www.drweil.com/app/cda/drw_cda.html-command=TodayQA-questionId=6062

However they do teach in school that it is contraindicated.

What do you think?

Thanks,
Jenn

 

[Massage Therapist dubai]

Massage & Cancer

Hi I this is a topic that all schools need to update. I was taught that it is contraindicated in school. Then when I was out of school I took "Medical Massage for the Cancer Patient" at Sloan Kettering. Yes we can massage cancer patients. There are just a few things to taking into consideration. If there is no recurrance and the cancer is gone and the person is in good health, her body is waiting for that massage! Just be aware and always ask if they removed any lymph nodes. Never massage any area where nodes have been removed unless you are train in manual lypmhatic drainage. This goes for anyone including cancer free patients.If someone is diagnosed with cancer and still wants a massage it is still ok for them to be touch. You can even massage someone going through chemo (it actually can help with the side effects)but that gets more tricky. You need to research the drugs and talk with the patient and doctors. You need to be aware of blood counts, wbc and platelets. My advice for anyone wanting to work with cancer patients is to research and take a course on it. There are several books and classes now available. If anyone would like to know more just contact me. Sloan Kettering is actually offering massage therapy in the hospital which is a federal funded program which is very exciting for all therapist.

 

[googley]

Massage & Cancer

I do chair massage to clients receiving radiation treatment at a cancer center located within a hospital. It is important to know the effects cancer treatments have on the body so I recomend a book called"Medicine Hands" By Gayle Macdonald. It covers all cancer massage very lovingly and completely.

 

[Dali M]

http://www.amtamassage.org/journal/fa_00_journal/cancer_intro.html has some articles from the end of 2000, including details on the Sloan Kettering program.  That's a link to Part1, but AMTA didn't put PartII in the next issue on the web    I emailed them a while ago asking if they'd consider adding the links, but no response.  The missing articles from the Winter '01 issue were SPECIAL CANCER SECTION                            48 Introduction  60 Do The Benefits Of Massage Outweigh The Risks?When working on cancer patients, the answer is often “yes.â€‌ By Janice Malloy  74 How Cancer SpreadsResearch advancements have given scientists more information about this all-important subject.  80 Cancer TherapiesKnowing how the body reacts to radiation and chemotherapy is vital to providing your clients with the best care possible. By Debra Curties   86 Lymphedema 101: What Every Therapist Should KnowIf a client has had even one lymph node removed, it’s an entirely new ball game.By Cheryl Chapman

 

[cruz1850]

Massage & Cancer

Sloan Kettering's Workshops and Programs

http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/11802.cfm

For those interested in taking Part 1 there is an optional 3rd day. I strongly recommend it! I learned more that day then the entire time. They take you on rounds in the hospital, it was an amazing experiance (not easy and not for everyone but it is one way to figure out if its something you want to be apart of)

 

[Cjfogler15]

In Volume 8 Issue 1 of the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, there is an excellent source-review article entitled "Contraindications:  Do Sources Agree?" (which indicates that in fact they do not).  It doesn't address cancer specifically, but you get the idea (the article is available online) . . .I have a few cancer-patient clients, in various seforum.xxxes, but all considered to have active cancer now.  All of their docs/oncologists are OK w/massage, anywhere from "It can't hurt you"  to "You should definitely get massage."  My very small experience is that platelet levels, absolute neutrophil counts, bone scans, surgical sites, type & seforum.xxxe of disease, etc. have as yet shown NO pattern in type of massage desired or tolerated by the client, & no matter what I review to the doc/oncologist, I get the same "Whatever, your work is probably fine and affects nothing either way" reaction.  This really surprised me at first as we were taught (recently!) in school that we should probably not massage cancer patients at all (except v. light touch or energy work) & we should expect resistance from oncology staff.  Is my experience unique?

 

[Katelyn]

Massage & Cancer

My very small experience is that platelet levels, absolute neutrophil counts, bone scans, surgical sites, type & seforum.xxxe of disease, etc. have as yet shown NO pattern in type of massage desired or tolerated by the client, & no matter what I review to the doc/oncologist, I get the same "Whatever, your work is probably fine and affects nothing either way" reaction.  This really surprised me at first as we were taught (recently!) in school that we should probably not massage cancer patients at all (except v. light touch or energy work) & we should expect resistance from oncology staff.  Is my experience unique?

 

[Trust Me]

Massage & Cancer

I have a few cancer-patient clients, in various seforum.xxxes, but all considered to have active cancer now.  All of their docs/oncologists are OK w/massage, anywhere from "It can't hurt you"  to "You should definitely get massage."  My very small experience is that platelet levels, absolute neutrophil counts, bone scans, surgical sites, type & seforum.xxxe of disease, etc. have as yet shown NO pattern in type of massage desired or tolerated by the client, & no matter what I review to the doc/oncologist, I get the same "Whatever, your work is probably fine and affects nothing either way" reaction.  This really surprised me at first as we were taught (recently!) in school that we should probably not massage cancer patients at all (except v. light touch or energy work) & we should expect resistance from oncology staff.  Is my experience unique?

this has been my experience. the powers-that-be don't seem to feel that our work has the potential for harm.
imo, the lymph node issue is the most important piece of information.
then drug side-effects~ my mom, a cancer survivor, was on some drug that irritated the skin on her hands and feet, so much so, that she could not handle any contact on those parts, except for moisturizer, which was painful to apply. (luckily she's not on those meds anymore.)
then physical things like, incision sites/ affected bones/ location of a port are important to me only to ensure a comfortable massage.

 

[evolution is a muthafuka]

I agree with daybreak, take a course on it and get more informed...i would make sure to always get a doctors note, releasing this patient for a massage...

~Jennifer McColleyLMT

 

[Mike M.]

I'm a student in my first semester of MT school, and a friend has offered to be a practice client; he had radiation treatment for medullary thyroid carcinoma and was declared healthy two years ago (fall of 2003). His lymph nodes in his neck were burned away by the radiation. My teacher is not sure whether I should work on him (I'm a little surprised actually) and suggested I do a bit more research.

Our safe practices guide suggests that 3+ years of remission means no issues with massage, but for 2 years one should be cautious about circulatory massage. My friend has a professional massage therapist who moved his lymph down from his neck to relieve the swelling a while back.

I am thinking that circulatory massage everywhere but the neck and shoulder region should be OK, and holds/traction/fulcrum stuff that I have learned recently should be OK in the head and neck region.

Can anyone comment on this? I hate to turn away someone who loves massage, especially after all he's been through (and has been a good friend on top of that)!

Cheers,
BP

 

[Evan Blows Bubbles]

just get him to call his oncologist's office and ask if it's okay to receive and if there are any "don'ts" (contras)

 

[fuzzy!]

Massage and cancer

My training protocol says for persons with lymph node removal or damage, pressure in the node removal area could initiate edema. However as therapists we have no way of knowing if a client has a propensity for this. As always, when dealing with an unknown, err on the side of caution: on the affected side only very light pressure on limb, slightly more on the torso, and a little more on hands or feet. Don't work so deeply or vigorously that hyperemia results.

 

[Prince]

I agree with many of the previous posts, that if you have doubts, you should never hesitate to have the customer ask his/her doctor, at least to calm your own doubts.

I have to also say that I was diagnosed with cervical cancer 2 years ago, and have been in remission for 1 year, and I have no concerns about getting massage for myself.

In some cases, whether to massage or not depends on the type of cancer. Of course, different kinds of cancers should be approached in different ways. Cancers like Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma are different, and are further complicated by the fact that leukemias are auto-immune, and massage is an obvious immune booster.

I found out a lot about cancer from my doctor. People hear the word "cancer" and they (rightly) assume the worst, but not all cancers are as aggressive as, say, lung, breast, or prostate cancer. In my case, some people have undiagnosed cervical cancer for many years before it ever metastisizes, and is viewed as a "less threatening" cancer, although some patients are diagnosed and die within 6 months.

Obviously, I think it is vitally important to know what you are doing before attempting to work on anyone with active or remissed cancers, but it can be done safely and with great benefits to the patient. My mother runs a mastectomy boutique and I have personally worked on patients with active cancers who are taking chemo or undergoing radiation, and I believe that it is so important for these people.

CAUTION is never a bad thing. EDUCATION is an even better thing. It is always important to know exactly what you are dealing with, and the best way to do that is to get a doctor's consent, IMO.

I was actually surprised that my own doctor did not know about the debate about cancer massage, or why massage might be considered dangerous. When I informed her, she was like "OH gawd no...go right ahead!" But, with the state of litigation being as it is in this country, I think it's never a bad idea to be safe and get as much info and consent as possible.