By Tracy Walton
When I first saw clients with cancer and post-treatment, there were few guidelines for our work. There was little direction in the massage literature. It was the early 1990’s, and we were years away from using the term, “oncology massage therapy (OMT).”
But our clients wanted massage therapy during cancer treatment, post-treatment, at end of life, and while waiting for treatment to start. So we figured out how to give it to them.
With the input of their cancer care providers, massage therapists practiced cautiously. We invented the work as we went along.
We had good reasons for that caution. Massage therapists and clients told numerous stories of massage gone wrong in people with cancer—especially during treatment. Clients told of us of being bruised or getting sick after massage. We saw that massage, incorrectly applied, could aggravate lymphedema, a chronic, painful, and disfiguring condition that can follow lymph node removal or radiation. We even have heard, since, of fracture following inappropriate massage pressure in clients whose bones were weakened by cancer spread.
Working Lightly is Not Enough
We learned that avoiding these problems requires more than simply working gently. We are careful with pressure, yes, but we are also careful with joint movement, positioning, and in some cases, even the direction of our strokes.
Nanci Newton, an OMT instructor and therapist of 20 years, observes, “Oncology massage therapy is not just a collection of lighter techniques. It’s also mindful and thoughtful intake questions. Knowing what you are looking for from a client, why you ask each question, and how you are going to use the answers.”
Erika Slocum echoes this approach. She works at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and also teaches OMT. She says, “We look at each client’s individual health picture, what their needs are, how they are coming to us that day. We’re the furthest thing from the one-size-fits-all massage therapy plan.”
She notes that while massage therapy is always customized to the client, in oncology massage therapy, we target cancer symptoms and treatment side effects.
How Does Massage Help in Cancer Care?
Possible benefits of massage include relief from “The Big Five”–common symptoms and side effects in cancer care. Most people, without even looking at the list below, can name the big five:
- Pain
- Anxiety
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Depression
Research suggests massage therapy can help with these common problems in cancer care. Some of the strongest research support for the relief of pain and anxiety. On top of that, clients tell us they sleep better with massage therapy, and better sleep helps ease many other side effects and symptoms. It helps people cope. Clients feel less isolated. They tell us they are glad to have something to look forward to each week.
Clients Get Relief—then Rebook
By shifting our focus, from avoiding harm to actually helping symptoms, we offer a real, solution-focused service. Oncology massage therapy takes its place as a specialty within therapeutic massage.
Nanci puts it this way: “Offering this kind of care, I’ve helped many clients with their symptoms. People with pain from bone or vital organ involvement. People with breathing problems. People with severe swelling or uncomfortable medical devices. It takes time and skill, but it’s effective. It brings clients back for more.”
What can MTs learn from oncology massage therapy training?
Information about cancer and cancer treatment can be overwhelming. In oncology massage therapy training, students learn how to organize that information. They practice interviewing and communicating with clients. Using full case studies, they practice hands-on work. They even learn positioning techniques designed to ease pain and improve sleep.
Erika observes: “When I talk with a massage therapist who sees people with cancer, but who hasn’t read or studied the subject, I am concerned if they are not asking specific interview questions or making certain modifications. Sometimes there are precautions that aren’t obvious, that are under the surface. These precautions are important in order to realize the benefits of the work.”
She continues: “But also, there is so much joy in this work. Once the safety issues are addressed, the rewards come quickly. We get back to the basics of what a lot of people went to massage school for: comfort, connections, offering touch that is therapeutic.”
If you want to use your MT skills to help clients with cancer, join us in our next 4-day intensive oncology massage therapy training at FSM. You will gain the skills and confidence you need in order to serve a large and appreciative population of clients. With this foundation, there are many opportunities to build your practice in new and exciting ways.
