The Massage Geek^® Blog

Speaking of massage therapy for cancer patients, this article appeared today:

Massage therapist works with cancer patients

This past week I stumbled upon an interesting website called Yedda.com. It is a free site where people can share their information and expertise. Just ask a question and someone else answers! And you can answer other people’s questions in your area of interest.

I did a quick search for massage-related questions and found this one from hotkit22f. The response I submitted is below.

Question submitted by hotkit22f:

Massage Problem
Why is it that massage tharapists require cancer patients to have a Dr’s note before they will give them a massage? I went to get a massage and was turned away when they found out that i have had cancer in the past and I didn’t have a Dr’s note.

My Answer:

Hotkit, I am so sorry that happened to you. I hope you have received a massage by now!

There is no reason to turn away a client who has been diagnosed with cancer in the past or who is currently receiving treatment for cancer. You should have been able to get a massage that day.

When I was in massage school, we were told by our instructors to not work on anyone who has cancer or anyone who is pregnant. They drilled it into our heads that a therapist had to be specially trained to work with those populations and that we shouldn’t work on them at all with out permission from the doctor. The instructors were very competent to teach and certainly well-meaning, but misinformed. The result was that most students became scared to touch anyone with a special condition.

The instructors had assumed that since massage increases blood and lymph circulation, it could therefore increase the chances of the cancer metastasizing. The current understanding is that massage should not increase the risk of metastatic cancer. The blood and lymph already flow through the body at a very fast clip. A massage is not going to increase the speed or distance covered by any particular cell in the stream.

Most people assume that “doctor knows best” and even “doctor knows everything.” Massage therapists do not want to put anyone at risk or be blamed for negative outcomes. So they may require an MD to sign off on the treatment. But the truth is that 99% of doctors have NOOO idea what massage is, what it does, and what the different types of massage are. Even fewer will know if massage is indicated or contraindicated for a certain condition.

The massage performed may vary depending on the type of cancer and the stage of development. At the very least, the therapist could have given you a light relaxation massage. A lighter pressure massage poses no more danger to the body than tossing and turning in bed or giving someone a hug. We certainly aren’t going to stop hugging people with cancer!

The obvious contraindication is massage on the tumor itself. Massaging the tumor could break it up and release cancer cells. (Who knows?! In five years we may realize that is wrong too!)

I am very fortunate to have a contract with the local university hospital to provide massage therapy to cancer patients WHILE they are receiving their dose of chemotherapy. It is quite a trick to maneuver around the wires and tubes, but it can be done! The patients are very appreciative. It really does bring some solace to the situation and soothes the worn out nerves.

About a year ago, during a routine massage on a healthy female client, I found a lump on her neck. I told her what I found and moved on to massage other areas. It turned out to be a malignant tumor and I am sad to say that she will not be with us much longer. I just visited her in hospice this week to provide one last massage.

One of the experts in this field is Tracy Walton. I defer to her on all points.

Look for future posts on The Massage Geek Blog on these topics:

• Massage Tutorial for MD’s
• Indications and Contraindications for Massage
• Massage and Nerves