The Breakdown Of What Oncology Massage Does?

Relieving Pain 

Pain is the most common symptom among cancer patients. While the exact amount of pain varies depending on the type and stage of cancer, research has shown that pain generally affects over 50% of people undergoing cancer therapy and up to 90% of those with advanced cancer.

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Massage therapy shows promise for reducing pain intensity/severity, fatigue, and anxiety in individuals diagnosed with cancer. This was the conclusion of a collaborative meta-analysis of research on massage therapy for pain conducted by the Samueli Institute and was also commissioned by the "Massage Therapy Foundation", with much support from the AMTA (American Massage Therapy Association). 

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Reducing Nausea 

Chemotherapy is known to be an aggressive treatment that can have many aggressive side effects, with nausea and vomiting being one of the most common of them. While medications to prevent nausea is often used for really bad cases, newer research shows that massage can help patients find some relief from these nausea symptoms.

A study was conducted back in 2018, it was known as the "quasi-randomized controlled pilot study" in which results showed that incidences of nausea and vomiting were significantly lower in individuals receiving massage.

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Helping Lift Depression

Depression is not uncommon for individuals battling cancer, or even after surviving the disease. At a time when a person is dealing with a lot of unknowns or worrying about possible outcomes, changes in mood can be expected, but that doesn’t make depression any less troublesome. There is some research that shows that massage therapy can/may help with depression and mood disorders in cancer patients. 

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Easing Fatigue 

Oncology patients already have the mental strain of fighting a life-threatening disease, so helping them find ways to alleviate this fatigue can improve their ability to continue participating in the things they miss and value. According to some new research, massage therapy can play a vital role in lessening fatigue in oncology patients.

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Alleviating Lymphedema

Lymphedema (a chronic condition that causes swelling in the body's tissues due to a buildup of lymph fluid) is one of the most common conditions developed because of cancer treatment, causing swelling in the arms and legs which can be painful. For cancer patients dealing with this condition, lymphatic drainage has shown promise. When a massage therapist is performs manual lymphatic drainage, they can play a crucial role in helping to identify and treat lymphedema of the arm.

If the nodes have been removed, it is important for individuals to have the upper extremity drained from time to time to keep the lymphatic vessels open and working. If massage has not been performed, an injury or insult to the extremity can cause the area to swell and become increasingly painful.

The effects of lymphedema are long-lasting and don’t fade easily. For that reason, there is a need for awareness and constant communication with clients who have lymphedema when administering any type of massage. Using light pressure is important for any area of the body where nodes have been removed.

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Helping Prevent Neuropathy

Recent research on massage therapy for cancer patients continues to indicate its value for preventing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (is a group of conditions that cause nerve damage outside of the brain and spinal cord, resulting in pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in one or more parts of the body. Some symptoms are but are not limited to: Tingling or numbness in a certain body part, Burning pain, Paralysis, Muscle weakness, Cramps, Muscle twitching, Loss of muscle and bone, Changes in skin, hair, or nails and Loss of sensation or feeling in body parts.)