Massage Therapy for People with Cancer
The effects of cancer treatment on a person will depend on a variety of influences:
• Previous medical history
• Type of cancer treatments
• Length of time in treatment
• Prior fitness level
• Age-related issues
• Mental and emotional status
• Nutrition
There is no perfect recipe for calculating the right pressure. Sometimes the calculating is easy and straightforward, such as for a person with a platelet count below 20,000, or a person whose legs are severely edematous because of chemotherapy. Each of these people should receive a touch that is akin to the amount of pressure used to lightly lotion the body. Their massage plans are simple by virtue of their medical complexity. However, someone who finished treatment six months or six years previous will be more complicated because the range of possibilities is broader. It is ironic that massage for a profoundly ill hospital patient is simpler than for a recovered client who was treated years ago.
Gauging pressure is a subjective thing, both to therapists and clients. To a sports massage therapist, gentle pressure may mean petrissage to the superficial muscles. To someone who practices Swedish Massage or Myofascial Release, it will mean something else. Clients will tell the bodywork practitioner that they can receive deep pressure, which translates in the therapist’s mind to ‘down to the bone,’ and to the client means moderate soft tissue involvement. Communicating about pressure is an inexact science. The Pressure Guidelines on page 101 will help to clarify the range of pressures and when each is appropriate.
