Massage can be a very relaxing and therapeutic treatment for breast cancer patients, although they may require special treatment. There are massage therapists who are trained in massage methods that specifically address the physical and emotional issues that a breast cancer patient may have. Your health care professional, breast cancer organizations, or breast cancer support groups may be able to recommend someone.
Types of Massage
Massage makes use of different types of pressure and touch. It can be very light, meaning the massage therapist gently massages only the skin, or be considered a deep massage, where the therapist will actually manipulate deeper layers of muscle and tissue. The therapist may simply rub or stroke your skin, or she may gently knead the skin between the palms of her hands. The method she uses will depend on different things, including your type of breast cancer surgery and any treatments you are having for breast cancer.
She will need to be careful to avoid any areas that are still healing from breast cancer surgery or that may be irritated due to your breast cancer treatments. Tell her if there's a specific area that should not be massaged. Let the therapist know immediately if anything she is doing hurts or causes discomfort.
If you are able to have a deep massage, the therapist will use more pressure, will rub harder, and will go beyond just touching the skin. She may roll or compress the skin and muscles, or may knead more firmly.
Massage Positions
Massage can be given either while you lie on a table or sit in a chair. If you have only recently had breast cancer surgery, which may have included mastectomy and breast reconstruction, you may have to opt for the chair method, especially if your doctor is not yet allowing you to sleep on your stomach.
If you are able to have a table massage, the therapist may place pillows under different parts of your body so that they will be supported better and you will feel more comfortable. It is up to you, however, to tell your therapist if you are uncomfortable or need extra support.
A chair massage is done while you sit in a special chair that offers more support for your body. Ask the therapist for pillows or other devices to make you comfortable if you need them.
Before the massage begins, you need to observe that the therapist is following stringent hygiene methods. Breast cancer patients, especially those who are going through chemotherapy or radiation treatments, are more susceptible to infection.
Benefits
Massage can provide you with both physical and emotional benefits. You will definitely feel more relaxed, and may even discover that you are not in as much pain.
Massage can also help with lymphedema, where fluid that is normally channeled through the lymphatic channel instead pools in a limb. It has also been shown that massage therapy can increase the number of white blood cells, which are often lost in chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Tags: breast cancer, breast cancer surgery, cancer surgery, massage therapist, able have, breast cancer
