How Cancer Patients can Use Therapeutic Massage to Improve Their Quality of Life

Cancer symptoms can impact a patient’s quality of life. Pain and anxiety can be debilitating, and the side effects of treatment can also interfere with daily functioning. Thankfully, patients have a number of palliative treatment options to counteract these conditions.

Massage therapy is one of the most effective therapies for improving quality of life after a cancer diagnosis. Therapeutic massage can relieve both physical and mental symptoms, often within just a few sessions.
The alternative therapy can address a number of quality of life concerns, including:

* Soreness
* Localized pain
* Lack of sleep
* Nausea/vomiting
* Digestive Complications

Patients also report feeling less stressed after therapeutic massage sessions, thanks to the calming music, dim lighting and soothing touch. In one study, patients reported improvements in anxiety after as few as three 30-minute sessions.

How Patients can Obtain the Most Benefits from Therapeutic Massage
Because the therapy can cost upwards of $70 per session before insurance, patients will want to make the most out of each massage. To obtain the most symptom relief from the session, patients can take several steps:

Choose the right Massage Therapist. Massage therapy for cancer is much different than an ordinary massage. Make sure your Massage Therapist is trained in oncology massage. To make the search easier, first check with your hospital or cancer treatment center. Many have a designated massage therapy staff – or a recommendation to a qualified professional in the area.

Help your Massage Therapist help you. Tell your Massage Therapist which symptoms are bothering you the most on the day of your appointment. Be sure to explain which parts of your body are sore from tumor growth and which ones were recently treated with radiation therapy. This will help the Massage Therapist tailor the massage specifically to your body.

Speak up. Therapeutic massage should not hurt. If the massage causes discomfort or pain speak up immediately so your Massage Therapist can choose a different technique.

Commit to relaxing. Once you are on the massage table, try to clear your mind. Push anxiety-inducing thoughts out of your brain and focus on relaxing each part of your body.

Author bio: Faith Franz researches and writes about health-related issues for the Mesothelioma Center. One of her focuses is living with cancer.