Part of the fun being a massage therapist brings is taking classes to meet CE (continuing education) requirements for license renewal. I met a lovely lady in Sarasota who was looking for a massage but would only receive it from a specially trained oncology massage therapist. That was enough for me to seek out this training.
I enjoyed the class and learned about cancer and its treatments. I learned when and how best to massage a person who is currently undergoing different kinds of treatments including chemotherapy. I feel confident that I won’t inflict additional harm on these poor souls.
Cancer survivors often don’t understand the long term impact of their treatments which are also a consideration for massage therapists. For example, once you’ve had radiation treatment there is an increased risk of brittleness in the bones of the surrounding area. This is important for a massage therapist with a strong elbow to know. Another significant risk is in store for those who have lymph nodes removed. Even one node removal reduces the body’s capacity to move liquid and therefore forever increases the chances of lymphedema, a serious swelling of the tissues, most commonly occurring in the legs or arms. A massage therapist needs to be aware of node removals so that proper pressure and body positioning is used during the massage.
If you have experienced cancer and its treatments, please know that you are safe with me. You too can benefit from the relaxing and therapeutic touch of massage. I will address all your needs. I’d love to hear about your experiences, if any, related to this topic.