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Massage and Cancer
Big question! Massage and Cancer? I hear pros and cons about when and what kind of massage you can do on a client with cancer. Power of touch in the safe zone, what is Safe? I just had a client who completed the client information form but neglected to state they were undergoing chemotherapy until half way through the massage. Thank you, Rick Romine
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Susan G. Salvo on
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While I agree that taking a workshop is a good idea to learn more about any subject, I disagree strongly that you must take a workshop before you touch someone with cancer.
Performing a though intake and formulating an appropriate treatment plan is prudent for EVERY client, not just someone with cancer. All clients deserve this level of care.
Obtaining physician consent is a good idea as this process places the therapist into the client’s treatment team. It’s not a legal strategy as Mr Bruce Hopkins implies. It is also about professionalism expected of all health care providers and demonstrates to the client that you are a team player, willing to communicate to other members of the team that your client is assembling.
Checklists are used in every educational arena. These lists condense essential information. Instructors use checklists frequently as students/therapists are more likely to recall information found in them. I would suspect that even the workshops Mr Hopkins is promoting use them too.
Sorry if I did not mention this earlier, but the checklist I posted was from Mosby’s Pathology for Massage Therapists, second edition. The chapter on Cancer was reviewed by an oncologist, a registered nurse, and two massage therapists who specialize in Cancer Massage (one MT reviewer was Beverly Byers, author of Cancer Massage [chapter in Modalities published by Elsevier]). So please feel confident that the information within the checklist is valid and reliable.
Let us know if you need anything else. Information here is free (and darn good information, I might add).
Bruce A Hopkins said:I am a Director of the Society for Oncology Massage - an international organization (English speaking countries). Our members, who provide massage to cancer patients at all stages of the cancer journey, practice in major cancer centers, smaller clinics, and private practices.
Potential members are required to take an intense 24 hour course on the physiological effects of various cancers and their treatments. All of the material covered is important - any particular piece can be crucial to the welfare of the next patient/client.who walks through your door.
Do not let anyone tell you that this check list or that summary prepares you to discharge your primary responsibility, to do no harm. With cancer patients, especially those in treatment, you need to know what not to do and when not to do it based on a thorough understanding of each patient's condition.
It is a wise practice and good manners to ask for the doctor's consent. But, you can not take refuge in the idea that the doctor approved it, so it must be OK. Unless you are following specific and detailed doctors orders, the doctor has no responsibility for any adverse outcome. And, truth be told, many physicians have only the vaguest idea of what massage is all about in general and of the damage that inappropriate massage can do in particular.
We recommend that any massage therapist who wishes to work with cancer patients/survivors take an oncology massage training course first. Numerous weekend continuing education courses, offered regularly across the country, meet S4OM's rigorous standards. A list of instructors can be found on our website at http://www.s4om.org.- click on For Therapists and then Trainings.
With the proper training. working with cancer patients is likely to be the most satisfying work you have ever done.
If you have questions, please email info@s4om.org.
Bruce Hopkins
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Permalink Reply by Bruce A Hopkins on
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Thank you Susan for your comments. I appreciate your pointing out places where I should have been clearer. I should also have pointed out that my opinions come from seven years of focusing exclusively on oncology massage, both in a hospital oncology department and in private practice.
1. I agree with you that "Performing a though intake and formulating an appropriate treatment plan is prudent for EVERY client, not just someone with cancer. " However, the critical element you don't state is that the therapist interviewing a cancer patient has sufficient knowledge of the various cancers and treatments to understand what the client is saying, to ask the necessary follow up questions about typical issues that the client may not fully understand or has forgotten to mention and then knows what not to do and when not to do it.
Usually we don't know what we don't know. In a classroom I learn from the instructor's presentation, I learn by asking questions and I learn the most from other peoples' questions. I realize, "I didn't think to ask that!". Because oncology work is so different from everyday massage, what we don't know is a lot. That is why oncology massage classes are so important.
2. With respect to physician consent, I said "It is a wise practice and good manners to ask for the doctor's consent" . I should have gone on to point out that this is primarily about our responsibility to do no harm, secondly about professional courtesy and thirdly about legal responsibility. Certainly, as you point out, demonstrating team play to the client is also an objective.
The concept of a patient care team is well established. Unfortunately, it is a two way street and we cannot appoint ourselves as valued members. We have to earn that status. The unfortunate truth is that massage therapists are not high on the typical oncologist's list of team members. Oncologists do learn about the benefits of massage from their patients and some oncologists eventually become believers. But, they too don't know what they don't know. Specifically they don't know about the damage inappropriate massage therapy has done and will continue to do.
3. Finally, Susan, I think we agree on checklists but state it differently. As you said, they summarize essential information. But they are not the essential information. I count on my airline pilot's knowledge to have come came from the classroom and hands-on experience, not just a pre-flight checklist. Given the demonstrated potential for harm, my oncology massage clients should expect no less of me.
Bruce
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Thanks Bruce,
Well stated.
I hope to attend one of your workshops this year.
PS - I do have trouble frequently accessing your site.
Bruce A Hopkins said:Thank you Susan for your comments. I appreciate your pointing out places where I should have been clearer. I should also have pointed out that my opinions come from seven years of focusing exclusively on oncology massage, both in a hospital oncology department and in private practice.
1. I agree with you that "Performing a though intake and formulating an appropriate treatment plan is prudent for EVERY client, not just someone with cancer. " However, the critical element you don't state is that the therapist interviewing a cancer patient has sufficient knowledge of the various cancers and treatments to understand what the client is saying, to ask the necessary follow up questions about typical issues that the client may not fully understand or has forgotten to mention and then knows what not to do and when not to do it.
Usually we don't know what we don't know. In a classroom I learn from the instructor's presentation, I learn by asking questions and I learn the most from other peoples' questions. I realize, "I didn't think to ask that!". Because oncology work is so different from everyday massage, what we don't know is a lot. That is why oncology massage classes are so important.
2. With respect to physician consent, I said "It is a wise practice and good manners to ask for the doctor's consent" . I should have gone on to point out that this is primarily about our responsibility to do no harm, secondly about professional courtesy and thirdly about legal responsibility. Certainly, as you point out, demonstrating team play to the client is also an objective.
The concept of a patient care team is well established. Unfortunately, it is a two way street and we cannot appoint ourselves as valued members. We have to earn that status. The unfortunate truth is that massage therapists are not high on the typical oncologist's list of team members. Oncologists do learn about the benefits of massage from their patients and some oncologists eventually become believers. But, they too don't know what they don't know. Specifically they don't know about the damage inappropriate massage therapy has done and will continue to do.
3. Finally, Susan, I think we agree on checklists but state it differently. As you said, they summarize essential information. But they are not the essential information. I count on my airline pilot's knowledge to have come came from the classroom and hands-on experience, not just a pre-flight checklist. Given the demonstrated potential for harm, my oncology massage clients should expect no less of me.
Bruce
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Hi Susan,
If you, or anyone else, have trouble with the Society for Oncology Massage website (www.s4om.org), please let me know and I will try to help. There are so many systems out there, it is hard to provide for all the variations without user feedback.
Just email webmaster(at)s4om.org.
Thank you all very much.
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Bruce,
Would you be interested in sharing some of your knowledge and expertise freely in this forum?
It if obviously needed and would be greatly appreciated.
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