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BREAKING NEW GROUND Client Homework Resources Dougherty, P.M. "Persistent Chemoneuropathy in Patients Receiving the Plant Alkaloids Paclitaxol and Vincristine." Cancer Chemotherapeutic Pharmacology (March 2013). Gilbert, M. and T. Armstrong. "Understanding ChemotherapyInduced Peripheral Neuropathy." Coping (2006): 26–7. Polomano, R.C. and J.T. Farrar. "Pain and Neuropathy in Cancer Survivors." American Journal of Nursing 106 (2006): 39–47. Rosson, G.D. "Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy." Clinics in Podiatric Medicine and Surgery 23 (2006): 637–49. WebMD. "Understanding Peripheral Neuropathy—The Basics." Accessed December 2013. www.webmd.com/ brain/understanding-peripheral-neuropathy-basics. 88 massage & bodywork january/february 2014 This self-care assignment must be done daily for your massage therapist's work to be effective. It's very important for you to make time every day to perform this therapy. It complements the work you receive from your practitioner. You'll spend at least 15 minutes on each foot. ■ Start by lightly massaging both feet. Squeeze and massage as deeply as you can tolerate, but don't cause pain. ■ Perform this range-of-motion (ROM) exercise: "write out" the whole alphabet using your toes and ankle joint to trace the shapes of every letter in the air. ■ Grasp the tip of one toe and massage and squeeze it as deeply as you can tolerate. Work on the entire toe from top to bottom. Repeat for all toes. Deeply stroke the skin of both feet toward your knee. ■ Now, squeeze and massage all the tissue of your feet between the toes, on both the front and back surfaces of your foot. Massage as deeply as you can tolerate—squeezing, pressing, and massaging every inch. ■ Aggressively stroke both feet from your toes to your knee with strokes moving in the direction of the knee. ■ Massage your calves. ■ Repeat the ROM exercise a second time. ■ Throughout the day, whenever you can, take your shoes off and rub your feet against the floor, bend your toes, and perform your ROM exercise. You can also roll a tennis ball under the sole of your bare foot. ■ Although your feet may be tender when you begin this homework, your goal is to eventually work so deeply you can feel bone underneath your skin. This may take some time. Be patient, and work as deeply as you can each time. Your most important goal is consistent, daily, deep work.