Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/72103
THE PROGRESSION OF ONCOLOGY MASSAGE that I was at risk for lymphedema. We talked for about five minutes and then she asked me to get on the table, that she would 'be able to fix me up.'" Judy was so anxious to receive a massage that she was not paying attention to what the therapist was saying or doing. The first missed clue was the amount of pressure the therapist used; it was way too much pressure for a cancer survivor, especially someone at risk for lymphedema. Judy thought maybe the pressure would get better. Not until the therapist began working on the arm at risk for lymphedema with a lot of pressure, including the axilla, did she really began to think, "This therapist doesn't know what she is doing." By the end of the massage, Judy had begun to feel slightly nauseated and by the next day, her affected arm was swollen with early stage lymphedema. "I was upset with myself that I did not speak up. The day after, I experienced flu-like symptoms that lasted almost up to the day of surgery." After that experience, Judy was too afraid to allow anyone to touch her body, so she started gentle swimming to treat the lymphedema. "I swam every day prior to surgery to help with the lymphedema. I was as ready for surgery as I could be, but not in the way that I had wished." It wasn't until after she completed her treatment that Judy recognized how angry she was with the therapist who caused the lymphedema. "How am I going to learn to trust another therapist? How come she didn't know about the dangers of using too much pressure? Why didn't she know the proper protocol for working with cancer survivors at risk for lymphedema? Why didn't she conduct a health history?" "And, I was upset with myself for not speaking up," Judy laments. It was 18 months before she had enough confidence to receive another massage, With 12 million cancer survivors in the United States, all massage therapists will need to know how to meet the needs of clients affected by cancer treatment. Photo courtesy of Gayle MacDonald. and then only with a very trusted colleague. She knows now that her lesson is to empower others to speak up. While it is true that clients have a responsibility to speak up about their care, therapists must realize that they are responsible for holding the power differential of the therapist- client relationship as a sacred trust. ONCOLOGY MASSAGE EDUCATION TODAY Today, oncology massage education is in the place I had hoped for and in the place I most feared. Most schools no longer teach the long-held belief 38 massage & bodywork may/june 2011 that massage will cause cancer to metastasize. That is a step forward. But schools are giving diverse instruction. Some teach to "check with the client's doctor." Doctors, however, aren't usually familiar with our work so they can't contribute from an informed basis. Other schools tell students it is OK to massage people affected by cancer, but to wait until they are trained. I like that message. Regrettably, many schools fail to take the next step—the provision of basic training. A few schools now include hours of