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What is oncology massage?

Over the Christmas break I completed my Oncology Massage course with Susan Findlay. The course was so much more than I imagined it would be – more wholesome, more holistic, more client-centred and it reminded me (again) of the importance of touch.

One in two of us will have cancer at some point in our lives, and it felt important for me to learn more about how best to help those affected by it.

A few people have asked me what oncology massage is so I thought I’d write down my thoughts as I begin my journey into this field of work.

What is oncology massage?

“Oncology massage is simply the adaptation of massage techniques with the consideration of the effects of cancer treatment.” ( ‘Oncology Massage – and integrative approach to cancer care’ by Janet Penny & Rebecca L Sturgeon)

Obviously the specifics are all about exactly which considerations need to be made and how best to work as part of a client’s primary care and oncology team.

Oncology massage won’t look the same for everyone.

How does it differ from sports massage?

With sports massage, most clients will come with a specific issue in their body. It might be restricting their movement, preventing them from playing a sport they love, causing pain in everyday life or might be related to an injury. Although I always take a whole-body approach, because everything is connected (obvs!!), the primary goal is to identify and ‘fix’ the area(s) of concern. [In truth, the massage therapist doesn’t ‘fix’ their client, but the work we do helps the client to move more comfortably and with greater awareness, and these improvements resolve the problem over time].

Clients may need 4-6 treatments initially to get them back to a level playing field, and from there they might have maintenance treatments as required. Over time, we might keep coming back to the same areas or change our approach as things within the body evolve. Either way, the goal for most sports massage clients is reduced pain & improved movement.

With oncology massage the focus is much more holistic because there is often nothing to ‘fix’. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t be hugely beneficial!

Oncology massage is about the whole person (rather than their illness) and it is a non-medical interaction which can be hugely important given everything else they may be going through/have been through.

It offers a sense of connection, can improve relaxation & create a feeling of being seen/heard. It can be offered pre-, during and post-cancer treatments. It might be as simple as a hand massage for someone while they are having a chemotherapy treatment, or focus on specific areas of the body following surgery.

What are the potential benefits of oncology massage?

Each oncology massage will be truly unique to the client, taking into account the specifics of their diagnosis, the treatment being undertaken, the stage of their disease, their prognosis, etc. so it is hard to generalise about the benefits.

However, here is a list of potential benefits, that have been observed in research, into the effects of different massage modalities on cancer patients:

  • relieves muscle soreness related to inactivity or cancer treatments
  • stimulates lymphatic flow, reduces swelling and lymphedema
  • increases range of movement and functional movement patterns
  • promotes relaxation
  • stimulates the digestive system (improves bowel and kidney function)
  • improves sleep quality
  • promotes alertness and mental clarity
  • reduces pain
  • reduces symptoms from chemotherapy and radiotherapy
  • improves rate of recovery from anaesthesia
  • stimulates wound healing
  • improves scar tissue elasticity
  • reduces time in hospital
  • promotes a greater patient awareness about their body, which may also promote positive body image for the patient and an improved sense of connection with themself
  • provides reassuring touch
  • reduces anxiety and depression
  • offers hope
  • reduces feelings of isolation
  • provides a distraction/time-out
  • improves sense of control about making decisions for their body

Obviously, not everyone having an oncology massage will experience all of these benefits but can you imagine how good even one or two of these would feel when you’re going through possibly the darkest of days?

It’s worth saying that sports massage clients may also experience many of these benefits!

How can I help?

This course reminded me how important a role touch therapy can play for all of us so I will continue to offer sports and clinical massage as I already do. But as a result of my certification, I’m looking forward to being able to broaden my work to include oncology clients.

I think it is so important for us to feel whole, regardless of what we have been through. Inevitably it is the job of our medical team to remove or manage the disease and that is obviously the primary focus, but we are so much more than a damaged part. With oncology massage, perhaps I can be a small part of someone’s healing journey or offer support when healing is not an option.  

Where appropriate, I will treat oncology clients from my home treatment room, but I also hope to get involved offering massage in a clinical oncology setting, where I can use my skills to help people when they are facing something that none of us ever want to face.

Please get in contact if you would like to discuss sports or oncology massage with me.

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Anatomy corner – QL

Quadratus lumborum (QL)

Spanning the gap between our 12th rib and the top of our pelvis, QL effectively joins the upper and lower body together. It is a deep back muscle but can also be thought of as a posterior abdominal muscle!

Where is it?

If you stand like Peter Pan with your hands on your hips, your thumbs will be sitting over the lateral portion of QL.

(source: The Concise Book Of Muscles by Chris Jarmey)

QL attaches to the bottom rib, the transverse processes (sticky-out bits) of the first four lumbar vertebrae (L1-L4) and the posterior iliac crest.

In the back of the body it is overlaid by the erector spinae muscles and the thoracolumbar fascia.

In the front of the body it is overlaid by psoas major and minor.

What does it do?

QL can work unilaterally (one side at a time) or bilaterally (both sides together) and the movements vary accordingly:

Unilaterally – lifting the pelvis towards the rib (hip hitch) and bringing the ribs towards the pelvis (side bend) will use the QL muscle on that side of the body. Back extension/standing upright will also involve QL on one or both sides of the body

Bilaterally – QL stabilizes/anchors the bottom ribs during deep inhalation/exhalation (eg for singers using diaphragmatic breathing techniques)

Movements that rely on QL:

Certain sports or exercises rely heavily on QL strength and may therefore create overuse issues. Examples will usually include one-sided flexion with rotation – think of a tennis serve, a golf swing or any throwing sport (eg. cricket or javelin)

Similarly, repetitive working patterns can create over-use issues – plastering, construction work, gardening, etc.

In everyday life we might also rely on QL, perhaps more than it likes?! Think about repetitive ball tossing for the dog, carrying a child on one hip, teaching a movement class and only demonstrating on one side of the body, etc.

QL can also be involved in static situations! For example, sitting unevenly will effectively create a hip hitch on one side (eg. feet tucked up to one side of the body, a car seat of office chair where the hips are not supported in a level position, or even just that we lean more weight onto one sit bone than the other…)

How do you know if QL is unhappy?

Usually you will notice some low back pain or tightness, which might refer up to the ribs or down over the hips.

It might feel tighter on one side when you do a side bend or a hip rolling movement.

You might find it hard to soften and lengthen your low back (eg. when trying to tilt the pelvis forward and back)

What can you do about it?

Book a massage would be an obvious answer, because it can specifically get skilled hands onto the affected area. Massage can be used to release any potential trigger points, which will in turn improve your movement function and reduce on-going issues. Let me know if I can help!

In terms of self-care, try to identify the movements or positions which are keeping your QL ‘stuck’ because changing those factors will likely get to the source of the problem. You might also like to join a Pilates or Yoga class which addresses general movement patterns through the torso and gives you a chance to notice how your body is moving, or not!

I am a big fan of trigger point release work (you probably already knew that!).

You can find some TP release ideas here from Jill Miller and a great blog post on the topic here from Neil Asher Education (this is aimed at therapists but you’ll find some useful stuff here to use at home too).

I hope this all gives you a better understanding about what’s happening in the back of your waist, what might be aggravating it and what you might do to help it.

Next time we’re working here on the massage table or in class you’ll know why we’re there!

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Self-care strategies for easeful movement

Here’s a round-up of short videos I have created during 2022 to give you some easy self-care ‘homework’ to use between massage treatments.

I hope you find something useful for your body!

As always, please ask if you are unsure whether a particular move is right for you; go gently and pay close attention to any feedback from your body (ie. nothing needs to feel painful to be doing you some good!)

Neck & shoulders:

Hips & Legs:

hamstring stretch with a band

Feet & ankles:

Whole body:

Wishing you an easeful start to 2023:

Remember, ‘little + often’ is most likely going to be a more effective formula than ‘lots x once + never again’!

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re-entering

Just a quick post to let you know that everything is gradually changing as we emerge out of 2020 and into the longer light days ahead.

The past 14 months have been an adventure that probably none of us wanted to take, but I think it has also been a huge opportunity for growth on so many levels. As we head back into the wider world again, I am determined not to lose the lessons I have learned along the way, which means that I am taking gentle steps for myself and taylor-made fitness. You can find out more details below, and I will update regularly as things evolve:

Fitness classes:

Online classes have been a fantastic way to stay connected and stay/get fit and I am happy to say that they are here to stay!

There will be some in-person classes too but ‘fitness mornings’ will be staying online so that you can workout in your own home, either at 7am with me, or by catching-up with the recordings later in the day.

Pilates sessions will be available as in-person and online classes so you can choose the best option for you. There will also be some occasional in-person workshops throughout the year.

In-person classes will follow COVID-safe guidelines, with social distancing between clients, no shared equipment, and no hands-on contact from me

Personal training:

Over the next few weeks we will start to transition from online to in-person personal training, but the online option will still be available for those who prefer it, those who are not local, and those who like to train at times when I can’t get to them!

Online personal training has been really successful but it will be good to see clients face-to-face again. Training will need to be held in an open, spacious area, with good ventilation, preferably outdoors, and social distancing will apply.

Sports massage:

One of the casualties of the past year has been my massage space!!

In March last year, I turned my spare bedroom into my ‘zoom-room’, which meant that my massage room became my overflow space for all the things that used to be in my spare room! My office has recently been moved into the studio space, leaving that room free as a my new massage room…

I’m currently finishing off a complete redecoration so that when I start offering sports massage again, the new space will be a calming area for your treatment.

As soon as I am back to hands-on practice I will let you know!

Please get in touch if I can help:

If you are interested in returning to in-person Pilates classes, looking for online fitness classes, keen to know more about personal training, or want to be the first to know when I’m back at my massage table, please get in touch by email: jane@taylormadefitness.biz

In the meantime, there will be website updates in the coming weeks so check-back soon

Jane

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COVID-19 updates

(updated 21st March 2020 – changes in purple text)

Please find details below regarding changes being made to taylor-made fitness in light of the current situation with coronavirus COVID-19. For the latest Government advice on coronavirus, please click here

I am currently in the process of updating my website to reflect the changes that have been made to taylor-made fitness with regards to coronavirus COVID-19. Please bear with me until everything is fully functional again!

Fitness Pilates and Hi-Li fitness circuit classes:

With effect from Monday 16th March, all in-person group classes have been temporarily suspended and will be delivered as live-streamed or pre-recorded sessions. I have set up a virtual studio in my home so everything is good to go. I will be adding a variety of class options in the coming weeks – please let me know if there is anything you would like me to include.

Please try to carry on with your regular movement practice at home – even if we can’t be in the same space, we can still be collectively exercising at the usual times – physically distant but socially cohesive!

I am going to make a change to the way class bookings are made during this period, so that you will have more flexibility while your finances may be less certain. With effect from April 6th, I will offer monthly subscriptions which will give you access to all my live-streamed and pre-recorded online classes. I hope that you will be in a position to continue supporting me during these changing times, so that taylor-made fitness can still be there to support you once everything is more settled.

I had planned to take a week off 6-13th April but this is currently under review as I’m not sure where I’d go!! I will keep you posted nearer the time and set-up the classes accordingly.

Wellness walks:

At present, I am planning to continue with the Wednesday morning walk as usual and will add an extra walk session on Fridays (details below). In these difficult times, assuming we are not symptomatic, we can all benefit from getting outside and breathing fresh air.

Managing our mental health will be even more vital over the coming weeks and walking is my favourite way to do that. I will be walking and you are welcome to join me if you’d like to.

  • Wednesdays 9-10.30am – meet outside The Old School Hall, Back Road, Sandhurst, Kent – wear wellies or suitable walking boots as all potential routes from here are muddy at present! Dogs welcome.
  • Fridays 9-10.30am – meet by Iden Green pavilion – this will be a circular loop along the quiet lanes; less muddy but also less off-lead options for dogs.

We are lucky to live in a rural setting where we can be outside and away from direct contact with others, even if we are walking in a small, spread-out, group. Here is an article about whether it is still safe to walk, in case you have any concerns: coronavirus and walking

Please note a change to the start time on Fridays (9am instead of 9.15am)

Please do not attend a walk session if you have any COVID-19 symptoms as outlined here or have been in contact with anyone who has these symptoms

There is no charge for these sessions but if you’re planning on joining us please email/text me on the day so that we know to wait for you before setting off. For your own peace of mind, please bring hand gel if you have any as there are no hand-washing facilities available (except puddles perhaps!)

Personal training:

Personal training sessions will continue to be delivered in-person although the following processes will be followed:

  • clients will use their own mats and equipment for their sessions – I will no longer be bringing any items with me and will build sessions around whatever equipment clients have access to
  • I will use hand gel before and after each session as well as using anti-bac wipes on the controls of my van
  • sessions will take place outside at safe distance; where this is not possible we will need to move to live-streamed sessions

PT clients must notify me if they have any COVID-19 symptoms as outlined here or have been in contact with anyone who has these symptoms.

I will be in email contact with individual clients to agree how to proceed and we will continue to review as the situation develops. In the event that clients think they have been potentially exposed to the virus, personal training sessions will need to move to live-streamed sessions. Obviously the same applies if I think have been exposed to the virus.

Sports & clinical massage:

We now have guidance from the Sports Therapy Association which is as follows:

“After spending most of the night reviewing the current Governmental guidance, I have arrived at the conclusion that now is the time to cancel all non urgent appointments and unnecessary social contact , as we are not classed as Allied Health Professionals – that means all clinic appointments, home visits, pitch side commitments and training nights. I’ve shared multiple sources of information over the past few days all of which classifies our role as high risk. I hope that we can look back in several months and say we were wrong and guilty only of overreacting.” Gary Benson Founder of STA

In line with this guidance I feel that my decision to stop offering hands-on treatments from Monday 16th was the best one to take.

Please rest assured that even though I cannot treat you in person at this time, I am still available to offer help as required via online and telephone contact. As well as creating some general self-care release videos that you can use at home, I am also able to offer individual guidance via Skype or Zoom so please reach out if you need my help.

If you have an existing massage voucher, the expiration date will be extended accordingly.

My commitment to you:

This business is my livelihood and my only source of household income, so for sure these are scary and worrying times, as they are for many of you I know. But, more than being my income, this business represents my heart & soul and I am feeling very sad and worried about what might happen to it right now. I know I’m not alone. I know we will get through this. But I’m taking a moment to acknowledge the sadness too.

Today I have been lifted up by the emails & texts of support from all of my lovely clients – thank you so much, it means the world to have that contact. Thank you for your on-going support in uncertain times.

Please keep in touch. Please keep walking. Please (if you can) keep to your usual class schedule at home. Please look after yourselves and your loved ones. Please take time to look up at the sky and plant your feet in the soil. Please take time to lie on the floor and breathe deeply.

I am going to try to keep myself busy creating class content for you and I’ll send regular emails so that you have plenty to keep you busy too. I also plan to complete my L4 Sports Massage course (which is all online) so that I’ll have new skills to share soon. If I get really stir-crazy, I might pack up my dog and a tent and go off-grid for a while…

Hopefully I will see some of you on walks but if not I am here if you need anything – fitness ideas, massage self-care advice, online support, virtual cake & coffee mornings, shopping errands…please shout if you need anything from me at all Jx

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massage room hygiene

In light of the current situation, I thought now might be an ideal time to share the hygiene measures that I have in place for the comfort and safety of all clients visiting my massage room.

massage room hygiene

Please find details below of the steps I take to ensure that my massage room operates as a safe and clean space. These measures are not new, but I will continue to review and update to ensure that best practice is followed:

Me:

  • hand washing – I wash my hands before you arrive, and again while you are settling yourself on the table, as well as immediately after your treatment
  • hand sanitiser – I have a bottle of anti-bacterial and anti-viral hand sanitiser in my massage room which I apply to my hands/forearms before and after your treatment. You are welcome to use the hand sanitiser on arrival/before you leave – or bring your own if you prefer
  • massage wax/lotion – the massage medium is removed from the container using a wooden spatula and applied to my arm for use as required; any surplus on my arm at the end of your treatment, is thrown away

Items that you come into contact with:

  • table linens (ie. towels, flannels, table cover, bolster covers, etc) – when you arrive for your massage, the table will have been made up with clean linens; everything that you touch during your treatment is then stripped and replaced at the end of your session. All linens are washed at 60 degrees using a non-bio liquid detergent and an anti-bacterial laundry cleanser; all items are tumble dried. Massage room linens are always washed separately from my household laundry
  • face cradle – disposable face cradle covers are replaced for each client
  • hard surfaces (eg. arm rest, metal parts on the face cradle, side table, door handles, light switch, etc) – all surfaces are wiped with anti-bacterial wipes between clients
  • massage tools – these are cleaned with anti-bacterial wipes between clients and washed in hot soapy water at the end of each day
  • water & drinking glasses – the water carafe & glass are clean for each client; fresh water is provided for each client

My home:

  • massage room – the floor is wiped/swept between clients and hoovered as required (always before the first client each week and then as necessary). I sometimes dust the picture frames!
  • bathroom – the toilet, wash basin, bath & floor are all cleaned before the first client each week; the hand towel is changed before the first client each week and then as required
  • hall, stairs and landing – these areas are also cleaned prior to the first client visit each week

You:

  • illness – if you have any symptoms of illness, please postpone your massage until a later date; this helps to keep my massage room clean and safe for everyone, but it is also better for your body to receive a massage when you are well. If you’re not sure whether you should postpone, please get in touch beforehand
  • hand washing – if you use the bathroom, please wash your hands, and feel free to use the hand gel

Any questions?

Please know that I take massage room hygiene very seriously so that you can enjoy your treatment without any concerns. If you have any questions at all, please let me know.

If you have any questions/concerns specifically about coronavirus (COVID-19) please refer to the CDC website

Find out more about sports and clinical massage

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Sports massage & me

Introduction:

Vulnerability alert!!! As I walked the dog on Sunday morning, I had some real moments of clarity about the work I do and what I offer. I recorded them on my phone so that I didn’t lose them on the way home! Here are my thoughts on massage and what I offer as a sports massage therapist:

I’ve been thinking about what my massage work is to me and the thing that sticks in my mind is something I’ve heard said to me many times – that we should never trust a massage therapist who doesn’t go for massage themselves. Up until now, I’ve always just believed it and felt a bit pathetic because I don’t go for many massages, but a few things came up for me around this today.

I don’t really feel pain:

Firstly, I don’t really feel pain. I really, really don’t recognise pain in my body. But whatever I do feel, I think I can manage it so my thinking is why would I go for a massage if I’m not in pain? To me massage is very much about having help in managing whatever is happening in your body. In the logical part of my brain, I’m reasoning that I don’t really feel pain so I don’t feel the need to go for a massage. [Of course I know that massage is about more than pain management, but these were just my thoughts as I walked]

  • massage therapy
  • sports massage
  • sports massage

Massage is an exchange of trust:

Secondly, and this is the big one for me, massage is a real exchange of trust and I haven’t always felt like my body has been heard or respected when I’ve been on a massage couch. Often that’s because I’m in a learning setting and the person working on me is primarily there to learn something and not there to help me, but these experiences have unsettled me and I have pretty high anxiety when I give myself up on a massage table.

I think lots of it comes from way back in my childhood. I’ve been self-sufficient all my life, for as long as I remember and so it’s really unnatural for me to put my trust in someone else. And, whenever I have done, in lots of different situations, I haven’t always felt that I had a good outcome. I’ve learned to trust myself and support myself and it’s really hard for me to undo that.

Recently on a sports massage course, on the first week, someone asked the question ‘do you ever have someone come to you that doesn’t like massage?’ and I put my hand up and said ‘oh that’s me; I really don’t like having a massage’. I probably didn’t say it right because that isn’t true – it’s not that I don’t like having a massage, it just is a very uncomfortable situation for me.

Anyway, in the room there was one guy and when we had to work together later that day he just looked at me and said ‘oh that’s right, you don’t like to be touched, do you’. He made me feel like nothing. He made me feel that he hadn’t heard me, that he hadn’t bothered to listen or tried to understand. I felt he just dismissed me as some freaky person who doesn’t like to be touched (I accept this is how I felt and probably not what he intended at all, but the end result was the same either way). He straight away made me feel on edge – he hadn’t heard me and I didn’t feel that I could trust him – and that never changed over the whole course.  As a result of that early comment, there was nothing within him that I wanted to connect with, and maybe that was my bad, but that’s how he made me feel with those words.

What I offer you:

I think the idea of not putting your trust in someone who doesn’t go for regular massage isn’t really as simple as that. There are a lot of times in my life (nothing to do with massage) when my trust has been betrayed or not reciprocated. I’ve learned to live around that, and some of that means that I don’t always feel safe to make myself vulnerable, but none of that takes away from my skills as a soft tissue therapist.  

I just want to let you know that although I don’t go for regular massage, I do go for massage when I need it and I have some amazing local therapists that I trust implicitly. But I also want you to know that if you come to me for a sports massage, the thing I hope that I always offer is that you can trust me.

I want you to feel safe. I don’t want you to feel vulnerable like I have done. If you are anxious, I hope that I can help you to feel heard, and listened to, and supported, and I hope that you feel that you are definitely in my care while you’re here.

That’s what I offer.

Yes, I can get ‘knots’ out of muscles which are sore; yes I can help you move better; I can help you feel better in your body. But really, truthfully, what I want to offer you is a feeling of being safe and secure, and being listened to and heard.

Massage is about facilitating change in the soft tissues and within the nervous system, and change doesn’t happen when we don’t feel safe.

Please let me know if you would like to discuss how sports massage can help you to move & feel better in your body.

Find out more here