Massage therapy may reduce peripheral neuropathy symptoms among patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy.Massage therapy may reduce peripheral neuropathy symptoms among patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy, according to a study presented at the 2016 Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium.1
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is known to negatively affect quality of life and can necessitate dose reductions of anticancer drugs. There is, however, no consensus of an effective strategy to improve CIPN. For the present study, researchers evaluated massage therapy as primary prevention and as a treatment option for CIPN.
For this prospective study, investigators enrolled 62 patients receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy. All participants underwent 2 massage therapy sessions; CIPN was measured using a validated survey instrument at baseline, after the first session, and after the second session.

Nearly all patients reported at least 2 CIPN-related symptoms. The most common symptoms were numbness and tingling of feet, numbness and tingling of feet, feeling weak all over, trouble walking, and joint pain or muscle cramps.
After the first massage therapy session, between 52% and 100% of patients reported improvement in CIPN-related symptom categories. Improvement in CIPN-related symptoms, with the exception of vestibulocochlear symptoms, continued from the first session to the second session of massage therapy.
Among the 25 patients initially prescribed analgesics, 56% had no progression of CIPN-related symptoms following the first session of massage therapy. After the second session, 38% of the 13 presenting patients reported no progression of symptoms, and 31% reported complete symptom resolution. Nearly one-third had symptom progression.
The findings suggest that clinicians should consider incorporating massage therapy as an approach to improving CIPN.                          
Reference

1. Menendez AG, Cobb R, Carvajal AR, et al. Effectiveness of massage therapy (MT) as a treatment strategy and preventive modality for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) symptoms. Poster presented at: 2016 Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium; September 9-10, 2016; San Francisco, CA.

​Arthritis can leave you struggling with daily pain that zaps your energy levels and makes you more prone to depression. Pain medications and steroid treatments come with plenty of side effects, so alternative treatments like massage are well worth investigating for all types of arthritis. As part of a pain reduction and management program, massage can be remarkably beneficial. Below are five tips to cope with arthritis using massage therapy:
1) Schedule Regular Appointments
In scientific tests to measure the efficiency of massage as a treatment for arthritis, regular treatments showed significant reductions in pain. Increased joint flexibility was also experienced by many participants in the study. Waiting until your pain increases to an intolerable level before going for a massage, will not produce anywhere near the same results as making regularly scheduled visits.
2) Try Different Methods
There are dozens of different massage techniques available. Most techniques have the potential of working well with arthritis. The licensed massage therapist will carefully control how much pressure they exert directly on the affected joints to alleviate tension and reduce pain without creating long-term soreness. Discussing your needs with your licensed massage therapist will allow them to customize the treatment for you. Some of the best massage techniques for treating arthritis pain include:

• Swedish massage
• Myofascial release
• Reflexology
• Trigger point therapy

3) Alternate Heat And Ice
Should pain reach a high in the middle of the night or when you're first getting out of bed, you can't always make an immediate appointment to help alleviate it. Grabbing a flexible gel cold pack out of the freezer or turning on an electric heating pad can reduce immediate pain levels while you arrange for other treatments. Rheumatoid arthritis often responds best to cold when inflamed, but some patients can only handle heat. Heat is best for stiff joints, while cold packs—when applied immediately after you know you've overused an affected joint—can prevent pain from flaring up.
4) Avoid Deep Tissue Stimulation
There are a few massage techniques that do conflict with arthritis. Most arthritis patients don't respond well to long periods of deep tissue stimulation since it leaves you sore and achy for the following day or two. Gentle and surface level massage is better for people with joint
pain and limited motion. Active forms of massage that include poses and stretches, such as Thai massage and Rolfing, can leave you a little sore afterward, too. Take it easy when adding more intense or new forms of massage to your routine. First check to see how your arthritis responds.
5) Learn Self-Massage Techniques
Finally, request that your massage therapist demonstrates simple, self-massage techniques anyone can use to reduce pain. A combination of mild stretches and self-guided muscle release steps will have an immediate and very positive impact. You can customize the treatments to fit your needs and limitations, such as using rollers and massage tools when your reach is restricted.
It may take a few regular massage appointments to experience results, but the pain relief should last for a good while after treatments—and don't forget to ask your massage therapist for other tips that might assist in addressing symptoms between appointments.

Elements Massage Therapists say some emotions can be released when physical tensions are relieved through massage therapy. 

 
A therapeutic massage can have benefits that exceed many clients' expectations. While most people seek a massage to soothe sore and stressed muscles, there are times when clients may experience an unexpected emotional release during or after their session. During a massage session, the body may experience changes at both the structural and chemical level. These changes can lead to the release of emotions, and ultimately contribute to trauma healing. 
According to Milwaukee-based Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) Angela Keeter, emotions run through the body,
"When emotions accumulate in the muscle or tissue, there are times when a massage can release this flow of energy in the form of unexpected responses. It may sound alarming, but it is a normal part of healing." 
Dr. Peter Levine, a Ph.D. in both Medical Biophysics and Psychology, says animals in the wild utilize innate mechanisms to regulate and discharge the high levels of energy arousal associated with defensive survival behaviors. It provides animals with a built-in ''immunity'' to trauma that enables them to return to normal in the aftermath of highly ''charged'' life-threatening experiences. Humans however, do not have this automatic release response. 
In fact, the release of emotions in humans is involuntary and cannot always be purposely elicited. However, an emotional release is not an uncommon occurrence. Anne Williams, director of education for Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals, says massage therapy can help people "connect to what has meaning, what is really happening, what requires attention and where letting go may occur." 
Jim Willegal, an LMT with Elements Massage, identifies energy in clients that needs to be released by the temperature of his hands. "My hands will get really warm when I hit a certain area of the spine. I will remain there until the energy is released," he explained. "Every human body is different, thus the need for personalized massages."
Both Keeter and Willegal were intrigued by the emotions their clients were exhibiting and began researching SumatoEmotional Release (SER) and Cranial Sacral Therapy (CST). Willegal has gone on to become CST certified. Massage Training is essential, however both Keeter and Willegal agree that it is the LMT's intuition and experience that drives the ability to elicit an emotional release from a client. Keeter states she sometimes sees color as she is working on a particular area of the body. She doesn't question the area she is working on.
"I like to think of a client's body as a history book or a map, paying attention to what has worked or not worked in the past. I can tell if certain areas of the body have too much or too little energy passing through by the temperature of the tissues. The hotter the area is, the more energy the client has passing through that area of the body." 
Just as muscles have memory, tissues do as well. According to the late Dr. John Upledger, co-founder of the Upledger Institute International, and modality developer of SER and CST (among other modalities), our bodies remember actions as well as feelings. Emotional releases can stem from good or bad emotions. 
"Emotions store in muscles and tissues - psychologically, physiologically, spiritually, and emotionally," says Keeter. "As the body tries to heal, the emotions can form an energy cyst." 
Massage therapy helps relieve the physical tension built up in our bodies. As the body releases the physical tension, the energy cyst breaks up and frees the emotions. The freed emotions are not always tied to a specific memory, but rather a build-up of many emotions or traumas over time.
Keeter has had clients fight the emotional release. "I feel like I need to explain it to them. I tell them to take deep breaths to get through it. We [LMTs] are not there to figure out the feelings, that is up to the clients."
"I let my clients know that the feeling is okay, and to just go with it," added Willegal. "If the client wants to talk about it, that's fine too."
Not all massage clients experience this level of emotional release, and some that do, don't always like it. 
As Keeter points out, "Emotional release from a massage just isn't for everyone."
When it comes down to it, Willegal believes every massage therapist is different, just like the client. His advice to those looking for an LMT is, "try different therapists to find what you like. It's all about what the client is looking for and ultimately needs."
Massage studios, like Elements Massage®, are helping to dispel the notion that massages are a luxury commodity. Massage therapists practice preventative maintenance and help promote health and wellness helping clients heal faster physically, and at times, even emotionally.


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