Massage Therapy Can Offer Effective Palliative Care
Date Posted:14 August 2017
Palliative care is a multidisciplinary approach to help people suffering from life-threatening diseases. It is provided as an option for those who suffer from diseases such as cancer, congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), kidney disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson's, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and many more. The goal is to help these patients have a better quality of life by reducing pain and easing anxiety. While there are many palliative care options, depending on the illness and condition of the patient, massage therapy has been proven effective across the spectrum.
Oncological Palliative Care Patients
It has been known to all of us that a massage is very effective for reducing pain, anxiety, and depression. This natural treatment has offered immediate as well as long-term effects to lessen pain in oncological palliative care patients. It can treat depression, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, anxiety, and other symptoms.
A study shows that a massage has no negative effects on patients seeking oncological palliative care. However, there are several limitations that professional masseurs should keep in mind while providing massage sessions to such patients.
Because of the fragile state of health, if a patient is unable to rest in the same position for a long period of time, the duration of the treatment should be shortened. Masseurs must be flexible while providing massage therapy to offer complete comfort to the patients seeking palliative care.
Metastatic Cancer
Metastatic cancer is a type of cancer that has spread from one localised area to other parts of the body. A study has been conducted to observe the effects of massage on the pain, apprehension, the quality of life and sleep of patients with metastatic cancer. Some of the patients were given a massage session along with their usual treatment while others got just the general care. There were noteworthy improvements in the life quality of the patients who received massage therapy after a one-week follow-up, as compared to the usual care control groups. The patients given massage therapy were able to sleep better and experienced more pain relief.
Other Symptoms
Nausea is one of the most common symptoms found among patients seeking palliative care. A research shows that massage therapy can be very effective for treating nausea and pain in bone marrow transplant patients. Another study highlighted that foot massage can considerably decrease nausea in hospitalised cancer patients.
It is common that patients undergoing serious health ailments have low energy levels. They get tired often. Massage therapy can improve the energy levels, as well as reduce drowsiness, fatigue, and weakness. Another study suggests that this natural touch can improve the quality of sleep and reduce fatigue in post-surgical patients.
Remember, palliative care is not intended to cure terminally ill patients. Instead, it’s purpose is to give comfort and support by easing pain and anxiety; therefore, improving their quality of life. Massage therapy has been proven to aid in pain relief, as well as reduce anxiety and discomfort. This allows a patient to better enjoy their days and their family to be able to relax, knowing their loved one is being given as much comfort as possible.
