Medical-Based Massage Therapy

What Is Massage Therapy?

Massage therapy is the movement of soft tissues using different kinds of massage, such as kneading, stretching, compression, or mobilization. Your skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments are soft tissues.

Massage therapy can be used at the same time as medical care to help you feel better. However, you may need to take some safety measures (precautions), such as avoiding catheters, IVs, etc. For more information, see “Use safety precautions for some conditions.”

What are the benefits of massage therapy?

There are many kinds of massage therapy. Each may have different benefits. Ask your massage therapist if you would like to learn about some of the different kinds of massage.

People receive massage therapy to help:

• Promote relaxation.
• Reduce stress, anxiety or fatigue.
• Reduce muscle tightness, known as tension.
• Reduce muscle soreness and pain.
• Reduce tension-related problems, such as headaches and back pain.
• Improve flexibility or range of motion.
• Improve posture by changing muscle patterns that affect posture.
• Heal the body.
• Improve blood circulation and lymphatic flow.
• Promote better mental awareness.
• Promote a feeling of overall well-being.

What are the risks of massage therapy?

Massage therapy is usually safe for most people, as long as:

• You are working with a trained massage therapist.
• Your health care provider has agreed to the use of massage therapy for your medical condition.
• You tell your massage therapist about your health history.

Tell your massage therapist about:

• Incisions, wounds, stitches, staples, and any recent surgeries.
• Osteoporosis or bone fractures.
• Tumors.
• Infectious diseases.
• Bleeding disorders, blood pressure conditions or seizure conditions.
• Medications you are taking.
• Allergies.
• Devices such as ports, IVs and pacemakers.

A trained massage therapist will use the information about your medical condition to plan the massage. If you are not comfortable for any reason, tell your massage therapist. He or she can change the kind of massage being used. Or you can change position. Do what is comfortable for you.

Use safety precautions for some conditions

If you have any of the following medical conditions, talk to your health care provider about whether you should have massage therapy.

Some medical conditions may require special massage precautions. And for other medical conditions, your health care provider may tell you not to get a massage at this time.

• Aneurysm
• Bleeding internally
• Blood-clotting disorders
• Blood thinning medications
• Bone fracture that is not healed in the area to be massaged
• Burns or open wounds in the area to be massaged
• Cancer
• Congestive heart failure (CHF)
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
• Encephalitis or meningitis
• Head injury or shunt in the head
• Heart attack
• High blood pressure that is not under control
• Infectious diseases
• Nerve damage
• Paralysis, temporary or permanent
• Phlebitis
• Pregnancy, high risk
• Pulmonary embolism
• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the area to be massaged
• Severe osteoporosis or poor bone density
• Stroke
• Surgery recently
• Thrombocytopenia

If you have questions about your risk for injury, talk to your health care provider and your massage therapist before you get a massage.

What Usually Happens During a Massage?

Every massage therapist is different. And every person receiving a massage is different. The following information is offered for general education, to help you feel comfortable as you think about getting massage therapy.

Talk to your massage therapist

Before your first massage, your massage therapist may ask a few questions. Examples include:

• What medical conditions do you have?
• What areas of your body are bothering you?
• What questions do you have about massage therapy?

Calm and relaxing room

The massage room should be calm and relaxing. Often, the lights are low, and the room is quiet. Soft music may be playing to help you relax.

Because massage therapy is meant to be relaxing, consider:

• Turning off your cell phone.
• Turning off any electronic items in the area, such as a TV and computer.
• Limiting people in the area to only those necessary. You may want to ask family or friends to leave the room.
• Trying to avoid other things that could distract you.

Clothing

Massage lotions or oil may be used. You may be asked to remove your clothes from the areas being massaged.

If you are not comfortable removing your clothes, tell your massage therapist. This is a common concern. The massage therapist will work with you on this.

When you remove your clothes, the massage therapist leaves the room. You have a large sheet, often a bed sheet, to cover yourself during the massage. The massage therapist removes the sheet from the areas being massaged at that moment.

Massage lotions and oils

Massage lotion or oil helps soften your skin and helps the massage therapist’s hands move easily across your skin. Tell your massage therapist if you are allergic to ingredients usually found in massage lotions and oils.

Feeling comfortable

The massage therapist works with you to find the most comfortable and medically appropriate position for you. This may include sitting or laying down on your stomach, back or side. Pillows are used to help you feel comfortable.

Be careful about how you sit or lie during the massage. Try not to lie on any ports or IVs, incisions, stitches, staples, tumors, or wounds.

Remember any movement limits you have. This may be especially true if you had surgery recently. Your dismissal summary should include information about limits. Be sure to tell your massage therapist about them.

If you are not comfortable or have pain, tell the therapist right away. You can change your position. Or the massage therapist can use a different kind of massage.

You may be able to have therapy for only short periods of time. But even a few minutes of therapy can help your body.

After the session

Your massage therapist may suggest more massage therapy, things you can do at home or both.

Drink plenty of water after each massage therapy session. This helps the body flush out materials released from the tissues during massage. And it helps get water back into the soft tissues.

What Should You Look for in a Massage Therapist?

• Look for a massage therapist who is licensed or certified. Each state has different laws about massage therapy licenses and certificates.
• Look for a massage therapist who has cared for people who recently had medical care. This person should be trained in hospital-based massage therapy. Your local hospital or health care provider may have suggestions for you.
• Tell the massage therapist about your medical conditions and any special care you may need.

If the therapist has questions about how to safely provide massage therapy, he or she may ask to talk to your health care provider. If this is the case, you may have to sign a permission form. This lets the two people talk or send medical information to each other.

Inpatient Massages

This information is about massages you may receive when you are staying in the hospital.

• Special issues: A clinic massage therapist can read your medical records to learn about your condition. However, tell the massage therapist if you have ports or IVs, incisions, stitches, staples, tumors, or wounds. Also tell the therapist about any other areas that ache or hurt. You may want to work with your nurse to arrange to take pain medication before the massage.
• Number and time for massages: The number of massages and the time for each massage are different for each person. Usually, inpatient massages last about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Positioning: Clinic massage therapists use a variety of pillows in a hospital room to help you feel comfortable. You may lie in the hospital bed or sit in a chair during your massage.
• Calm and relaxing room: Try to make your room calm and relaxing. If you have visitors, please ask them to leave the room during your massage. Turn off the TV and any other personal electronic items, especially a cell phone. Do not try to turn off any hospital equipment. Do not try to silence any beeps, buzzers or alarms.

What Do You Need to Remember About Getting Massage Therapy?

Many health care providers suggest massage therapy to help people heal after procedures or surgeries. If you are getting medical care now or have recently received medical care, tell your health care provider that you are thinking about getting massage therapy.

• Rarely, there may be a reason why your health care provider does not want you to get massage therapy at this time. Tell your health care team about all of your health care decisions. This should help you get the most benefit from massage. At the same time, it may help lower the risk of side effects or problems.
• Check with your health insurance company to learn whether massage therapy is covered. You may have to pay the full cost at the time of the massage. Or you may be billed later. This depends on where you get the massage. Many insurance companies do not cover massage therapy.
• Open communication between you and your therapist is very important. This is one of the best things you can do to feel comfortable during the massage.

Massage Tips for Caregivers

If you are a caregiver, you can help your loved one by offering gentle massage.

• Follow any tips given to you by the health care provider(s).
• Remember that even hand-holding or light-pressure massage of the hands, lower arms or back may help lessen pain and stress.
• Avoid putting pressure on bony areas of the body.
• Stay away from drains, ports, IVs, catheters, incisions, wounds, and tumors.
• Avoid positions that are uncomfortable for your loved one.
• Ask your loved one if what you are doing is comfortable for him or her.
• Stop the massage if your loved one feels uncomfortable or asks you to stop.

For More Information

If you have questions after reading this information, call your health care provider or massage therapist.