Beyond Cancer

Massage is a powerful support on the road to recovery from cancer.

Recovery from cancer treatment takes time. Massage can support you throughout the journey following surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.

Support throughout your journey

Beyond cancer and cancer treatment is recovery. And it can take time. Massage can be an immensely supportive therapy that helps your body recover from surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Massage helps with fatigue, anxiety & depression, pain, neuropathy, and scar tissue.

Our therapists are trained to provide safe and therapeutic massage that is customized for your body.

Customized positioning

Receiving a massage facedown is not the only option

Traditionally, massage is received while you’re lying facedown on the massage table. That is not going to work for many people post-surgery. Fortunately, you’ve got options!

Positioning on the massage table needs to be customized for where you are at in your treatment journey. Side-lying massage is a welcome option for many people as it allows ease for scars, ostomy bags, ports, tissue expanders, and breast reconstruction. At Equilibrio, we support our clients as needed in side-lying positions with professional pillow systems.

Scar Tissue Integration

Pain from scars is not always at the scar; scar tissue affects the whole body.

For many of us, scars can be unwelcome reminders of our treatment. However, it’s important to remember that scarring is the body’s healthy and normal response to an injury and is part of the healing process. We want to approach scars with sensitivity and respect. Scar tissue should not be broken up. However, we can use manual therapy to make sure it is well-integrated into the surrounding tissue — minimizing any pulling or restrictions.

Scars impact the body beyond the incision site. For example, while the surgery may have been on the front of your body, the healing scar may be pulling and causing pain or discomfort in your back. Massage can help alleviate pain far from the scar itself.

Scars can affect our whole body; pain is not always as the scar site.

Can massage help with neuropathy?

Yes, massage can help with peripheral neuropathy.

Evidence suggests that a series of regular massages can reduce the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy induced by chemotherapy. While it helps to have the massage at the site of neuropathy, regular massage anywhere on the body seems to help as well.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9643426/

Cancer treatments vary from person to person. Please reach out if you would like to talk with us directly about your situation.

  • Absolutely. Contact us directly to talk about where you are in treatment and how we can support you. we will let you know how we will modify the massage and positioning for you so you can talk with your care team.

  • We have lymph specialists in house, but for lymphedema treatment, you should consider getting a referral to aa physical therapist who is specialized in lymphedema management. This will likely be covered by your insurance.

  • No, we do not bill insurance. However, we can provide you with a superbill in case you want to submit for reimbursement directly to your insurance.