ReJenuvate Massage

Specialized Services

NEW: PALLIATIVE & HOSPICE SERVICES

Massage can offer moments of comfort and well-being at a challenging time for patients and their families.

  • Many people have preconceived notions about massage therapy that do not apply in a palliative/hospice setting. A massage table is rarely used. Patients receive massage wherever they are comfortable, typically a hospital bed, reclining chair, or wheelchair.

    The therapist will make suggestions regarding propping for comfort. The patient does not need to remove any clothing. A small amount of lotion will be applied to any area of the skin that can be accessed. Relief for dry, distressed skin is one of the primary goals of hospice massage.

  • Every person, regardless of how vulnerable or close to death they are, can receive some type of gentle touch.

    The therapist can provide safe, effective touch for people with advanced illness right up until the last moment of life. The work is so gentle that patients often sleep during the session.

    • The session will be provided wherever the patient is most comfortable

    • Massage over clothing or accessible skin

    • Focus on positioning and propping for patient comfort

    • Gentle massage pressure

    • The length of the session adjusted to the patient’s energy level

    • Avoidance of sensitive areas on the body

    • Decreased pain and anxiety

    • Decreased perception of shortness of breath

    • Improved sleep

    • Improved skin health

    • Improved digestion and elimination

    • Reduced isolation and fear

ONCOLOGY MASSAGE

  • Oncology massage is not a technique. Instead, it is a comprehensive approach that involves thorough assessment and adjustments by the massage therapist to standard massage modalities. These modifications are made in response to the side effects of treatment or complications from the cancer.

    There is always some form of touch therapy that can be safely provided. If a person is in treatment, the session might include a softer touch intended to help reconnect with the body in a kind, healing way. Later on, the session might involve a technique that focuses on an issue, such as a reduced range of motion due to surgery or radiation.

    Each oncology massage session is personalized to meet a client’s individual goals while adjusting to their unique and changing needs. Practitioners trained in this discipline understand the process of cancer, the short- and long-term side effects of treatments, and how those treatments can create physical and emotional complications.

    The changes that might be made to a massage can fall under any number of categories. Typically they will be related to the length of the session, pressure and direction of strokes, positioning, lymphedema risk, and areas of specific concern, such as catheters, incisions, or painful sites.

    Oncology massage can be a wonderful addition to a care plan, whether a person is in treatment, recovering, or using massage to maintain health years later.

  • Oncology Massage can change how it feels to live with a serious illness. By providing clinically reasoned and thoughtfully adapted massage, therapists nourish body, mind, and spirit to:

    • Improve quality of life

    • Reduce anxiety

    • Help with the management of pain

    • Improve quality of sleep

    • Reduce fatigue

    • Reduce unpleasant sensations from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN)

    • Increase function in areas affected by scar tissue resulting from surgery and radiation

    • Reduce post-surgical swelling and support rehabilitation and recovery

    • Support the lymph system and assist with lymphedema management

    • Improve body awareness and image

  • The intention of the standards of practice for preferred practitioners is to promote the safe, ethical, and appropriate application of massage therapy for those diagnosed with cancer.

    Preferred Practitioners demonstrate their commitment to competent and professional care by upholding these standards.

 

MANUAL LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE (MLD)

  • Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is a specialized massage technique involving gentle, rhythmic movements to stimulate the lymph vessels under your skin. Each stroke slightly stretches the skin in the direction of the lymphatic flow to encourage the drainage of lymph fluid effectively and efficiently which carries waste products away from the tissues and back towards the heart.

  • There are many conditions that may benefit from this modality, such as pre and post-cosmetic surgeries, including breast/chest surgeries, during and after cancer treatments, joint pain, arthritis, autoimmune conditions, edema, lipedema and lymphedema management, sprains, whiplash, fibromyalgia, migraines, tinnitus, insomnia, anxiety, and general wellness.

    MLD is soothing, restorative and has a natural analgesic effect. We often spend a lot of time in the “fight or flight” (sympathetic nervous system response), and MLD can help promote a (parasympathetic response), allowing us to “Rest and Digest.”

  • Lymphedema is a lifelong and progressive inflammatory disease caused by a dysfunction in the lymphatic system. As a result, lymphatic fluid (lymph) accumulates in the body, leading to chronic swelling.

    Lymphedema occurs most frequently in the legs and arms but can occur anywhere in the body. It cannot be treated with medications; it must be managed by following a specialized treatment program.

    https://albertalymphedema.com/

  • Lymphedema can occur when lymphatic vessels or nodes are dysfunctional and/or have been damaged, destroyed, or removed.

  • Primary Lymphedema develops due to a genetic predisposition to a faulty lymphatic system. It can appear at birth or develop later in life.

    Secondary Lymphedema is typically caused by surgery, radiation, infection, obesity, or trauma that damages the lymphatic system.

  • Lipedema is a chronic medical condition that forms a symmetrical buildup of adipose tissue (fat) in the legs, arms, and lower trunk. It often causes pain, swelling, heaviness, loose skin, easy bruising, and the feeling of nodules under the skin. These nodules often feel like rice, pearls, or walnuts under the skin.

    Lipedema is NOT obesity, although both diseases can sometimes occur at the same time. 

    Lipedema bodies come in all sizes, large and small. Regardless of body size, people with lipedema may experience pain and effects on their mobility. Lipedema is often resistant to diet and exercise. People with lipedema sometimes suffer for years trying to lose weight by all methods with little change to affected areas.

    For people with lipedema, having a supportive and informed clinician can make all the difference in their quality of life.

    https://lipedemacanada.org/

 

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