2011 – A Year in the Life of a Massage Research Curriculum

Posted:Friday, March 31, 2017

Michael Hamm, LMP, CCST
Cortiva Seattle

The focus of the project was to examine the effects of massage on cancer recovery and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. The purpose of working with an individual with these conditions was to see if weekly mini-reflexology sessions, stretching and massage would relieve the symptoms. Before each session, an evaluation of the client’s state was made, with documentation of the clients’ progression. I researched cancer and the prescribed treatments to learn how these treatments affected the body. I recorded my findings with SOAP notes and also graphed my clients progresses over a four week period. I tracked the progress of my clients four chief complaints: the restriction of movement she felt upon rising, level of flexibility, numbness, and pain my client was experiencing in her feet and legs. After four weeks my client did show improvement in all areas. It has been about eight months since last working with my client for these specific conditions, some of her symptoms have returned and she is currently evaluating her continued medicinal treatments to see if they are the cause of her discomfort. I feel that if I had begun treatment with her sooner that some of her symptoms would not have been so severe. I hope that with continued treatments my client will have sustained improvement of her symptoms.