Therapeutic massage helps cancer patients escape troubles - The Courier-Journal

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Catherine Koetter, 60, gets a massage from certified massage therapist Susan Waiz at Baptist Health Floyd Cancer Center in New Albany.(Photo: Matt Stone/The C-J)Buy Photo


After multiple cancer bouts, Catherine Koetter knows the physical and mental toll the disease can exact on the body, from the very beginning.


“When you’re first diagnosed it’s so difficult because you don’t know what to expect. You’re very, very scared," said Koetter, 60, of Starlight, Ind. "... All I could hear was cancer.”


The rigors of treatment and the struggle to regain lost skills, like the ability to eat after tonsil cancer, are all too familiar to her.


"I had a feeding tube for a year and a half," she said. "It's pretty frustrating because I want to be able to eat -- steak. I'm just now getting to where I can get salad down."


Koetter is a participant in a therapeutic massage program at the Baptist Health Floyd Cancer Center in New Albany, Indiana, that provides a momentary escape from her troubles.


The massages “help a lot because when you’re going through chemo and radiation your body is just feeling so crappy," said Koetter, who's had colon, cervical, tonsil and breast cancer. "Whenever they give you that massage, it just feels so good and it relaxes your muscles and your mind.”


Since 2003, thousands of people have received free massages through the program, which is for cancer patients and their primary caregivers.

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Certified massage therapist Susan Waiz massages the hand of Catherine Koetter at the Baptist Health Floyd Cancer Center in New Albany. (Photo: Matt Stone/The C-J)


"It doesn't look like we're doing much," said therapist Susan Waiz as she gently massaged Koetter's upper body last month.


But "I can feel it," Koetter said.


Waiz, who's licensed and certified to do massage, is an expert at handling thin fibrous tissue called fascia that she likened to phyllo dough or Saran Wrap that gets "wadded up" in places.


“It’ll let go with either compression or contraction or a little rotation," said Waiz, who works with patients for up to an hour at a time.


“You feel that soft tissue?" Waiz said to Koetter. "It’s starting to let go."

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Catherine Koetter, 60, gets ready for treatment at Baptist Health Floyd Cancer Center in New Albany. Behind Koetter is certified massage therapist Susan Waiz, who uses massage to comfort cancer patients. (Photo: Matt Stone/The C-J)


Floyd's program, which has received many grants over the years, recently received a boost in the form of a $10,000 grant from the Horseshoe Foundation.


"This grant will provide an important adjunct therapy to help relieve the side effects of cancer treatments for our patients," Baptist Health Floyd's president, Dr. Daniel Eichenberger, said in a statement. "We are excited to be able to continue providing this service in a compassionate and caring environment."


The service can be provided on a massage table in a quiet, private room at the center, or in a different setting.


Koetter, who was at Baptist for breast cancer treatment, sat in a plush chair receiving a massage while her daughter and visitors looked on.


Massage can be a welcome distraction, taking your mind off of getting an infusion or making you less tense while lying on a radiation table, she said. "I'm very grateful for it."

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Catherine Koetter, 60, gets a massage from certified massage therapist Susan Waiz at Baptist Health Floyd Cancer Center in New Albany. (Photo: Matt Stone/The C-J)


Many cancer patients turn to complementary approaches, such as massage, acupuncture and yoga, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.


Much of the scientific research on massage is preliminary or conflicting, NCCIH notes. But "numerous research reviews and clinical studies have suggested that at least for the short term, massage therapy for cancer patients may reduce pain, promote relaxation and boost mood."


Some cancer patients also report less fatigue and better sleep after massage, Waiz said.


“It’s not a be-all, end-all, but it helps,” she said.


The therapist said she's glad that caregivers also can get a massage.


"If you're that primary caregiver, you always put yourself last," she said. This service "is a gift."


Reporter Darla Carter can be reached at 502-582-7068 or [email protected].

Learn more


Baptist Health Floyd Cancer Center offers free massages for patients and their primary caregivers. To schedule a massage, call the center’s main line at 812-945-4000.

Precautions


The National Cancer Institute urges massage therapists working with cancer patients to avoid massaging:

• Open wounds, bruises or areas with skin breakdown.
• Directly over the tumor site.
• Areas with a blood clot in a vein.
• Sensitive areas following radiation therapy.

Source: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

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