Massage Therapy Journal Winter 2024

Winter 2024 • 53

MLD can provide considerable benefit to this client demographic, though massage therapists should ensure massage sessions are safe and effective by working closely with the client’s medical team. For example, MLD can assist with post-surgical recovery, edema reduction, local infection prevention, hematoma management, anxiety and possibly even neuropathy. Additionally, MLD can be of great benefit to issues cancer patients experience after completing treatment, including pain, fatigue, digestive issues, difficulty sleeping, increased stress and poor cognitive function. Radiation can leave lifelong changes to the integrity of the skin, causing an increased sensitivity to touch. Damage to the surrounding/underlying structures of the radiation can lead to fibrosis of the tissue, poor lymphatic drainage and restricted range of motion. Understanding how using MLD can help alleviate these symptoms can help improve clients’ quality of life from a physical, emotional and mental perspective. Renal dysfunction. The kidneys are responsible for the filtration of waste from the blood, maintaining blood pressure and generally support homeostasis. Renal dysfunction is a

generalized term used to describe the decreased function of the kidney. A person can experience acute and chronic renal failure, each of which is a contraindication for MLD therapy. MLD returns interstitial fluid back to the cardiovascular system, and this fluid is eventually filtered by the kidneys. The kidneys may have difficulty in processing and eliminating the extra fluid. Cardiac arrhythmia. Arrhythmia describes any time the heart does not beat in its normal rhythm. There are several types of arrhythmias, but one massage therapists need to be aware of when considering performing MLD to the neck area is an atrioventricular block (A-V block). The parasympathetic vagus nerve conducts to the heart, slowing the heart rate by acting on the AV and SA nodes. Overstimulation of the vagal nerve can cause cardiac arrest, and so MLD to the neck is contraindicated. Arteriosclerosis/atherosclerosis. Hardening of the arteries is referred to as arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis, and leads to a thickening and the loss of elasticity to the arterial walls that results in a reduction of blood flow, and that loss of the arteries’ capability to compensate for blood pressure

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