Pain Therapy
Dealing with a cancer diagnosis is difficult enough, but the pain that is associated with cancer and undergoing treatments often weighs down on patients. When a body is fighting cancer cells, it is often draining and induces feelings of exhaustion, with aches from head to toe. In many instances, pain therapy regimes often involve large doses of pain medications, which is extremely concerning considering the growing opioid epidemic within the United States.
Fortunately, there are pain therapy approaches to manage severe pain without using prescription medications. Let’s take a look at why cancer causes bodily pain and some ways this discomfort can be relieved during treatment.
What Causes Pain In Cancer Patients?
There are a variety of factors that play into the amount of displeasure one may feel when dealing with cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, the most likely cause of pain is the actual cancer itself. The type of cancer, and how far it has progressed, both play a role in how much pain someone will experience. For patients with mesothelioma, pain often develops in several areas of their body, especially if the cancer has metastasized. If a tumor is putting pressure on a patient’s bones, this will likely cause weakness and pain while mobile.
Cancer treatment typically involves treatments ranging from surgery to chemotherapy, and radiation, all of which are known to cause discomfort. Having a solid tumor removed induces a healing process within the body, and forces it into a state that focuses on a specific area. As a result, the rest of the body is often fatigued and in pain. Chemotherapy and radiation also impact the general health and wellness of a patient’s body. One of the most prevalent side effects of these types of treatment is peripheral neuropathy. For many undergoing treatment, peripheral neuropathy causes nerve fibers to “short circuit” and disrupt motor and sensory skills. Among others symptoms, muscle weakness and difficulty with daily functions such as walking occur, as the nerve fibers are not sending proper signals to the brain allowing for balance. While it may be impossible to avoid some type of medication after a surgery is performed, there are natural pain therapy approaches to cope with pain.
Massage Therapy
Figure 11B. Permission Joseph E. Muscolino. Manual Therapy for the Low Back and Pelvis – A Clinical Orthopedic Approach (2013).
One great pain therapy approach to reduce the pain and stress of cancer treatment is massage therapy. Massage therapy allows the body to relax and increases endorphin production, which results in less tense muscles and reduced swelling. As coping with cancer can be daunting, this type of therapy has been found to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, and lift a patient’s spirits. A study conducted by Emory University showed that patients with persistent cancer-related fatigue had significant relief as a result of massage therapy. Through this form of treatment, trained professionals are able to target specific areas of pain and help it subside.
Digital COMT
Did you know that Digital COMT (Digital Clinical Orthopedic Manual Therapy), Dr. Joe Muscolino’s continuing education video streaming subscription service for massage therapists (and all manual therapists and movement professionals) has an entire folder on Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM), and six separate folders with video lessons on Manual Therapy Treatment? Digital COMT adds seven new video lessons each and every week. And nothing ever goes away! Click here for more information.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is another approach to pain therapy. Cryotherapy is a form of therapy that involves extremely cold conditions to spark the immune system. Cryotherapy takes place in chambers known as cryosaunas, which are kept at a cool -90 degrees Celsius. The cold temperature forces the blood to rush to the core of the body and speeds up the recovery of any muscle damage that is present. Cryotherapy sessions typically last around three minutes and is popular among top athletes. The nitrogen in these chambers cools down the body, increasing the amount of oxygen and enzymes in the bloodstream, which are both necessary for battling cancer. Another beneficial effect of this type of therapy is that the extreme cold allows for the body to remove dead cells through the lymph system faster. As a result, it’s been shown to repair damaged tissues, improve the immune system, and reduce inflammation.
Acupuncture
A third form of pain therapy that may help pain in cancer patients is acupuncture, a method that has been used for general pain management for quite some time. Acupuncture involves inserting needles into the skin in an attempt to relieve pain, by way of stimulation amongst the nerves to occur. A Chinese tradition, acupuncture originated with the belief that the body develops disease as a result of its qi (pronounced “chi”) being disrupted. It is believed that through the use of needles at stimulation points, the qi will be released and travel through a network of “meridians”, thereby allowing the body to return to a peaceful state.
It is difficult to prove the effectiveness of acupuncture, and researchers are just scratching the surface of how this technique helps with pain management. Evidence-Based Acupuncture has concluded that acupuncture has a positive effect in helping problems such as chronic back pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and postoperative pain. These needles may also be heated or provided electricity to increase the amount of stimulation that occurs and hopefully allow for more pain relief.
Choosing The Right Pain Therapy Relief
If a patient is looking for pain relief in a natural way, these three types of therapies are a good place to start. Pain therapy is something that is often addressed with strong medications, but this has unfortunately caused addiction among patients suffering from serious diseases. Massage therapy, cryotherapy and acupuncture combined with over-the-counter medication such as aspirin is a great non-addictive way to manage effectively the pain of a cancer diagnosis.
This post was written in collaboration with the mesothelioma and asbestos awareness center (www.maacenter.org).
(Click here for the blog post article: Massage Therapy Reduces Pain In Mothers After Caesarean Birth.)
Did you know that Digital COMT (Digital Clinical Orthopedic Manual Therapy), Dr. Joe Muscolino’s continuing education video streaming subscription service for massage therapists (and all manual therapists and movement professionals) has an entire folder on Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM), and six separate folders with video lessons on Manual Therapy Treatment? Digital COMT adds seven new video lessons each and every week. And nothing ever goes away! Click here for more information.
