Massage

Gentle massage can help to relieve aches and pains around your body and can help your muscles to relax. To prevent friction when massaging the skin, and also to help keep your skin soft and supple, you may wish to rub any painful or tense areas using an unscented body oil or lotion.

Ask a friend or relative to gently massage any painful areas for you as this can be very relaxing. Alternatively, if you can reach the painful area easily you may prefer to massage it yourself. You may like to set a regular time for massage, as this will give you something pleasant to look forward to. If you are going to use an unscented body oil or lotion for massage, you may like to have it warmed slightly before use by rubbing it between your hands. You may find this makes the massage even more relaxing.

A relaxing gentle massage is usually done with long, smooth, slow strokes.

You may prefer to just have brief touch or massage from a friend or relative, such as hand holding or briefly having your shoulders touched or rubbed. If you have a low platelet count, or have a tendency to bleed or bruise easily, please check with your doctor or nurse prior to having a massage.

Things to avoid:

Avoid massaging open wounds, bruises, or areas where skin is broken or sensitive.

Avoid massaging areas that are being treated with radiotherapy or have recently been treated.

If you have cancer in the bones avoid rubbing these areas as this may make the pain worse.

Avoid massaging tumours that are on or near the surface of the skin, or near any area affected by cancer.

Avoid massaging areas with deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in a vein). Symptoms of deep vein thrombosis may include pain, swelling, warmth, and redness in the affected area.

Avoid massaging areas around a central line or intravenous catheters.