Most massage therapists in practice today readily acknowledge that if they received any breast massage education at all when they were in training, they did not receive enough.
Breast health care is vitally important to women, yet most do not know how to find practitioners who will support their breast tissue health. Massage therapists can provide effective treatment of a number of the breast complaints that women have, including post-surgical and scar work, easing of discomforts of pregnancy and breastfeeding, treatment of congestion and edema, and alleviation of many of the causes of breast pain. Massage therapists can also play a role in supporting our clients' regular breast monitoring practices.
While most massage practitioners believe in the therapeutic value of breast massage, most do not have confidence in their skills in relation to this sensitive area of treatment. This groundbreaking book provides the knowledge and understanding that massage therapists need to be able to offer breast massage when appropriate, as part of the fundamental set of health care services we provide for those who choose massage therapy.
About the Author
Debra Curties has been a massage therapist since 1984, and has been teaching Pathology and Clinical Theory to massage therapy students since 1987. She is the Executive Director and one of the owners of Sutherland-Chan School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her love of teaching and of the massage therapy profession have merged in many of the roles she has assumed in the past 15 years, including President of the American Massage Therapy Association's Council of Schools, founding member of the Canadian Massage Therapy Alliance and the Canadian Council of Massage Therapy Schools, Trustee of the Massage Therapy Foundation and contributor to the Ontario Core Curriculum and the Ontario College of Massage Therapists' Standards of Practice. She is the 1998 recipient of the Ontario Massage Therapist Association's Meritorious Service Award and the 2000 recipient of the AMTA Council of Schools Meritorious Service Award.
An Open Letter to Massage Therapy Students 5
Women Talk About Breast Massage Benefits 9
Outline 12
Learning Objectives 14
Key Words 16
Anatomy and Function of the Breast 19
Breast Anatomy 19
Microanatomy and Function 24
The Breast's Circulation 26
● Blood Supply 26
● Lymphatic Drainage 28
The Breast's Nerve Supply 33
Changes During Pregnancy and Lactation 34
Changes With Age - Involution 36
Clinical Information tor the Massage Therapist 39
Introduction 39
Common Benign Breast Conditions (ANDI) 40
● A List of Common ANDI 42
Mastitis 54
● Breast Abscesses 57
Mastalgia - Causes of Breast Pain 59
Ominous Signs 63
Breast Implants 69
Issues, Decisions, and Guidelines for the Massage Therapist 95
Introduction 95
Breast Massage Indications and Contraindications 104
Protection of the Client and Practitioner 108
Becoming More Comfortable as a Practitioner 138
Draping for Breast Massage 142
Specific Breast Massage Guidelines 146
How to do Breast Massage 151
Breast Massage Techniques 151
Self Massage for Clients 165
Breast Massage During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding 167
Post-Surgical Breast Massage and Techniques for Scar Work 171
References 195
Bibliography 199
Index 203

