Over the course of my six years in practice as a RMT I have worked at a number of multi-disciplinary clinics with a wide variety of practitioners. One common theme I’ve noticed is the breast tissue and anterior thorax areas of the body are being widely ignored. The reason why isn’t a mystery; breast massage involves more emotional vulnerability and privacy considerations than your typical treatment, and this leaves practitioners unsure how to approach it. It wasn’t until I began offering lymphedema therapy and found myself with a lot of patients who had undergone breast cancer treatments that I realized the importance of treating the entire chest and how much everyone could benefit regardless of gender.

Let’s start by considering some of the benefits of breast massage:

  • Improves circulation and quality of tissue.
  • Aids in overall lymphatic drainage.
  • Increases the range of motion of the arms, neck, and thoracic spine, especially after surgeries.
  • Decreases breast tenderness related to hormonal cycle.
  • Aids in recovery after medical procedures.
  • Can help to clear blocked milk ducts.
  • Releases chest and abdominal muscles associated with forward posture that is such a problem for most people today.

As well, self-massage can help you to monitor changes in your breast tissue by improving the quality of tissue and improving your comfort level and familiarity with how things feel.

Now that we know some of the benefits, why might you consider trying breast massage?

  • You have neck, upper- or mid-back pain, difficulty breathing, or tension in your sternum or ribs.
  • You are pregnant and experiencing breast pain or postpartum and struggle with clogged milk ducts.
  • You have scar tissue on the chest wall from breast augmentation, reduction, lumpectomies, mastectomies, radiation, or gender affirming chest surgery.
  • You are trying to improve posture.
  • You want to increase lactation.
  • You want to decrease swelling.
  • You are trying to feel more connected to your body.

So you want to give it a try. What can you expect in your first treatment? Like any initial massage therapy appointment we will start with an assessment. We will discuss what brought you in and any specific goals of treatment. We then assess your range of motion, overall movement, and areas of pain. Next we can discuss about what your treatment will look like. This is your treatment, which means you need to be completely comfortable with every part of it. We will establish a treatment plan together by discussing techniques, what areas I will be treating, and draping options.

Once we have our plan established I will step out of the room to wash my hands while you undress to your comfort level and get cozy on the treatment table under the blankets. I will knock when I return and start by introducing my touch over the sheets. As I begin treatment I will state what I am doing and check in with your comfort level. I will undrape only the parts of the body that I am treating with the draping we discussed. Depending on individual needs I will treat the upper-mid back and shoulders, the chest, and breast tissue, the deep muscles of the shoulder, the abdominals, the front of the neck, and even the diaphragm and rib cage. When treatment is completed I will step out of the room again to allow you time to get dressed. Once you are ready we will discuss things I noticed during treatment and what you can do at home to help.

Whether you suffer from forward posture, struggle with your range of motion, have pain or difficulty breathing, have undergone surgeries, had medical treatments, notice swelling, or are simply curious, I hope this motivates you to give your chest some attention. I know your body will thank you for it.