Beyond the Diagnosis: Living with the Late Effects of Head & Neck Cancer and Trialling DEEP OSCILLATION®

Karen’s personal story of trialling a gentle, non-invasive therapy to manage the late effects of head and neck cancer treatment and find better sleep.

I first connected with Mary and Julie on LinkedIn and then through Facebook, where they both joined the Mouth Cancer Foundation Support Group that I look after for the charity. They have both watched my journey with the late effects of Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) because I share everything on social media for awareness purposes. Julie has probably learned even more after reading the book I published last year. They kindly offered to loan me one of their Deep Oscillation units to try and see if it would help with the various issues I had regarding late-effects pain.

At first, my impression was that the unit was only for managing lymphoedema issues—which I have been fortunate enough to have no experience of, unlike many patients I support through the Mouth Cancer Foundation. However, Julie assured me that it was intended for pain management, too.

To explain my pain issues: I had tongue cancer surgery and radiotherapy 10 years ago. When I reached the 5-year mark, I started experiencing all different kinds of pain in my mouth. I have nerve pain in my tongue that essentially feels like electric shocks firing through it. My tongue wasn't rebuilt after surgery, so I have been left with a partial tongue that has very limited movement. There is no sensation in it because of the surgery and radiotherapy, and the only sensation I have there is pain, every day. I also have dysplasia in my cheek, caused by the radiotherapy, which frequently flares up. Additionally, I had a neck dissection, so I have pains in my neck and jaw that vary between sharp shooting pains, aches, cramps, and spasms.

The unit arrived in perfect condition, and we laid all the pieces out ready for when Julie set up a Zoom meeting with us to show us how to work it. This meeting was essential, and we were incredibly grateful for the technical support, as this technology was entirely new and uncertain for us both. Julie was both kind and patient, putting us at ease straight away. She explained in detail how I could work the unit solely by myself, and how Ian could support me with it if he was happy to, which really helped put my mind at rest.

While Julie was on the Zoom call, I had a go at using the unit tentatively on my tongue. I have to say, I felt very nervous about this. I am not comfortable with having objects in my mouth anymore (like tongue depressors or when doctors examine my tongue with their fingers), as it easily sets off my gag reflex. This sensitivity dates back to my radiotherapy, where I had to have a mouthpiece put in before my radiotherapy mask was fixed into place; I felt gagged and claustrophobic throughout those treatments. I think there is still a bit of trauma attached to having anything in my mouth now.

I held the unit on my tongue for a short time and then took it out. Immediately, my speech changed. My tongue felt swollen and talking felt odd. Ian noticed it straight away, and we mentioned it to Julie. She explained that our aim should be to start slowly and progress gently. While it was a little unnerving that this swelling had happened, Julie explained that it actually showed the therapy was actively doing something in the tissue.

I built myself up gradually, using the unit solo. This allowed me to control the pressure on my body to ensure it was comfortable, and it took away any stress of making myself sore or worrying Ian, though he was happy to keep checking in on my progress.

I would always begin my routine by massaging my neck, the back of my neck, my jaw, and my cheeks with the main pad for 10 minutes. After that, I would proceed to work on my tongue. I started with just 30 seconds, then progressed to a minute, then 2 minutes, gradually building up the time. If I started to gag, I would stop. I got much better with it over time; I found that watching funny videos on social media was a highly helpful distraction. My tongue stopped swelling, and it no longer made my speech worse (which was a huge relief, as my speech isn't always clear anyway!).

Now, bear in mind that I am 10 years post-surgery and radiotherapy, so there has been a lot of cumulative tissue damage over the decade. By the end of the trial, I had successfully built myself up to using the unit on my tongue for 10 minutes, three times a day. My tongue had become very woody and stiff over the years, feeling like a heavy, rigid lump. Over the course of using the unit for three months, I noticed that my tongue had become significantly softer. It felt strange after so long, but really wonderful. I still have no normal sensation as such, but the fact that it is no longer woody and rigid is a massive improvement. Ian was absolutely fascinated by this change, too.

My nerve pain is highly affected by the cold weather and is always heightened during the colder months in the UK. Because I was trialling the unit during the warmer summer months, it is difficult to say with absolute certainty what impact it had on the nerve pain itself; I still noticed pain, but after suffering for so many years, I know it will take time for the pain to completely clear.

However, I used the unit before bed every single night—10 minutes on my neck and up to 10 minutes on my tongue—and I noticed that my sleep was dramatically improving. I was no longer being woken up by twinges, cramps, or spasms at night, which felt absolutely great. For me, the treatment felt even more impactful at night than during the day.

Julie was lovely and kept in close contact with me during the loan period to check how I was getting on. Even though I have years of pain and damage from my cancer treatments, I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to experience how Deep Oscillation works and to see the physical difference it made to my tongue.

Thank you so much to Mary and Julie for being so incredibly kind and generous in letting me trial their Deep Oscillation unit for three months. Feeling the benefit of a softer tongue and experiencing better sleep has been a huge bonus. Ian and I had gotten into such a daily routine with the therapy that once we returned the unit, Ian remarked how strange it felt for me not to be doing it at points during the day!

You are both extremely kind. I can imagine this therapy is incredibly helpful for lymphoedema issues. It is also deeply reassuring to know that there are non-pharmacological options available out there, rather than just relying on daily pain medications, which many head and neck cancer patients are highly reluctant to take due to their heavy side effects.

Karen

Understanding the Terms: A Brief Clinical Glossary

Deep Oscillation: A non-invasive, gentle physical therapy that utilises a pulsed electrostatic field to generate gentle, microscopic tissue movement (endogenous microdeformations) to support tissue softening and ease muscular tension, operating without requiring downward physical pressure. The biophysical mechanism of these electrostatic tissue fields and their effect on pain and tissue induration are detailed in the International Archives of Medicine (Hernández Tápanes et al., 2018) paper link, while their impact on lymphovascular pathways is evaluated in the Journal of Aesthetic Nursing (Almendras et al., 2024) paper link. Additionally, its cellular-level draining and anti-inflammatory effects have been demonstrated on human skin tissue models (Boisnic & Branchet, 2013) paper link.

Dysplasia: The presence of altered or abnormal cells within a tissue layer. In post-radiotherapy tissue changes, it represents a localised tissue vulnerability that can periodically experience irritation, redness, or swelling. The clinical management of post-treatment mucosal morbidity and oral rehabilitation parameters are reviewed in Medicine (Tsai et al., 2022) paper link.

Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) Late Effects: Chronic physical, sensory, or functional changes (such as nerve discomfort, muscular tightness, or localised tissue stiffness) that can persist or first develop years after completing active cancer treatments like surgery and radiotherapy. The clinical progression of these post-treatment changes is documented in the Journal of Lymphatic Research and Biology (Ridner et al., 2016) paper link and scoping reviews of UK late-effects service provisions (Julka-Anderson et al., 2026) paper link.

Head and Neck Lymphoedema (HNL): A specific, complex form of swelling affecting the face, neck, or throat following cancer treatment, which can make speaking, swallowing, and moving the neck difficult. Its unique challenges and the quality-of-life benefits of using gentle physical therapies in this sensitive area are evaluated in the Applied Cancer Research study (Halliday et al., 2020) paper link.

Lymphoedema: A chronic condition of localised swelling caused by a compromised lymphatic system, commonly occurring after the surgical removal of lymph nodes or radiotherapy (most frequently studied in post-breast cancer care). The safety and clinical evidence for supporting these pathways with low-intensity physical treatments like Deep Oscillation are reviewed in the Journal of Clinical Medicine (Daia et al., 2026) paper link.

Neck Dissection: A surgical procedure to remove lymph nodes and surrounding tissues from the neck to manage or prevent the spread of cancer. This can result in long-term muscular tightness, spasms, and restricted head or neck mobility. Clinical protocols for managing these post-operative physical restrictions are documented in Supportive Care in Cancer (Smith et al., 2025) paper link and evaluated in clinical rehabilitation trials (Tsai et al., 2022) paper link.

Radiotherapy: A cancer treatment utilising high-energy radiation to target cancer cells. While highly effective, this treatment can sometimes leave the surrounding healthy tissues feeling tight, dry, or less flexible over time, which can drive long-term complications like trismus (lockjaw) as evaluated in Lasers in Medical Science (Borges et al., 2023) paper link and Cancers (Arends et al., 2024) paper link.

Clinical References

Almendras, M. J., et al. (2024). “The effects of shock waves and deep oscillations on lipoedema.” Journal of Aesthetic Nursing, 13(2), pp. 42–53. (paper link)

Arends, C. R., et al. (2024). “Lymphedema and Trismus After Head and Neck Cancer, and the Impact on Body Image and Quality of Life.” Cancers, 16(3), p. 653. (paper link)

Boisnic, S., & Branchet, M. C. (2013). Anti-inflammatory and draining effect of the Deep Oscillation® device tested clinically and on a model of human skin maintained in survival condition. European Journal of Dermatology, 23(1), pp. 59–63. (paper link)

Borges, M. M. F., et al. (2023). “Photobiomodulation therapy in the treatment of radiotherapy-related trismus of the head and neck.” Lasers in Medical Science, 38(1), p. 259. (paper link)

Daia, C. O., et al. (2026). Electrotherapy in Oncology Rehabilitation: Current Evidence, Safety Considerations, and Future Perspectives. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 15(14), 5548. (paper link)

Halliday, E., Gittins, J., & Ahsan, S. F. (2020). Using the Glasgow Benefit Inventory questionnaire to quantify the health benefits of lymphoedema treatment in patients with head and neck cancer. Applied Cancer Research, 40(9). (paper link)

Hernández Tápanes, S., et al. (2018). The Effect of Deep Oscillation Therapy in Fibrocystic Breast Disease: A Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial. International Archives of Medicine, 11(14), pp. 1–10. (paper link)

Julka-Anderson, N., et al. (2026). Late effects services for adults living with and beyond cancer: a scoping exercise of the current provision in the UK. Cancer Nursing Practice, 25(1). (paper link)

Ridner, S., et al. (2016). A prospective study of the lymphedema and fibrosis continuum in patients with head and neck cancer. Lymphatic Research and Biology, 14(4), pp. 198–205. (paper link)

Smith, A. J., Cherry, M. G., & Patterson, J. (2025). “Head and neck lymphoedema service provision in the UK: a survey of practice.” Supportive Care in Cancer, 33(12), 1142. (paper link)

Tsai, K. Y., et al. (2022). “Effect of early interventions with manual lymphatic drainage and rehabilitation exercise on morbidity and lymphedema in patients with oral cavity cancer.” Medicine (Baltimore), 101(42), p. e30910. (paper link)