How Physical Therapy Supports Cancer Rehabilitation

Can­cer and can­cer treat­ment take an incred­i­ble toll on your body. As you recov­er from can­cer, you might face a num­ber of phys­i­cal chal­lenges, includ­ing reduced strength, fatigue, pain, and trou­ble get­ting around. 

But your body has an impres­sive abil­i­ty to recov­er and regain some of its lost abil­i­ties, espe­cial­ly with the right sup­port. With phys­i­cal and/​or occu­pa­tion­al ther­a­py for can­cer reha­bil­i­ta­tion, you can ease pain, improve strength and mobil­i­ty, and feel ener­gized once again. 

Here’s how physical/​occupational ther­a­py can help with can­cer reha­bil­i­ta­tion, and when you should seek support. 

How Can­cer and Can­cer Treat­ment Affect Your Body 

In the past decade, can­cer treat­ment has improved great­ly. From more tar­get­ed approach­es to new ther­a­pies, there are now more options than ever to help your body com­bat this disease. 

Still, can­cer and its treat­ment can lead to phys­i­cal side effects. While treat­ment destroys can­cer cells, it can also dam­age healthy cells in the process. The dis­ease itself can take a toll on your body. Oth­er rea­sons for side effects include surgery, radi­a­tion, chemother­a­py, and oth­er medications. 

Can­cer treat­ment remains life-sav­ing, and the risk of side effects is well worth it. How­ev­er, these side effects can still be uncom­fort­able and impact your day-to-day life. They may even make it so you don’t want to con­tin­ue can­cer treatment. 

To pre­vent and man­age these side effects, many peo­ple turn to phys­i­cal or occu­pa­tion­al ther­a­py for can­cer rehabilitation. 

How Ther­a­py Aids in Can­cer Rehabilitation 

Lots of peo­ple think of ther­a­py as a way to address pain or injuries from sports or acci­dents. But phys­i­cal and occu­pa­tion­al ther­a­pists are trained to help you find relief from pain and dis­com­fort in your dai­ly life no mat­ter the cause, includ­ing cancer. 

Phys­i­cal and occu­pa­tion­al ther­a­pists are equipped to help you recov­er from can­cer in a range of ways. Through edu­ca­tion and exer­cise, physical/​occupational ther­a­py helps you work toward your goals both dur­ing ses­sions and at home to reduce the side effects of can­cer and its treatment. 

If you’re expe­ri­enc­ing side effects from can­cer and can­cer treat­ment, make an appoint­ment with a Duly phys­i­cal or occu­pa­tion­al ther­a­pist to sup­port your can­cer reha­bil­i­ta­tion and recovery. 

Build Strength

Mus­cle weak­ness and mus­cle loss are com­mon side effects of can­cer and can­cer treat­ment. They impact up to 80% of peo­ple with advanced can­cer and can lead to trou­ble with dai­ly tasks (such as get­ting out of bed and tak­ing a bath), reduced inde­pen­dence, and men­tal health struggles. 

Physical/​occupational ther­a­py is a key approach to build­ing strength dur­ing and after can­cer. You’ll focus on strength and endurance exer­cis­es that are aligned with your goals, whether that means being able to walk your dog, pick up your grand­chil­dren, or move around your house with ease. 

Regain Motion

Walk­ing is a cru­cial part of dai­ly life, but can­cer sur­vivors are over 20% more like­ly to have prob­lems with mobil­i­ty. This might mean walk­ing slow­ly or hav­ing lim­i­ta­tions in get­ting around, both of which can severe­ly restrict your dai­ly life. 

Phys­i­cal ther­a­py helps you regain your abil­i­ty to move, such as walk­ing and climb­ing stairs. Using exer­cis­es that pro­mote strength and learn­ing how to adapt your move­ments, you’ll be able to go about your day safe­ly and with few­er limitations. 

Bat­tle Fatigue 

Can­cer-relat­ed fatigue (CRF) is more than just feel­ing tired. It’s a per­sis­tent form of exhaus­tion that can lead to not want­i­ng to engage in activ­i­ties, being too tired to eat, and lim­it­ing your dai­ly life.

CRF impacts up to 80% of can­cer sur­vivors, and it can occur dur­ing treat­ment or remis­sion. To address CRF, phys­i­cal ther­a­pists work with you on endurance train­ing along­side strength train­ing. This com­bi­na­tion fights fatigue and gives you the ener­gy for dai­ly activities. 

Ease Pain

Can­cer pain can be a result of a num­ber of fac­tors, includ­ing surgery, treat­ments, tests, and the dis­ease itself. Pain can be ongo­ing and impact your job, rela­tion­ships, abil­i­ty to sleep, and appetite. 

Physical/​occupational ther­a­pists help iden­ti­fy the source of pain and treat it accord­ing­ly. This might include sim­ple exer­cis­es or assis­tive devices, like splints or braces. 

Reduce Swelling

Lym­phede­ma, which is a buildup of flu­id in soft tis­sue, can occur as a side effect from can­cer treat­ment. It can be uncom­fort­able and lead to sec­ondary com­pli­ca­tions includ­ing recur­rent infec­tions and skin break­down. Over time, lym­phede­ma can impact mobil­i­ty and make it hard­er to func­tion with the affect­ed area. Spe­cial­ists that treat lym­phede­ma can assist with man­age­ment of the swelling through mas­sage, com­pres­sion, and exer­cis­es to pro­mote lym­phat­ic drainage. 

When to Use Phys­i­cal Ther­a­py for Can­cer Reha­bil­i­ta­tion 

If pain, dis­com­fort, or lim­i­ta­tions from can­cer treat­ment are impact­ing your dai­ly life, it may be time to address these con­cerns with physical/​occupational therapy. 

It’s impor­tant to get sup­port as soon as pos­si­ble before side effects become worse. For instance, if joint stiff­ness in your arm keeps you from reach­ing over­head, you might stop using your arm as fre­quent­ly. In turn, this might cause your arm to become stiffer and weak­er in the long run. 

Physical/​occupational ther­a­py is designed to improve your strength and mobil­i­ty no mat­ter the cause. When it comes to can­cer and its treat­ment, physical/​occupational ther­a­py man­ages its side effects and helps you regain inde­pen­dence, reduce pain, and enjoy dai­ly activ­i­ties once again.