Physical Rehabilitation for Cancer Patients

Your physical therapist may include exercises to improve your strength, motor function and agility (hand-eye coordination). This training can help reduce your chance of falling, improve your balance and lessen fatigue. 

Some cancer treatments can cause an increased risk of developing osteoporosis. To counteract this risk, our program uses light weights in your strength training routine to protect and build stronger bones. 

A speech-language pathologist, or speech therapist, will work with you to improve your communication, swallowing or eating ability. Speech therapy is especially helpful for head and neck cancer patients.

A physical therapist will develop an exercise program to address your individual needs, with resistance and aerobics training.  

Exercise increases energy levels by increasing blood flow and stimulating the brain. Your physical therapy sessions combine strength training and aerobic conditioning to help make the body become more efficient. 

Exercise and therapeutic massage will relax tight muscles and lubricate your joints to help your body function better. Our qualified physical therapists can provide the necessary instruction and massage techniques needed to address these symptoms. 

Integrating a daily exercise routine can help promote recovery as well as improve overall well-being and quality of life. Maintaining an active lifestyle can reduce stress and lower your chance of some cancers returning.

Certified wound care and lymphedema therapists can help patients reduce swelling and pain through massage, exercise and other lymphedema therapy techniques. Join a free weekly lymphedema exercise class. 

Your therapist can assess the functional limitations causing numbness and tingling and offer strategies to improve function and ease pain. This is a common neurological side effect of cancer often affecting your hands and feet. A treatment plan may include aerobic exercises, strength training, balance and flexibility work. You may also be recommended to use a shower chair to reduce the risk of falling.

Physical therapists can utilize hands-on techniques to help decrease pain. Exercise has been shown to reduce pain, improve mood and decrease the need for pain medication.  

Some cancer treatments can cause the pelvic floor to become weak or painful over time. Symptoms can include an underactive bladder, an overactive bladder, urinary incontinence (a loss of bladder control) or fecal incontinence (bowel control). Physical therapists can provide stretching exercises to help. 

Flexibility and functional movement can be adversely affected by some cancer treatments. Exercise, stretching and massage therapy can be highly effective at improving these symptoms. A physical therapist can recommend a treatment plan to restore normal movement of stiff joints.

Speech-language pathologists can help with voice disorders including the treatment of an inappropriate pitch or harsh voice. They also can help with symptoms from vocal cord damage, vocal cord paralysis or vocal cord nodules. 

Exercise programs can help boost metabolism and offset caloric imbalances, allowing weight to remain steady. Strength training can be used to increase muscle mass and, in some cases, help increase appetite to promote healthy weight gain.  

Incisions are a normal part of surgery and most heal on their own. Your surgeon will give you post-op instructions for incisional care. However, if there is a sign of infection such as the incision site appearing red, swollen, hot to the touch, or if you experience a fever or chills, call your surgeon's office for advice.

Our rehabilitation specialists can help minimize the appearance of an incision that doesn't heal as expected. You can also get help for a wound caused by an unrelated issue. 

Our team of wound care therapists performs wound healing procedures, including conservative sharp debridement of devitalized (unhealthy) tissue, noncontact low-frequency ultrasound, negative pressure wound therapy, short-stretch multilayer compression bandaging, manual lymphatic drainage techniques, scar mobilization techniques and advanced dressing recommendations, as well as patient and family or caregiver training.