Cancer & Physical Rehabilitation

Cancer survivors face both physical and psycho-social issues that affect their quality of life, no matter what kind of cancer they have overcome. Individuals in the middle of cancer treatment need therapy to help offset the health issues they face as a result of their treatments or the cancer itself.

Rehabilitation for cancer patients can include pain control, bladder and bowel management, and management of spasticity and/or weakness. Physiatrists’ experience as the leader in interdisciplinary medical teams helps bridge the gap between a cancer patient’s rehabilitation issues and medical issues.

Physical therapy provides the assessment and treatment of physical disorders, such as weakness, fatigue, balance problems, pain and joint tightness due to the treatment of various forms of cancer.  Fitness training includes exercise, muscle and joint stretching, balance training, exercise, education and postural retraining to return the individual to a higher level of functioning and comfort.  Clients who most often benefit from fitness training are those recovering from breast cancer surgery with lymph node removal, head and neck cancer surgery, and sarcoma removal surgeries with or without radiation therapy

American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

People Living With Cancer 

What is Cancer?  
Cancer is a group of more than 100 different diseases characterized by the uncontrolled, abnormal growth of cells. These cells form a lump or mass called a tumor. Some cancers, however, such as blood cancers, do not form tumors. Tumors can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Benign tumors may grow, but they do not spread to other parts of the body and are usually not life threatening. Malignant tumors grow and invade other tissues in the body.

Sometimes cancer will spread to the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are tiny, bean-shaped structures that filter the flow of lymph, the clear fluid that plays a role in the body's immune system. Lymph nodes are located in clusters in different parts of the body, such as the neck, groin area, and under the arms. Cells from malignant tumors can also break away and travel to other parts of the body, where they can continue to grow. This process is called metastasis. Metastatic cancer is named for the part of the body where it started. For example, if breast cancer spreads to the lungs, it is called metastatic breast cancer, not lung cancer.

The above text is from a great and extremely informative site.      American Society Of Clinical Oncology