How Rehab Therapy Can Help Cancer Patients Post-Treatment

Those undergoing cancer treatment may often turn to the support of their community, and the medical professionals who can best aid them in their post-treatment journey. Finding ways to reduce pain and improve overall well-being are important factors in their road to recovery. But nobody can do it alone. Thankfully, this is where the guidance, along with hands-on care and approach, of rehab therapy can help.

Your Rehab Therapy Program

Below let’s look at a few examples of how your rehab therapy program may be the missing piece for cancer patients who are looking to experience further relief and get back to a sense of normalcy in their lives.

Reduce Cancer-Related Fatigue

Up to 90 percent of cancer patients who undergo radiation therapy and up to 80 percent of those who are treated with chemotherapy experience fatigue.¹ As a result, the effects of fatigue can sometimes have an impact on a person’s well-being and everyday capabilities. Per the American Cancer Society’s recommendations, those undergoing cancer treatment are encouraged to add physical exercise, in whichever form is most appropriate, to their treatment plan.¹ A customized exercise program designed by a physical therapist may help a cancer patient slowly combat fatigue. Physical therapists can also work with improving a patient’s aerobic capacity by looking at different aerobic activities that may be best suited for them, and thus reduce cancer fatigue.²

Improve Comfort and State of Wellness

The side effects of cancer treatment can often make a person feel low on energy. It’s normal to also experience varying levels of weakness throughout one’s body. With proper rehab therapy care, however, a cancer patient may find that simple techniques here and there, along with useful technologies, such as electrical stimulation, may lessen their discomfort and improve their quality of life.³ Better yet, a rehab therapist may also teach a cancer patient how to perform these simple techniques and exercises from the comfort of their home, that way they feel at ease right in their own environment.

Elevate Mood and Reduce Brain Fog

It’s understandable when a cancer patient may suddenly feel a dip in their mood and a bit of a decline in their mental health. From receiving a life-changing diagnosis to the stress of getting on the right treatment plan, all of these factors can prove to be overwhelming. While we’ve talked about how a specialized exercise regimen designed by rehab therapists can help cancer patients reap physical health benefits, it can also do wonders for a person’s mental state by improving their overall mood. In turn, those in the care of a rehab therapy program may experience less brain fog and gather more focus and clarity in their thoughts by following a guided exercise routine.

Increase Flexibility and Restore Strength

One of the best things about rehab therapy is how it can successfully help someone recover strength, flexibility, and mobility in their everyday lives. Providing support to cancer patients in this regard is also no exception. A rehab therapy program can be beneficial to identifying lingering pain points that a cancer patient may be experiencing and working with him or her to restore their agility and strength. Additionally, such individuals can also obtain tips and suggestions to improve balance and prevent falls as they continue post-treatment care.

Optimize  Your Physical Therapy Services

There are many ways a rehab therapy program can be essential to a cancer patient’s post-treatment journey. Learn how Net Health® Therapy for Hospital Outpatient and Net Health® Therapy for Private Practice can optimize your rehab therapy services and enhance care for your patients.

References

¹US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, “The Role of Exercise and Rehabilitation in the Cancer Care Plan,” April 1, 2016. 

²Physical Therapy Central, “Physical Therapy Guide to Cancer,” October 5, 2020. 

³Physical Therapy Central, “Physical Therapist’s Guide to Cancer,” February 16, 2017.