Cancer rehabilitation goes hand-in-hand with cancer treatment, recovery and survivorship. Maintaining strength, nutrition and overall health help the body recover from cancer treatments, and expertly guided rehabilitation can help improve recovery from surgery and minimize loss of mobility and function. In addition, maintaining a healthy lifestyle including exercise and proper nutrition have been shown to decrease the chances of cancer recurrence.
Cancer rehabilitation services include:
Physical therapy
Physical therapists are highly-educated, licensed health care professionals who help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility. Physical therapists teach patients how to prevent or manage their condition so that they will achieve long-term health benefits. An individualized treatment plan is developed for each patient using techniques that promote movement, reduce pain, restore function and prevent disability. Physical therapists are experts in how the body moves, and we will collaborate with you and your physician to help you achieve long-term health.
Physical therapy can help with:
- Strength
- Range of motion
- Pain
- Walking
- Balance
- Fatigue
- Neuropathy
- Pelvic pain or dysfunction
- Reduced bone density
- Shortness of breath
- Diminished cardiovascular health and endurance
- Scar adhesions
- Radiation fibrosis
Occupational therapy
Occupational therapists can help patients to regain and build skills that are important to functioning independently. We use a holistic approach to assess and treat patients with physical and cognitive impairments by focusing on daily activities such as dressing, bathing, sleep hygiene, meal preparation, and managing the home after treatment. We also teach patients and caregivers how to use adaptive equipment that can make their lives easier. In addition to working with patients to improve cognition and physical well-being, we can also address social and environmental issues that may affect activities of daily living.
Occupational therapy can help with:
- Upper extremity pain
- Loss of arm strength
- Loss of range of motion
- Memory loss
- Decreased concentration
- Energy conservation
- Difficulty with basic self-care
- Difficulty with work and leisure activities
- Assistive devices
Lymphedema
Lymphedema therapists are specialists who help to manage swelling of the arm, leg, groin, trunk, head or neck that can develop when surgery or radiation treatments affect the lymph nodes. We assist in detecting and preventing the progression of lymphedema, providing clinical treatment and education, and aid in managing the condition at home.
Lymphedema therapy can help with:
- Educating patients on signs and symptoms of infection and the importance of skin care
- Manual lymphatic drainage
- Compression bandaging
- Garment fitting and wear
- Improvement of skin texture
- Therapeutic exercise
Speech-language pathology
Speech-language pathologists provide comprehensive evaluation and treatment of speech, swallowing, voice, language and cognitive impairments to maximize functional outcomes and positively impact quality of life. We provide specialty care for laryngectomees, including pre-laryngectomy and tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) consultations; voice restoration via alaryngeal speech evaluation and training (electrolarynx and TEP); pulmonary rehabilitation with fitting for heat-moisture exchanger and appropriate housing; and TEP prosthesis changes, maintenance and care. We also hold a monthly support group for patients with laryngectomees.
Speech therapy can help with:
- Swallowing difficulty, including oral, pharyngeal and cervical esophageal dysphagia
- Trismus (difficulty opening mouth due to poor jaw range of motion)
- Voice disorders, such as vocal fold paralysis, hoarseness, pitch or loudness problems
- Speech difficulty, including articulation and resonance disorders
- Language and cognitive impairments, such as recall, attention, problem solving, reasoning, and verbal organization