Cancer Rehabilitation

What is cancer rehabilitation?

Cancer rehabilitation is a supportive service that aims to prevent, relieve and reduce symptoms at any point during your cancer treatment. Any medical care related to symptoms of cancer or side effects of cancer treatment counts as cancer rehabilitation. Your healthcare team may use other names for cancer rehab, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and/or speech therapy.

Your healthcare team tailors cancer rehab to your body and needs. You may want to improve your cardiovascular health before treatment. Or you might feel too fatigued to attend to your family responsibilities. Or you may experience muscle weakness that makes it hard to move around in your home. Or maybe you find it difficult to remember things and come up with words.

Cancer rehab can help.

What’s the difference between cancer rehabilitation and cancer survivorship care?

Cancer rehabilitation is part of cancer survivorship care. Cancer rehab is designed to relieve physical discomfort and improve physical function. Survivorship care helps you manage the emotional and physical changes you may experience as part of your cancer experience.

What symptoms can cancer rehab help with?

Cancer rehab can help you get ready for treatment. It also helps with symptoms you may experience during and after cancer treatment, like:

• Balance issues.
• Difficulty swallowing.
• Fatigue.
• Issues with your bowel (incontinence or constipation) or bladder.
• Muscle weakness, tingling or numbness (peripheral neuropathy).
• Pain.
• Sexual dysfunction.
• Swelling and discomfort (lymphedema).
• Trouble thinking as clearly or quickly as you could before (brain fog).
• Mood disorders, anxiety and panic attacks.

Does the type of cancer I have affect my cancer rehabilitation?

Your healthcare team works with you to develop a cancer rehabilitation program for your needs. They consider your:

• Age and other health conditions you might have.
• Cancer type.
• Cancer treatments.
• Typical activities and lifestyle.

Providers develop a cancer rehabilitation program to address your symptoms. For example, breast cancer rehabilitation may include lymphatic drainage massage to relieve swelling in your arms and chest after surgery.

What are the four stages of cancer rehab?

Rehabilitation providers offer different types of therapy depending on your stage of cancer treatment. This is different from the cancer stage you discuss with your oncologist when you get your diagnosis. The four stages of cancer rehab don’t refer to how far your cancer has spread. Instead, it’s about the stages of diagnosis and treatment. The four stages of cancer rehab include:

• Preventive rehabilitation (prehabilitation).
• Restorative rehabilitation.
• Supportive rehabilitation.
• Palliative rehabilitation.

Preventive rehabilitation (prehabilitation)

Before you start treatment, your healthcare providers may work with you to understand how your body normally feels and functions. They’ll use this information to help design a rehab regimen so you’re in the best shape possible before treatment starts. The goal is to help prevent some treatment-related symptoms and complications. Examples of the preventive stage of cancer rehab include:

• Help stopping substance use, like drinking alcohol, drug misuse, or smoking cigarettes or marijuana.
• Talk therapy (psychotherapy) to help you understand and accept your new diagnosis, manage anxiety and get enough sleep.
• Physical therapy that addresses balance to prevent falls. Your therapist may also give you exercises to strengthen muscle groups before surgery, so you have the best possible outcome.
• Work with a nutritionist so you can maintain a weight that’s healthy for you.

Restorative rehabilitation

Cancer treatment is hard on bodies. Restorative cancer rehabilitation takes place during cancer treatment to help reduce treatment side effects. This may include:

• Physical therapy after surgery to get you moving around with confidence.
• Mobility devices like walkers or canes to keep you safe while you’re on your feet.
• Gentle aerobic and strengthening exercises to address fatigue and weakness, and maintain your range of motion.
• Respiratory therapy and breathing exercises.
• Work with a nutritionist to ensure you’re getting enough calories.
• Relaxation techniques like yoga and massage.
• Acupuncture therapy.

Supportive rehabilitation

The effects of cancer treatment can last even after the treatment itself ends. You may still feel weak and foggy, and you may need new strategies for daily tasks. This is when supportive rehabilitation can help. In this stage, you may continue therapies you started in restorative rehabilitation like physical therapy and nutrition. Depending on what kind of cancer you had, you may benefit from continued:

• Exercise interventions focused on strength, flexibility, motion and balance.
• Speech therapy.
• Recreational and occupational therapy.
• Cognitive rehabilitation.
• Learning more about the lingering effects of cancer and treatment on your body and mind.

Palliative rehabilitation

Palliative cancer rehabilitation helps keep you comfortable after your cancer care team finds your cancer isn’t responding to treatment. This rehab may complement other palliative medicine services as you near the end of life. Specialists may use gentle movement, heat therapy, relaxation techniques and more to make things easier for you and those who care for you.

Who provides cancer rehabilitation services?

There are many types of rehab for patients with cancer, so your team may include healthcare providers from different fields. In cancer rehabilitation programs, you may receive care from a:

• Dietitian or nutrition counselor.
• Occupational therapist.
• Physical therapist.
• Psychiatrist or psychologist.
• Recreational therapist.
• Speech-language pathologist.

What should I expect from cancer rehabilitation?

Cancer rehabilitation is about you and your needs. If you’re hospitalized, you may need inpatient rehab for cancer. Or you may receive outpatient care, like participating in an exercise program.

During cancer rehabilitation, you:

1. Talk with your healthcare provider about your physical concerns.
2. Set measurable goals.
3. Work with a team of healthcare providers to achieve your goals.

You play an important part in rehab. It’s common for people with cancer to have little or variable energy. And pain and other symptoms may come and go. Try to do the exercises and activities as instructed. But if something hurts, don’t do it. Talk to your healthcare providers about how you’re doing, and how your rehab program makes you feel. And let your provider know if you experience new:

• Anxiety, depression, panic attacks or feelings of hopelessness.
• Thoughts of hurting yourself (call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or go to the nearest emergency room).
• Problems with sleep.

How long will I need cancer rehabilitation?

Depending on your needs, you may need cancer rehab for a short time or for the rest of your life.

How soon will I feel better once I start cancer rehabilitation?

Cancer rehabilitation is different for everyone. You might notice an immediate difference in your breathing and stress levels. But to get the most benefit from your program, you’ll need to do your exercises regularly. Other changes — like improved strength and coordination and a reduction in pain — take time.

Talk to your healthcare provider about your specific rehab plan. They can help you understand what to expect from cancer rehab.