The patient in cancer treatment has a significant impact on his or her physical condition level. During the process, there is a weight reduction with great muscle mass loss, although on other occasions there is an increase in weight and volume due to the medication. Muscles lose tone and elasticity by limiting their ability to move. They often have inflammation and joint pain as a side effect of the medication.
Once the therapy is finished, the patient wants to return to a normal life, and that includes returning to work that involves a physical effort and also jobs where physical appearance is important. Returning to sports practice is also part of the process of recovery of both physical and social patients.
The Process
The rehabilitation process will depend on each person, but it is recommended that it be initiated with a medical consultation where the functional limitations, physical capacity for work, and the medication you take are evaluated. Every recovery plan has a goal, which will have been agreed with the patient, setting reasonable targets.
A personalized exercise plan is then created that will be elastic enough to adapt the sessions to the rhythm and frequency of the patient’s needs.
The speed of progression will be adapted to the possibilities of each case and it will never be a failure to reduce load or not to improve linearly. We will avoid pain, inflammation, and exhaustion, factors that would clearly force the process to be stopped completely.
A record will be made at the end of each session of the work performed and the patient’s condition. Medical checks are carried out every three weeks and should be assessed whether adaptation to the work plan is appropriate.
One of the most important factors in this process is motivation. The one who already has the patient who is willing to strive, we increase it with the environment, the one where one more person sits, surrounded by healthy people who train. Then you need to reinforce that motivation with the enthusiasm and dedication of the task force, such as physiotherapists/trainers, and thus establish a link and a common goal commitment.
Cases most commonly treated are those related to loss of shoulder movement range after breast cancer treatment. Both by stiffness of the muscle, as well as the scars of surgery and tendinitis in the shoulder rotator cuff. Goals range from simply regaining mobility and reducing pain to getting back to playing tennis with that arm.
All patients should complement the sessions with exercises to be performed at home as the recoverers are being guided, as mentioned, respecting their pace and pain thresholds.
In other cases, it is a question of recovering the physical condition and appearance after a long illness and aggressive treatments. There are no secrets, as in any personalized training plan, the aim is to improve muscle endurance to fatigue, tone, abdominal activation, posture, breath control, agility, and coordination speed.
It is a characteristic of these patients the will to change, after a long illness they feel the need to correct behavioral patterns that can help them recover and avoid a relapse. This change usually includes: reducing work stress, quitting smoking, resting better at night, spending more time with friends and family, doing regular physical exercise, and healthier eating. The most important thing is to help them get to comply with that new life plan, and in terms of physical activity it’s not uncommon for new targets to come up with.
Disclaimers: This information does not in any case replace the diagnosis or prescription by a doctor. It is important to go to a specialist when symptoms occur in case of illness and never self-medicate.