Being told to stay active during cancer treatment can feel like an overwhelming or even impossible task.
The phrase "exercise during treatment" can sound daunting; however, in reality it is often much more manageable and achievable than people might imagine.
I am a certified PINC Cancer Rehabilitation practitioner, which is a program designed specifically for women recovering from cancer treatment. Here is how it works and who it suits.
Cancer treatment can affect the body in many ways and these changes can leave people feeling physically and emotionally very different from how they felt before treatment. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy commonly bring fatigue, loss of muscle mass, reduced bone density, changes in balance, and deconditioning of the heart and lungs. Surgery can add scar tissue, restricted range of movement, and for many people a changed relationship with a part of their body.
Appropriately prescribed exercise, advice and hands on treatment (where indicated) addresses all of these concerns. There is strong evidence that cancer-related fatigue can be improved through gentle, graded activity rather than rest alone. This can feel quite counterintuitive, particularly when your body is telling you that you need to stop and rest. While rest is important, too much inactivity can actually make fatigue worse, which is why gradually introducing safe, manageable movement can be so beneficial.
Other potential benefits include improved range of movement, reduced pain and stiffness, greater strength and confidence in everyday activities, and, in some cases, improved treatment outcomes and overall prognosis.
People preparing for treatment who want to build strength, fitness and physical capacity beforehand, so they can feel more prepared and resilient going into treatment. People midway through chemotherapy or radiotherapy, working around their cycle and fatigue. People who finished treatment six months ago and are wondering why they still do not feel like themselves. And people who finished five years ago who feel like they lacked guidance.
There is benefit at every one of those points.
The first appointment is long, usually an hour, and most of it is talking.
I need to understand what treatment you have had or are having, what type of surgery you have had, what your surgeon and Oncologist have recommended, your physical restrictions, your level of fatigue and discomfort and what you would like to get back to doing. The last one is very important and helps to set our treatment goals.
Then you will have a physical assessment appropriate to you and your stage of treatment/recovery. This can involve assessing range of movement of the affected area, strength, balance and how you are managing everyday tasks.
We will set goals and you will be given an individual program and a realistic sense of what the next 6-8 weeks will look like.
Sessions can be one to one, or through Clinical Pilates in a small group once you are ready for it. Many people move from individual sessions into a small group as their confidence, strength and range of movement returns. The group sessions can be very beneficial and often provide benefits that extend beyond the physical.
If you are still in active treatment, we plan around your cycle.
Most people find they can do noticeably more in the days before their next treatment and considerably less in the days immediately after. We will work around this and modify your program as appropriate. Sessions can be shortened, moved or done at home.
A common pattern I see is doing too much on a good day. You wake up with more energy than you’ve had in a while, so you do the washing, go shopping, catch up with a friend and cook dinner, only to find yourself completely exhausted the next day.
Learning to pace yourself and resist the urge to do everything on a good day is a genuine skill, and it can be surprisingly difficult. But getting this balance right can make a significant difference to rehabilitation and recovery, helping you build capacity gradually without repeatedly pushing your body beyond what it can manage.
If you’re somewhere in this journey and unsure where to start, you can book an initial assessment and we will work out a starting point together.
In most cases yes, with the program adjusted around your treatment schedule and modified according to your individual needs. There are situations where we pause, such as very low blood counts, and return to exercising when you are able.
This is a very common worry and the research is genuinely reassuring. Cancer related fatigue responds better to graded activity than to rest alone.
Current evidence supports careful progressive resistance training after lymph node surgery, introduced gradually and monitored. This advice has changed considerably over the past two decades, however we always work within your surgeon's guidelines.
No, however we recommend letting your treating team know. In some situations, we may ask for clearance.
It does not matter if you have never exercised. We will build a program that is appropriate for you.
Sessions are delivered by a physiotherapist and are claimable under physiotherapy extras cover. If you have a Chronic Disease Management plan from your GP, you may also be eligible for a Medicare rebate for a limited number of sessions. Your GP can advise on that.
Any surgical or oncology correspondence you have, a list of your medications, and comfortable clothing. That is all.
You can book an assessment at our Elsternwick clinic, or get in touch if you would like to ask something first.
Booking by Request only
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