There’s no question that cancer treatments take a toll on your body, including healthy tissues.
You might experience anemia, fatigue, and organ dysfunction, along with hair loss. While your cancer therapies are targeted to destroy the malignancies in your body, you can’t avoid some collateral damage to healthy tissue.
One of the best ways to build your defenses is through strengthening your body. Here at Advantage Physical Therapy in Falls Church and Reston, Virginia, we have cancer rehabilitation specialists to help before, during, and after treatment.
Chemotherapy targets rapidly-dividing cells — a characteristic of many types of cancer. Fast cell division is also common in some healthy cells, such as those in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, hair, and skin.
While dosages and treatment areas can help to minimize the damage of chemotherapy, you may still be susceptible to effects like:
Radiation destroys the DNA of targeted cancers, resulting in cell death. It can also do the same with healthy tissue. Some of the potential effects you may feel include:
Healthy cells tend to recover faster than cancer cells, so helping your body’s repair systems may improve the way you respond to cancer treatment.
Physical therapy is an excellent adjunct therapy for coping with the effects of cancer treatment. Its benefits include:
These physical therapy goals align with the needs of healthy tissue that’s affected by cancer treatments. Five important benefits from physical therapy include:
Joint stiffness, lymphedema, neuropathy, and pain are all common side effects of cancer treatments. These conditions respond well to physical therapy.
Gaining strength and improved function to compensate for the deteriorations caused by cancer treatment helps restore bodily function. Physical therapy can be targeted to the overall effects of your cancer therapies.
Fatigue during cancer treatment is often relentless. Physical therapy may seem counterintuitive when you have low energy, but it actually reduces fatigue.
Physical activity is a known mood-improver and stress-buster, helpful to counter the emotional effects of a cancer diagnosis as well as the physical effects of treatment.
Physical therapy serves your long-term goals of returning normality to your life during and after cancer. Cardiovascular health, increased flexibility, and improved strength can make a difference.
Call or click to arrange a consultation with Advantage Physical Therapy in Reston and Falls Church. We may be the essential cancer treatment support team you didn’t know you needed. Book your visit today.
