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October 2015 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
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this these side-effects, said Graham.
“A licensed physical therapist
should be a part of all cancer survivors’ plan. As more and more
patients are diagnosed with cancer in
the coming years, they should insist
on making physical therapy a part of
their recovery, both during and after
cancer treatments,” said Graham.
“Our goal is to empower patients to
take an active role in their survivorship and to gain the best quality of
life during and after treatment.”
To learn more about how physical
therapy can help after cancer diagnosis, contact KORT at www.kort.com
or call 1-800-645-KORT to discuss
physical therapy as part of a comprehensive survivorship plan.
Most health insurance plans
now allow patients to seek physical
therapy treatment directly without
a physician referral.
KORT Physical Therapist
Helping Cancer Patients Gain
Quality of Life
This year, nearly 1.66 million new
cases of cancer will be diagnosed,
however, due to advances in treatment and early detection more
people are surviving than ever before.
The American Cancer Society estimates there were 13.7 million cancer
survivors in 2012 and projects 18 million by 2022. An increase in survivor
rates means that a focus on quality of
life after undergoing cancer treatment
is increasingly more important.
“When someone is diagnosed with
cancer, treatments including a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and
radiation is the first course of action.
But what happens following cancer
treatment can be just as difficult and
painful as the cancer itself. There
are many side effects to cancer and
cancer treatments that can negatively
affect the survivor’s quality of life,”
said KORT physical therapist Dr.
Katherine Graham PT, DPT.
Dr. Graham, who specializes in
physical therapy for patients currently undergoing or those who have
already undergone cancer treatment,
says possible side effects include
pain, fatigue, loss of mobility, muscle
weakness, decreased flexibility, neuropathy/nerve disorders, cognition
changes, hormone changes, body
weight changes and lymphedema.
Surviving Cancer and
Cancer Treatments
“Persistent fatigue is the most common long-term side effect of cancer
treatment. While the thought of getting up and doing any kind of movement may seem impossible, research
shows that exercise can actually
decrease your feeling of fatigue. In
fact, recent studies show that patients
who routinely exercised were 40-50%
less fatigued and significantly reduced
their risk of cancer recurrence,” said
Graham.
Physical therapists can develop
an individualized, graded exercise
program to help patients increase
their physical activity, said Graham.
The National Comprehensive Cancer
Network 2015 Clinical Guidelines
recommends encouraging all patients
to engage in a moderate level of physical activity during and after cancer
treatment, she said.
“Chronic pain from surgery,
radiation, chemotherapy, hormone
therapy or the cancer itself is another
obstacle cancer patients must over-
come. Trained physical therapists
can help manage pain with gentle
exercise, pain management education,
positioning, assistive devices, manual
therapy and activity modification,”
said Graham
Radiation therapy can create
scar tissue, decrease flexibility and
lead to muscle weakness during the
months and years following treatment, according to Graham. Physical
therapists use skilled manual therapy
techniques and strengthening and
stretching exercise programs to treat
About KORT
For over 27 years, Kentucky Orthopedic
Rehab Team (KORT) has been the
specialist in outpatient physical and
occupational therapy in Kentucky and
Southern Indiana. Lo