We know that fighting breast cancer is not an easy journey. After undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation, it's normal to feel very tired, both physically and mentally. After treatment is over, you may wonder, "Will I ever be able to go back to my old life?" Yes, you definitely can! Rehabilitation is here to help you with that. Let's talk about that today.
Why do we need rehabilitation?
Simply put, rehabilitation is about helping your body recover after breast cancer treatment. This treatment can cause you to experience various discomforts.
- Pain and stiffness: You may feel pain or stiffness in areas such as the shoulder, armpit, or groin where the surgery was performed.
- Weakness and fatigue: Fatigue caused by treatment can make you feel so weak that you can't even do small tasks.
- Difficulty moving: It may be difficult to do things like lift your arm or put it behind your back.
- Lymphedema: You may have experienced this too. Lymphedema is a condition in which the lymph fluid in the arm does not drain properly, causing swelling in the arm, as a side effect of treatment, especially after removing lymph nodes in the armpit.
If you are experiencing any of these, don't be ashamed or suffer alone. These are conditions that many people experience. There are specialist therapists who can help with this. These are Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists.
What is Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy is about helping you with problems with your body's movement, pain, and strength. Imagine you're having trouble lifting your arm after surgery, your shoulder hurts, or you feel like you're going crazy. This is when your doctor might refer you to a physical therapist.
When you first see a physical therapist, they will talk to you and ask about your pain, swelling, and other discomfort. They will then check how far you can move your upper body, shoulders, and arms, and how your posture is. Then , you and the therapist will work together to decide what goals you want to achieve and create a plan to get there.
Physical therapy sessions may include things like:
- Massage: Relax tense muscles and joints.
- Stretching: Increase the flexibility of joints and muscles with the help of a therapist.
- Strength-Building Exercises: Teaches simple exercises that can be done at home.
- Lymphedema Management: Learn how to use special massage techniques and compression bandages to control arm swelling.
The important thing is that this is not a time to force your body to exercise and make it more difficult. The main goal is to reduce your discomfort, make movement easier, and restore your lost strength.
Help from Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy is a little different. It focuses on helping you get back to your daily routine . This includes everything from getting dressed in the morning, to doing chores in the kitchen, to going back to work.
An occupational therapist will help you find solutions to your daily life challenges.
Your therapist can help with things like:
- Alternative methods: Teaches about alternative ways to perform daily tasks more easily or about adaptive devices designed specifically for that purpose.
- Energy Management: Helps you prioritize your daily tasks to maximize your energy.
- Lifestyle changes: Shows you how to make small changes to your home environment or lifestyle to make things easier.
- Mental well-being: Practicing relaxation techniques that can help manage pain or stress.
- Thinking problems: Helps cope with memory and thinking problems, such as 'chemo brain' caused by treatment.
- Lymphedema Management: Exercise and skin care tips can help manage swelling in the arms.
The difference between physical therapy and occupational therapy simply
To help you understand these two treatment methods better, let's look at this table.
| Therapy | Main focus | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Therapy | Problems with body movement, strength, and pain. (How your body moves) | Exercises for shoulder pain, overcoming walking difficulties, and massage to control lymphedema. |
| Occupational Therapy | Being able to do daily life activities again on your own. (What you do in daily life) | Easy ways to get dressed, energy-saving ways to work in the kitchen, and coping with memory problems. |
Don't forget the power of exercise!
Even if you don't specifically need physical therapy, your doctor may recommend some simple, safe exercises that you can do at home. But remember, don't start any exercise until your doctor or therapist says you're ready.
Not only does exercise help you get back to your normal life, research has found that exercise can also increase the lifespan of people recovering from breast cancer.
Exercise also provides benefits such as:
- Helps maintain good arm and shoulder movement after surgery or radiation treatment.
- Reduces fatigue caused by cancer or treatment.
- It can reduce nausea caused by chemotherapy.
- Helps you sleep well.
- Reduces stress.
- It also helps improve your sex life.
If you're not sure where to start, consider seeking the help of a qualified exercise trainer who has experience working with people recovering from cancer. Your doctor can recommend someone like that.
Take-Home Message
- Rehabilitation is a very important part of recovery after breast cancer treatment.
- Physical therapy can help with things like pain, stiffness, difficulty moving your body, and swelling in your arms (lymphedema).
- Occupational therapy helps you perform daily tasks with ease and confidence again.
- Exercise is very beneficial, but be sure to start only after getting your doctor's approval .
- Talk openly with your doctor about any physical or emotional discomfort you are experiencing. Never be afraid to ask for help. You are not alone in this journey.
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