The stress of facing a serious illness like cancer is often compounded by the uncertainty of what life might look like during and even after treatment.
“Cancer treatment can be difficult. There are often side effects while someone is being treated and there are a lot of lasting effects from cancer, even after someone has been declared cancer-free,” said Alison Matson, a physical therapist and director of Therapy Services at The University of Toledo Medical Center.
Fatigue is common. Various cancer treatment options can result in nerve damage, problems with balance and lead to lymphedema. Speech can be disrupted, particularly in patients being treated for head and neck cancers.
But much like early detection of cancer offers better hope for remission, early intervention from specialized physical, occupational and speech therapists can help patients manage — and at times, limit — those unpleasant side effects.
“Therapy can have significant positive impacts on oncology patients, and the earlier we are added to the care team, the better,” Matson said. “We want to make sure patients have the highest quality of life, both while they’re undergoing treatment and after they beat the cancer.”
UTMC’s Outpatient Rehabilitation and Therapy Services was recently designated a Physiological Oncology Rehabilitation Institute Center of Excellence, the gold standard in oncology rehabilitation.
“This designation sets us apart from other cancer programs in the area,” said Chris Kosinski, director of the Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center. “Having a staff that is highly trained and understands the unique needs of cancer patients is important in preparing patients to be successful with their cancer journey. We’re proud to be able to offer this integrated approach to patients throughout northwest Ohio.”
UTMC has been working toward the center of excellence designation for the past two years, with therapists completing additional training and specialized courses in several focused areas of rehab, such as breast cancer, head and neck cancer and pelvic cancer.
UTMC therapists take an individualized approach, getting to know their patients and their specific needs.
“We want to know what’s important to each patient and help them develop strategies to ensure they can still do the things they love,” Matson said. “That might be cooking, it might be playing pickleball, it might be having the strength to be able to get up and down to play on the floor with their grandkids.”
Physical therapy can help patients learn to manage their fatigue levels, improve and maintain their balance and prevent muscle atrophy. Occupational therapy can work on adapting leisure or work-related tasks to maintain independence with those skills. For patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancers, therapy is focused on helping them regain speech skills and improve their ability to swallow.
One of the main things that early evaluation and intervention can help with is lymphedema, which occurs when lymph fluid builds up in the body. A common side effect of many types of cancer, it can cause swelling, discomfort and pain, and increase the risk of skin infections.
If started early, therapy can lessen the effects of lymphedema, improve range of motion and potentially prevent someone from requiring a compression sleeve down the road.
A key concern of patients being referred to any kind of physical therapy, Matson said, is that they’re signing up for a never-ending series of appointments.
“We really want to dispel that idea. We’re going to meet you where you are,” she said. “If you can come in once a month, we can work with that. What’s most important is we get a baseline evaluation and then we’re there for you when you need us.”
Therapists can also serve as an important ally for patients who are feeling overwhelmed.
“We spend a lot of time with our patients, so they often open up to us about the issues they’re having as they go through treatment. If, for example, a patient tells us they’re experiencing depression, that allows us to go back to the oncologist and work to get a plan in place to address that,” she said. “It’s another layer to your care.”
Cancer patients and survivors do not need a referral to see a UTMC therapist, regardless of where they’re being treated, and UTMC will work with patients to ensure those services will be covered under their insurance.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Outpatient Rehabilitation and Therapy Services at 419.383.5040.
