Ovarian Cancer Treatments – Oncology Rehabilitation

Oncology Rehabilitation for Ovarian Cancer

Staying fit and healthy is an important way to help strengthen your body in the fight against ovarian cancer. Daily exercise provides a valuable outlet for stress and anxiety.

At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), our Oncology Rehabilitation Program offers a customized physical fitness regimen that combines the power of cardiovascular, flexibility and strength training. Together, these activities can help strengthen you throughout your ovarian cancer treatment by helping reduce stress, prevent fatigue, regain independence, and improve overall quality of life.

The integrated rehabilitation services team at CTCA is comprised of physical therapists (PTs), occupational therapists (OTs), speech and language pathologists, and massage therapists. Working together, we try to empower ovarian cancer patients to become more physically capable, active and strong.

Therapy highlights of CTCA physical rehabilitation services include:

Physical Evaluation

Our rehabilitation team will first conduct a thorough physical evaluation. Part of this initial evaluation consists of a functional assessment of your ability to perform regular activities of daily living (ADLs). This will allow your rehabilitation therapist to customize an exercise program to your unique physical needs and abilities.

Physical Therapy / Exercise Program

Ensuring patients maintain some level of physical activity is a core tenet of the CTCA approach to ovarian cancer treatment. Even the most minimal amount of exercise can help give you strength during ovarian cancer treatment.

Regular exercise increases heart rate and muscle flexion, helping to strengthen and boost your body’s tolerance to chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Participating in daily exercise programs will also enable you to gain a sense of physical control over your condition, and will provide an outlet for stress and anxiety.

Our rehabilitation services team will help you develop a customized exercise regimen that works for you, consisting of range-of-motion training as well as other light activities. Designed for ovarian cancer patients capable of maintaining independent self-care, these program will help you identify and address strength and stamina deficiencies, and help prevent fatigue from reaching a debilitating level.

• Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE):  The Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion helps therapists determine the intensity of exercise you can tolerate. The scale ranges from 6 (no exertion at all) to 20 (maximum exertion). Since the condition of each person is unique, the Borg system measures “exercise” as any activity that increases heart rate. Most people achieve 65 to 75 percent of their maximum heart rate during exercise.
• Flexibility Program:  Stretching is a beneficial activity that may help relieve joint stiffness and pain, while at the same time improving your overall mobility and range-of-motion. The benefits of stretching include:
  • Enhancement of performance in everyday activities
  • Improvement of mobility and independence
  • Improvement and maintenance of posture and muscle balance
  • Injury prevention
  • Promotion of physical and mental relaxation

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists at CTCA deliver quality of life programs. By studying you as you interact with your day-to-day surroundings, occupational therapists assess physical mobility and will teach you how to address, and adapt to, any physical limitations resultant from ovarian cancer treatment. Quality of life programs include help with showering, dressing, eating, and toileting. 

Speech and Language Pathology

Speech and language pathologists provide a dual role in the CTCA rehabilitation services department. They teach speech therapy and troubleshoot any swallowing problems that may limit your ability to consume food. If left untreated, an improper swallowing mechanism can create a condition known as aspiration (when food falls into the lung). CTCA speech and language pathologists will work with the nutrition team and food services to thicken or puree food to the consistency you require.

Manual Therapy

Massage therapy is one means of manual muscle therapy. If you would like to incorporate massage therapy into your ovarian cancer treatment, you will first obtain a referral from either your physical or occupational therapist. The following list details the various forms of manual therapies you may receive from your rehabilitation therapist at CTCA:

• Swedish Massage
• Reflexology
• Lymphedema Massage
• Myofascial Release

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