About Cancer Rehab

Prehabilitation & Rehabilitation

Prehabilitation services are provided when you are able to attend prior to starting your oncology treatment such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy or if you require surgery.  The evidence for prehabilitation is that it improves your fitness preoperatively and this improves your outcomes postoperatively.

Rehabilitation is provided to improve movement/flexibility and strength following cancer surgical input and/or medical interventions.  This means helping you to be able to perform the tasks, duties, functions you need and want to.  Therapy may include balance activities, performing more than one task at a time (dual or multi-tasking), quick and power muscle movement training and endurance activities.

Rehabilitation services are also available for those with advanced cancer, including those at the palliative stage.  During this time, the focus of rehabilitation is to maintain independence, dignity and delay further complications that can make this period more challenging.

If you have recently had surgery, Physiotherapy input may be covered by your insurance provided, however, as these policies can differ among providers I recommend you check your policy or contact your case manager to discuss how you might be reimbursed for this.

• Arora, A., Chang, P., & Asher, A.  (2024). The role of rehabilitation for the dying cancer patient. .  Current physical medicine and rehabilitation reports, 12, 119-125

• Coderre, D., Brahmbhatt, P., Hunter, T., & Baima, J. (2022). Cancer prehabilitation in practice: the current evidence, Current Oncology Reports 24(11) 1569-1577

• Rock,C., Thomson, C., Sullivan, K., Howe, C., Kushi, L., Caan, B., Neuhouser, M., Bandera, E., Wang, Y., Robien, K., Basen-Engquist, K., Brown, J., Courneya, K., Crane, T., Garcia, D., Grant, B., Hamilton, K., Hartman, S., Kenfield, S., Martinez, M., Meyerhardt, J., Nekhlyudov, L., Overholser, L., Patel, A., Pinto, B., Platek, M., Rees-Punia, E., Spees, C., Gapstur, S., & McCullough, M.  (2022).  American Cancer Society nutrition and physical activity guideline for cancer survivors.  A cancer journal of clinicians, 72(3) 230-262 

• Segal, R., Zwaal, C., Green, E., Tomasone, J., Loblaw, A., & Petrella, T (2017).  Exercise for people with cancer: a clinical practice guideline.  Current Oncology, 24(1), 40-46