Physical Rehabilitation Programmes

The Cancer Rehab Service at Cancer Care West is for adults before, during and after cancer treatments. The service uses the most up to date research in the field of cancer rehabilitation.

This service is designed to help prevent, manage and improve the side effects from cancer and its treatments.

While it is brilliant that cancer treatments are improving all the time and more people are living longer with and beyond cancer we also know that the treatments can have unwanted side effects. These unwanted side effects can have a big impact on people’s lives.

Treatment related side effects can include pain, fatigue, lymphoedema, reduced fitness, reduced strength, restricted range of movement in joints, osteoporosis, nerve injuries, breathing problems, increased weight, changes to heart health etc. Cancer rehabilitation and exercise can help to reduce these side effects.

A lot of people tell us that after being diagnosed with cancer they also often feel like they feel that they don’t know their own body anymore. People often tell us that they want to stay or get active but have no idea how to do that or they feel like they are not fit enough to even start. A lot of people say they have never set foot in a gym and aren’t sporty people and are quite nervous about this.

Everybody who uses the service here is assessed by our Exercise Physiologist and it doesn’t matter how much or how little you can do at the moment. A plan will be made with you for you and will focus on what you want to work on.

You may start off with one to one exercises. A lot of people go on to use the gym and/ or join some of the groups on offer and often start or go back to doing things they want to do; like rowing or swimming or pilates or gardening or DIY or getting back on a motorbike or running outdoors or even getting back to work. Some other people just come for advice and information and then do their own thing at home.

Cancer Rehab can help with:

• Cancer Related Fatigue
• Pain and stiffness
• Increasing exercise levels and/or general physical activity
• Improving your ability to do the things you want to do
• Improving movement
• Improving strength
• Improving fitness
• Improving balance
• Improving heart health
• Helping with body image
• Getting ready to return to work
• Return to sport
• Osteoporosis or osteopenia
• Weight gain
• Lymphoedema
• Post-operative pain and stiffness
• Brain Fog/ chemo brain
• Reducing fear of movement
• Improving continence

We see people with all types of cancer including those with metastatic disease.

Some of the groups we run include men’s group, women’s group, smaller exercise groups, a gentle mobility class and a survivorship group that is run in conjunction with the rest of the team at Cancer Care West.

All services are free of charge.