Posts by Cheryl Guarna
The Role of Certified Lymphedema Therapists in Cancer Recovery
In our continuing highlight of specific therapists and services and their roles in cancer rehabilitation, this month we discuss the role of Certified Lymphedema Therapists in the treatment of patients with cancer. What is lymphedema? The lymphatic system plays a critical role in the maintenance of fluid balance in the body. It absorbs the fluid…
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Exercise Abates Physical Decline During Breast Cancer Tx
from ONCOLOGY/HEMATOLOGY 05.05.2015 A supervised, moderate to high-intensity exercise program in breast cancer patients helped stave off expected declines in fitness and function during adjuvant chemotherapy and improved treatment tolerance, according to randomized trial results. Patients enrolled in two exercise programs, Onco-Move and OnTrack, saw less decline in cardiorespiratory fitness (P<0.001), better physical functioning (P<0.001), less…
......Occupational Therapy for Individuals Living With Cancer
Since we started our blog in March of 2014, we have discussed the role of Physical Therapy (PT) in helping those with cancer recover more fully and improve their quality of life. We are now looking forward to expanding our discussions into the role of other therapies and interventions in cancer recovery, the first of…
......Celebrating One Year of Blogging About Cancer Rehab!
Celebrating One Year of Blogging About Cancer Rehab! By Cheryl Guarna, PT, MPT, CLT, STAR/C March 2015 marks one year of our blog! The past 12 months have been an exciting time for our practice as well as for the advancement of awareness of physical therapy services available to cancer patients and survivors. As…
......Physical Therapy On the Cancer Journey – A Personal Perspective
By Cheryl Guarna, PT, CLT, STAR/C – Owner of Oncology Rehab and Wellness Resources The emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis is something that most cancer survivors will never forget. To add to that impact, the treatments used to treat the cancer can cause a multitude of complications that can affect a survivor’s life, some…
......Physical Therapy on the Cancer Journey
By Cheryl Guarna, PT, MPT, CLT, STAR/C When I tell people that I am a physical therapist that specializes in treating cancer patients, they often say, “That must be so hard.” I respond, “Actually, it would be better described as challenging but incredibly inspiring”. Traditionally, physical therapists treat people after surgery, with sports injuries, or…
......Cancer-Related Deconditioning: A Serious Issue to Consider
In my last blog, “Cancer Rehab Assessments Minimize Complications After Cancer Treatments”, I presented an overview of the possible complications of cancer and its treatments. As promised, we will now break it down by each complication and discuss how exercise and cancer rehabilitation may be able to help. Of all cancer treatment complications, one of…
......Cancer Rehab Assessments Minimize Complications After Treatments
Throughout a person’s cancer experience, it is critical to maintain the things in life that are important to you – energy, activity level, relationships. In fact, research shows that an active lifestyle that includes exercise can actually enhance your body’s recovery and contribute to a better quality of life during and after cancer treatment. Life…
......PALS-Trained Professionals in Northern Virginia
Oncology Rehab and Wellness Resources is the only clinic in the region with PALS-trained professionals. Read on to learn about this groundbreaking breast cancer exercise training program and the clinical trial that started it all. Breast-cancer survivors are at risk of developing a condition called lymphedema, which causes swelling of the arm or other areas…
......Exercising Safely After Breast Cancer Treatment: How to Get Started
I’m not usually one who says things like, “it takes a special person to do so and so,” but breast cancer survivors are special people. I’ve found that working with survivors challenges me and makes me want to go to work every day! We all know that exercise is good for us. We all know…
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