Today, the involvement of physiotherapists in the field of oncology is diverse and includes specific roles which are evidence based and commonly applicable, including:
prevention – through whole body and target specific exercise and education programs
acute and post-acute care – postoperative cardiopulmonary intervention; return to physical function post-surgery through targeted large muscle mass exercise programs; specific management for recovery of musculoskeletal and neuromotor function (eg. following mastectomy); biopsychosocial approaches to pain management.
acute institutional and community-based rehabilitation – through simple measures (eg. wheelchair retraining after spinal cord compression, gait re-training following neurological dysfunction), and
palliative care – by utilizing all of the above applications and including other physiotherapy specific skills in symptom control management (eg. TENS for pain relief, lymphoedema and incontinence programs, laser therapy for wound and ulcer management, and maintenance of mobility and physical function to optimize quality of life and contribute positively to easing career burden).
The impact of physiotherapy intervention on quality of life and function was measured in a study comparing standardized inpatient physiotherapy practice (limited by time and equipment resources) with a well resourced physiotherapy service.3 The results indicated that physiotherapy, incorporating early intervention and community follow up, can contribute significantly to the maintenance of functional independence and quality of life among patients receiving palliative care. Specifically, physiotherapy contributed to significantly higher functional levels on mid-survival follow up; improved maintenance of functional independence, patient satisfaction and quality of life; and reduced demand for costly formal inpatient care as patients were significantly more likely to be discharged to, and prefer to die at, home relief, lymphoedema and incontinence programs, laser therapy for wound and ulcer management, and maintenance of mobility and physical function to optimise quality of life and contribute positively to easing carer burden).
The impact of physiotherapy intervention on quality of life and function was measured in a study comparing standardised inpatient physiotherapy practice (limited by time and equipment resources) with a well resourced physiotherapy service. The results indicated that physiotherapy, incorporating early intervention and community follow up, can contribute significantly to the maintenance of functional independence and quality of life among patients receiving palliative care.
Specifically, physiotherapy contributed to significantly higher functional levels on mid-survival follow up; improved maintenance of functional independence, patient satisfaction and quality of life; and reduced demand for costly formal inpatient care as patients were significantly more likely to be discharged to, and prefer to die at, home
Author: Sushanta Kumar Ghosh, Physiotherapy Specialist, DIU Medical Center
