Breast Cancer Survivorship Exercise Guide
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Regular physical activity is vital for pain relief and avoiding the risk of injury. Let's find out what are general safety guidelines for exercise and what to avoid with your condition
What exercises are safe for my condition?
You can basically as the same exercise as adults do as you follow exercise safety guidelines. Before starting, your safety your foremost priority. Please read the general exercise safety guidelines thoroughly and find the guidelines for each type of exercise.
Discuss with your doctors before starting. Discuss any medicines you’re currently taking and how they may affect your ability to exercise.
Physical therapy would be better. Because everyone's diagnosis, treatments, and side effects are different, it is better to ask a physical therapist to find the most suitable exercise for you. If physical therapy is necessary to reduce your pain or symptoms, stop your exercise and start the therapy first.
Warm-ups & cool-downs before and after you perform any type of exercise. Make sure you warm up by walking for 5 to 10 minutes or taking a shower. Cool down by walking for 5 or 10 minutes and stretching all the major muscle groups. Following is the general warm-ups and cool-downs video to follow.
Make slow and steady progress. Don’t compare your progress to anyone else’s or to your past self before breast cancer. It is better to focus on form rather than the amount or length of exercise.
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What exercises are not safe for my condition?
You may have been very energetic and athletic before your diagnosis. But, your body has a new stage to adjust yourself into after treatments. It would be dangerous to follow your old exercise habits because your body needs to take a time to recover and be rejuvenated from prior damages. Do not do the exercise that you used to do unless a doctor's permission. Unproven exercise may damage more on your muscles and increase more chance to fall off or get injuries.
No pain no gain does not work for you. There are different levels of pains. If you feel sharp or acute pain, heaviness, or itchiness on your body while exercise, it is not the pain caused by stretching. It is from muscle, joints, or lymph nodes that you need to look thoroughly. Stop exercising if you experience pain more than tightness. Ask about whether you have any range of motion restrictions. The range of motion of a joint is how far in what directions a joint can move, and this should sometimes be limited after surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or/and hormone therapy. Your doctor or physical therapist may advise you that you need to avoid reaching overhead until they prove it. Be sure you understand what movements are safe for you to do before you start exercising.
Avoid exercise that causes a fracture. Many exercises benefit for you, but your bone and muscles are not ready to absorb these benefits if you are still in a healing process. Focus on the form, not the length of exercise.
Cathy Bryan, M.Ed., states that some activities may push the limit toward overloading your arms, like elliptical machines, tennis, rowing and cross-country skiing.
Jump rope is one of good exercise that enhances your bone density. However, you might be more at risk of a break or fracture, if your cancer affected your bones. You must avoid putting too much strain on the affected bones such as jumping rope. You could try swimming or exercise in water.
Try not to let past lack of exercise put you off starting altogether. Gentle walking or swimming is fine for just about everyone. Retrieved from WebMD