Oncology Rehabilitation Cancer and cancer treatment can cause survivors to experience various challenges throughout their daily lives. These challenges are often physical, with the most common being cancer-related fatigue. For some, cancer-related fatigue can be associated with muscle weakness, and/or loss of cardiovascular endurance (loss of capacity in the heart and lungs). Some cancer medications have an impact on the muscles (such as steroids), while others may impact heart function directly (certain chemotherapies). Other physical complaints can be tightness of the joints and muscles, which can be associated with surgery and/or radiation therapy. Tightness can lead to lost range of motion, which may impact daily activities like getting dressed or even chewing.
Some survivors may experience balance problems or difficulty with fine motor tasks (e.g. tying shoes or buttoning buttons), which can be seen with neuropathy, or loss of nerve function, in the hands and feet from certain types of chemotherapy. Some survivors will experience lymphedema, a chronic swelling condition, following the removal of lymph nodes and/or radiation therapy to lymph nodes. Other survivors may experience symptoms associated with the muscles of their pelvic floor, such as incontinence (loss of bowel or bladder function), or pelvic pain.
