According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1,638,910 new cancer cases were expected to be diagnosed in the United States last year. Of these cases, about 100,000 Americans will later find out that the cancer has spread to their bones. This is what is referred to as bone metastases, or ?bone mets?.
Once the bones have been invaded by cancer, they become at a high risk of sustaining fractures, as the cancerous cells have weakened their structure. Individuals with bone mets often complain of bone pain, a type of pain that varies in feeling from person to person. Depending on the bones affected, some may describe it as being dull or aching, and others as sharp and shooting pain; some may be more affected by it when at rest, while others have more pain with movement. Regardless of its presentation, the goal of physical therapy intervention, in conjunction with medical treatments, is to improve quality of life, alleviate the pain, decrease the risk of fractures and optimize mobility.
When specifically targeting pain, therapies such as cold or hot packs, massage and pulsed electrical current, namely the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) can be very helpful to minimize symptoms for short periods of time.
Physical Therapists will often give their patients core stability exercises and postural training. Core stability is essential as it plays an important role in the support of the spine and pelvis during movement, thus reducing pain and the risk of injury to these areas. In conjunction to proper core stability, achieving correct posture may assist in alleviating bone pain in the spine by reducing the amount of pressure exerted on the vertebrae by poorly maintained posture. Gentle stretching may also be included in the exercise program.
On the other hand, there are exercises that should be avoided by people with bone mets, these being resistance exercises, but why? Shouldn?t we want these individuals to get stronger?? Absolutely, but since the structure of bones affected by cancerous metastases is weaker, these types of exercises, such as the use of free weights, can increase the risk of fracture. Therefore, strengthening is done through functional activities, such as walking and climbing stairs.
Before beginning any type of exercise, it is important that individuals with bone metastases consult a Medical Doctor and Physical Therapist in order to determine what the safest type of therapy will be, given their condition.
Source: http://pain.com/library/2013/01/29-physical-therapy-approach-alleviating-bone-pain-due-cancer/
john wall gordon hayward gas prices rising stars challenge star trek 2 kathy ireland brooke mueller
No comments:
Post a Comment