Penny Tussing, a physical therapist and athletic trainer, speaks in the Shiras Room of Peter White Public Library Wednesday. During Wednesday’s “The Doctor is in” talk, Tussing spoke about the value of physical, occupational and speech therapy for those who are undergoing treatment for cancer, as well as cancer survivors. (Journal photos by Cecilia Brown)

MARQUETTE — While many may not realize it, exercise and physical therapy can play a key role in a person’s cancer treatment and improve their quality of life throughout the process.

This was the topic of a talk given by Penny Tussing, a physical therapist and athletic trainer at UP Health System Rehab Services, as part of the Peter White Public Library’s monthly The Doctor Is In discussion series.

Tussing shared her knowledge of physical therapy and exercise in the context of cancer treatment with the audience, explaining the benefits of these practices for those who have cancer.

“Exercise is safe during and after cancer treatment, so whether or not you’re getting chemo or getting radiation, you can still be doing exercise during these treatments,” Tussing said. “It also improves your physical function, reduces fatigue and improves your quality of life. It makes you more independent.”

Beyond these benefits of exercise, there are many other physical and psychological merits to exercising in this context, Tussing said.

“You find more energy throughout the day if you’re doing some form of exercise. It helps build strength and endurance, reduce pain and swelling — swelling can cause pain, pain can limit us from being active,” Tussing said.

Exercise can be particularly important for those who are undergoing cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation, Tussing said, as physical activity can counteract many of the side effects of these treatments, such as low blood cell count, cachexia, cardiotoxicity, decreased immune function, fatigue and decreased flexibility.

“Any time you get radiation to the breast, throat, neck, pelvis, you’re going to reduce your flexibility and the tissue of the muscles change. That’s where physical therapy can come in,” Tussing said.

Tussing also spoke about the approach to exercise used in physical therapy for those who have cancer — it’s different than what many might envision.

“When I talk about exercise (for cancer patients), I think a lot of people get taken aback thinking I’m going to put you on a treadmill and make you run 3 miles … It doesn’t mean you’re going to be lifting weights, bench pressing and/or running on a treadmill,” Tussing said.

Rather, Tussing explained, exercise in the context of physical therapy for those who have cancer is specifically tailored to a person’s needs, goals and health. They also take specific precautions based on a person’s health and cancer treatment program and monitor their vital signs and health throughout the course of treatment, Tussing said.

“Your frequency, your days per week, we determine that with you and what your goals are as an individual, and of course, your mode of choice,” Tussing said. “If you like riding your bike, obviously we’re going to do something with biking, if you like walking, we’ll do something with walking.”

Adding a personal perspective to the presentation, Tussing shared a video featuring the story of one of her patients who underwent this tailored type physical therapy during her battle with cancer.

During the video, the woman who underwent physical therapy with Tussing explained that undergoing a tailored physical therapy program helped her have more energy and less pain during her treatment.

“If you’re going through cancer chemo, yes it’s rough — to me I found doing the therapy made it a little bit easier,” she said in the video.

Tussing said she was glad to see physical therapy help, noting that her patient “blossomed” as a result of the physical therapy and found greater self-confidence, independence and well-being during the process.

“She said she felt better, she felt more independent, she felt better about herself, her self awareness, her body awareness — it helps with your mood,” Tussing said.

Overall, Tussing emphasized that it’s important to work with your health care team and serve as your own advocate — if physical therapy isn’t part of your course of treatment, Tussing recommends talking to your cancer treatment team about it, noting that occupational therapy and speech therapy can also be beneficial.

“It takes a community, a village, a small village to treat a cancer patient,” she said. “It’s not only just the patient, it’s the oncologist, it’s the nurse navigator, it’s the dietitian, it’s the radiologist, social worker, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist.”

For more information on UP Health System Rehab Services, call 906-228-2595 or visit uprehab.com