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Exercises for Persons with Cancer

From www.mercola.com/2002/mar/6/ exercise.htm, for further details, please visit the website.

Home Care for the Person With Cancer:

Exercise

It is important for a person with cancer to remain as physically active as possible. Exercise as much as your condition allows to help keep muscles functioning as well as possible. Physical activity also helps prevent problems associated with long-term bed rest, such as stiff joints, breathing problems, constipation, skin sores, poor appetite, and mental changes.

What to Do

• Do as much daily self-care as possible
• Take a walk every day
• Try to do active or passive range-of-motion exercises as instructed by your nurse, doctor, or physical therapist (Active range-of-motion is the movement of a joint without any help from others; passive range-of-motion is the movement of a patient's joint by someone else.)

Do Not

• Stay in bed with little movement
• Let others do for you what you can do for yourself
• Try to perform any range-of-motion exercises without first consulting the nurse, doctor, or physical therapist
• Move any joint if it is painful

Call the Doctor About Any of the Following Symptoms

• Progressive weakness
• Increased pain
• Headaches
• Blurred vision
• Numbness or Tingling

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