Oncology Rehabilitation
Medical studies have shown that exercise improves health-related outcomes in those with cancer. Guided exercise during and after your cancer diagnosis enhances your overall quality of life by increasing your endurance and strength, improving chemotherapy drug effectiveness and lessening side effects, decreasing the likelihood of lymphedema development, improving lymphedema flares if they do occur, and decreasing the likelihood of cancer recurrence. The highly trained Alpine Physical Therapy Oncology Rehabilitation team is dedicated to maximizing your lifelong health, function, and quality of life.
Alpine’s Oncology Rehabilitation Program provides the following services:
Quality care for individuals before, during and after any cancer treatment.
Services are tailored to the individual and provided in a one on one environment with a well trained doctor of physical therapy specializing in oncology treatment. Physical Therapy can help address some of the side effects of cancer treatment. Safely learn to regain range of motion, return to exercise and re-build your strength with the guidance of a Physical Therapist.
Lymphedema Prevention:
- Baseline measurements and assessment prior, during, or after cancer treatment
- Patient education regarding risks and precautions to help prevent lymphedema
- Patient education of signs and symptoms of lymphedema and what actions to take
Lymphedema Treatment:
Complete Decongestive Therapy including patient education for self Manual Lymphatic Drainage, compression therapy, and guided exercise.
- Exercise guidance for lymphedema management
- Patient education for risks and precautions while living with lymphedema
- Preventative care to minimize risk of onset of lymphedema
- Compression garment recommendations
Strength After Breast Cancer:
Our highly trained oncology and lymphedema therapists have teamed up with the world renowned Strength After Breast Cancer Program to provide Missoula with the first fully comprehensive guided exercise program for women battling or who have battled breast cancer.
Strength After Breast Cancer is an evidence-based rehabilitative exercise program for breast cancer survivors based on the Physical Activity and Lymphedema (PAL) Trial(1) that proved the safety and efficacy of slowly-progressive weightlifting for breast cancer survivors with or at risk for lymphedema.
This program is covered by most health insurance and includes four to six sessions, including:
Strength After Breast Cancer is an evidence-based rehabilitative exercise program for breast cancer survivors based on the Physical Activity and Lymphedema (PAL) Trial(1) that proved the safety and efficacy of slowly-progressive weightlifting for breast cancer survivors with or at risk for lymphedema.
This program is covered by most health insurance and includes four to six sessions, including:
- A comprehensive lymphedema evaluation and screen by a nationally board certified lymphedema therapist.
- Education about the lymphatic system, lymphedema signs and symptoms, risk of lymphedema development, lymphedema management.
- Education for independent exercise progression
- Patient instruction of foundational exercises and progression for life long exercise
Alpine’s Community Outreach Program: Fight to Fight
The Fit to Fight program empowers participants to become “Stronger than Cancer” through this positive exercise-based support group. This amazing nonprofit organization was founded by a partnership with Alpine Physical Therapy and the Peak Health and Wellness Center to provide an opportunity for individuals with cancer to benefit from a program based on physical therapy principles, practices, and of fitness and health to improve their quality of life.
Meet Our Team
Antara Quiñones
PT, DPT, CLT-LANA, CMFA
Strength After Breast Cancer Certified Therapist
Antara is a nationally board certified Lymphedema Therapist with an additional speciality in head and neck lymphedema management. She has provided lymphedema education, treatment and management for over six years in the Missoula area, helping patients to learn how to move forward to independently manage their lifelong condition with confidence. She loves helping patients find or improve their strength and passion for movement. |
ASPEN McHUGH
PT, DPT
Physical Therapist, Fit to Fight program director
Aspen McHugh brings her passion for individualized education and treatment as an orthopedic physical therapist to the realm of oncology rehabilitation. Aspen has completed the Foundation in Oncology Rehabilitation training through the Physiological Oncology Rehabilitation Institute (PORi) and serves as the Clinical Director for Fit to Fight. |
jESS kEHOE
PT, DPT, cscs
Cancer Exercise Specialist
Jess Kehoe has worked with breast cancer survivors for over 10 years and brings extensive knowledge of treating orthopedic injuries and guiding patients through the healing process to improve their function and get back to normal activities. She has additional certification as a Cancer Exercise Specialist, which includes continuing education specifically catered to helping clients during and after cancer treatments safely return to, or begin an exercise routine. |
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Alpine Physical Therapy is proud sponsor of Fit to Fight, a program empowering cancer survivors to improve their quality of life through fitness and health.
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