Oncology Rehabilitation

When the word “cancer” is first mentioned to a patient, the first priority is to treat the disease. Fortunately, medicine has gotten better in the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer. However, those techniques, which include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, often lead to short and long term problems for survivors.

The medical field sees the need for a more complete care plan for patients who have survived cancer. Alpine Physical Therapy is taking the next step to ensure we play a significant role in this plan by guiding these individuals from the transition of a patient with cancer to a cancer survivor.

Cancer treatments tend to impact function and peoples’ state of mind and quality of life. Medical studies have proven that exercise helps minimize the detrimental side-effects of cancer treatments and aids in the return to a better quality of life. Expert panels have concluded that exercise is safe and offers numerous benefits for survivors including improvements in physical function, strength, flexibility, fatigue, and possibly recurrence and survival.

One in two men and one in three women in their lifetime will have a diagnosis of cancer. It is important that cancer survivors understand that individualized physical therapy can help decrease and manage the side effects during and after cancer treatments. It is our goal at Alpine Physical Therapy to guide you through this process by establishing a comprehensive treatment plan that will assist you in improving and maintaining a healthy and an active lifestyle.

Expert Training

Oncology Rehabilitation is a specialty that requires extensive knowledge of types and stages of all cancers, side effects of cancer treatments, and a unique understanding of how cancer and cancer treatments affect the human body and can alter movement patterns that decrease tolerance to daily functional activities.

Program Director Josie Sweeney, DPT a doctoral graduate from the University of Montana has more than four years of experience in the field of oncology rehabilitation. She has passion for working with cancer survivors and inspires them to improve their health through an active lifestyle. Josie received her Cancer Exercise Specialist certification from Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute in Greeley, Colorado, in 2011, where she worked one-on-one with cancer survivors to establish an individualized treatment plan to guide participants through a comfortable and progressive fitness program.

Josie continues to use this knowledge in her participation and Clinical Directorship with Fit to Fight, a Missoula-based program that empowers cancer survivors to improve their quality of life through fitness and health. Through her work with the Fit to Fight program, Josie has continued to advance her knowledge of oncology rehabilitation by pursuing advanced trainings, continued education courses, and oncology conferences. Oncology Rehabilitation team members uses their knowledge of orthopedic problems in their work with cancer survivors. They apply manual therapy, neuromuscular reeducation, therapeutic exercise, and Pilates-based rehabilitation to develop individualized treatment plans focused on the overall heath and wellbeing of cancer survivors. Specialists are also available to provide lymphedema management when and where needed.

Josie Stokken, DPT details how one-on-one physical therapy can help cancer patients and cancer survivors as well as how this new program dovetails with the cancer outreach available at Alpine Physical Therapy. Click the video player below to view.

Clinic Model
Oncology Rehabilitation is offered at our South Clinic within the Peak Health and Wellness Center on Blue Mountain Road. Participants in the Oncology Rehabilitation Program undergo a comprehensive evaluation that will lead to an individualized treatment plan. To maximize exercise and treatment options, they utilize a wide variety of equipment including Theraband®, resistance machines, cardio equipment, and specific Pilates equipment that includes Reformer, Cadillac, as well as CoreAlign® units along with manual therapy to restore optimal movement patterns.
What to Expect
On your first visit, an Oncology Rehabilitation team member will review your medical history in detail, including the type and stage of your cancer, the cancer treatments you underwent, and your goals to improve your physical function and quality of life. We will then perform a comprehensive evaluation looking at strength, endurance, flexibility, and functional movement patterns.

Based on the results from your history and evaluation, your physical therapist will develop an individualized treatment plan to address the common side effects associated with cancer and cancer treatments. Additionally, they will treat all existing impairments and will establish a progressive plan to enhance your physical function with supervised guidance to help you maintain a healthy, active lifestyle.
Additional Resources
Get Started
1. Call Alpine South at 406-251-2323 to schedule an evaluation.
2. Arrive 15 minutes early for your first appointment.