Why Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation Is Key For Bladder Cancer Patients

Cancer treatment has improved significantly over the past several decades, meaning that more people are living longer after undergoing surgical and medical interventions. This has led to the emergence of an area of cancer care called survivorship, which takes a holistic view of the patient’s well-being and sometimes involves therapies that haven’t always been part of the oncology playbook. In the case of bladder cancer, survivorship and improving quality of life post-surgery sometimes means physical therapy that focuses on improving the function of the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor refers to “the muscles involved in bowel and bladder health and function,” says Dr. Matthew Mossanen, a surgical oncologist with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Ting-Ting Kuo, a board-certified women’s health clinical specialist and director of rehabilitation at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, describes the region as a “group of muscles, ligaments, and connective tissue that form the bowl-like structure at the base of the pelvis.” Having appropriate muscle tone and control in this area assists with core stability, bowel function, and urinary control, and provides support for other internal organs. But treatment for bladder cancer can be invasive and disrupt these structures and functions. Though data show that chemo...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Disease freelance healthscienceclimate Source Type: news