- The specialists focus on walking, doing yoga, pilates and tai-chi, swimming and combining it with strength exercises, depending on each patient, always without pain and without getting too tired, and advised by the medical team.
- Sunday commemorates Cancer Day and they remember that sport helps mitigate some side effects of treatment, reduces fatigue, improves mood, mobility, strength and balance and helps with healthy sleep.
Valencia, February 2, 2024 – In the context of World Cancer Day, which is commemorated next Sunday, oncologists from the health group Ribera have recalled the importance of regular physical exercise, specifically low-impact exercise, and its benefits to improve the quality of life of patients, as well as to prevent the appearance of this disease and help their recovery. “Physical exercise is very beneficial for people who have been diagnosed with cancer, both for tolerance to treatment and for their recovery and improvement of quality of life, in turn contributing to the prevention of the disease in the healthy population” , says Dr. José Balsalobre, oncologist at the hospital. Virgin of Charity River (Cartagena).
The specialists from the Ribera group consulted confirm the positive effects of physical activity in cancer patients undergoing treatment and also as a factor that helps prevent the disease. “The benefits of exercise in these patients are multiple,” explains Dr. Magda Palka, oncologist at the Torrejón University Hospital. “It improves asthenia or feeling of tiredness, sleep, anxiety, nutritional status and control of body weight, perception of the process, generalized muscle and bone pain, and also reduces the need for medication, and improves the condition.” cognitive,” he explains. Dr. Balsalobre adds to the positive effects already mentioned others such as better survival rates and lower risk of relapse, improved mobility, the immune system and cardiovascular function and a multitude of benefits associated with the mental health of the cancer patient. “Exercise helps not only control stress and anxiety but also maintain independence and self-esteem and emotional recovery,” says Dr. Palka.
There are studies that support the benefits of physical activity in cancer patients, which Carlos Cáceres, hospital Rehabilitation supervisor Ribera Povisa, called “therapeutic exercise.” “In patients undergoing chemotherapy, very beneficial effects are being demonstrated in terms of less toxicity and greater effectiveness of the treatment, if therapeutic exercise of moderate intensity is performed,” he explains. Specifically, he assures that "the exercises that will probably achieve the best results are those of strength, of medium-high intensity, because the tumor will absorb a greater amount of drug due to increased metabolism (blood pressure and heart rate increase), which It can translate into lower doses of chemotherapy and, in turn, it will be metabolized sooner, so the unwanted effects of chemotherapy may be fewer and of lesser intensity and duration." “There is increasing evidence that it is more effective to do a little resistance exercise with weights or rubber bands than just going out for a walk every day,” he adds.
Dr. Balsalobre, an oncologist in Ribera Virgen de la Caridad, remembers that strength exercises “help maintain muscle mass,” and lists the benefits of other disciplines that he recommends to patients undergoing cancer treatment. “Walking is a low-impact activity that can be adapted to the patient's physical condition, while yoga, pilates and tai-chi are very beneficial for improving flexibility, reducing stress and improving balance,” he explains. ; while he points out that “it reduces joint pain caused by certain treatments, such as hormone therapy used in breast cancer.” Swimming, he adds, “is usually an excellent option for exercise and with great improvement in muscle and bone pain.”
Carlos Cáceres, a rehabilitator from Ribera Povisa, warns, however, that care must be taken with exercise in patients undergoing Radiotherapy "where skin care is essential, so physical exercise will have to occur far from the irradiated area."
For Dr. Palka, “the goal should always be to enjoy sports, incorporate it into healthy lifestyle habits, and benefit from its good effects.” He insists, like the rest of the specialists in the group, that it is important to adapt the exercise to each patient and “not do movements that cause pain or excessive fatigue,” and recommends that if the physical shape was not good before the illness, “It is best to start by walking 30 minutes a day, if possible outdoors” and, from there, “increase the rate of aerobic exercise and complete with strength exercise and sustained stretching, which are essential.”
