This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Katie Schmitt about oncology physical therapy. Dr. Schmitt is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a clinical specialist in oncologic physical therapy and certified lymphedema therapist at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Oncology. Physical therapy is a specialized type of physical therapy that focuses on rehabilitation and care of individuals with cancer, and also cancer survivors. Doctor Katie Schmitt is here to talk about the details. Doctor Schmitt is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and clinical specialist in oncologic physical therapy, and she's a Certified Lymphedema Therapist at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. Doctor Schmitt, tell us more details about oncology physical therapy.
Dr. Schmitt: For oncology PT, we specialize in understanding the different cancer types, but also the treatments and the side effects that come from those. That way, no matter if you're at the beginning stages of cancer treatment or at the end, we're here with physical therapy to help you walk and move and be as strong as you possibly can.
Conner: And what conditions and side effects are targeted in oncology physical therapy?
Dr. Schmitt: For me my specialty is chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy. So, the numbness and tingling in the hands and the feet. But with oncology PT we might work on something like range of motion after a mastectomy or a head and neck surgery or deconditioning that comes from something like a stem cell transplant, or working on walking before and after lung cancer treatment.
Conner: Are these PT sessions typically scheduled during the weeks and months that cancer treatment might be going on? Or do you typically wait until after cancer treatment is finished?
Dr. Schmitt: It depends what you're about to go through. For instance, with patients with breast cancer, we probably want to see you before you're going to have any surgeries or lymph node dissections so that we can find out your baseline. It could be something more like head and neck cancer, where we're going to see you after all of your treatments, and you're having difficulties with your range of motion. Or it could be something where we see you 10 or 15 years down the road, and some of the late side effects are showing up.
Conner: Well, tell us what goes on in a typical PT session for cancer patients or cancer survivors.
Dr. Schmitt: So usually in our sessions it's a combination. We'll start with some manual therapy, depending on if you have any tightness or if you have any pain anywhere. And then we usually move into resistance training and aerobic training. There's a lot of good research for the benefits of both of those. And we like to end with stretching because no one does enough stretching.
Conner: What do you see as the benefits of PT for cancer survivors?
Dr. Schmitt: I think it used to be the thought was you should rest after cancer treatment. But there's so many things like you go through treatment for breast cancer and you can't lift your arm up into the closet anymore. Or you go through treatment for prostate cancer and you're feeling sluggish. And these are things that we can help with. And these are not things that you're stuck with forever. And that's the benefit of adding physical therapy to your treatments.
Conner: Might these physical therapy sessions go on for weeks? For months? How does this really unfold in real life?
Dr. Schmitt: It can go on for some time. Sometimes you think about physical therapy and you think about, oh, I had a rotator cuff replacement and I'm going to have 12 weeks of PT. Something like a surgery might be a quick thing where you have a few months of PT, or neuropathy, you have a few months of PT. Something like lymphedema, we're going to want to follow you for years because it's a slow, progressive condition. So, we're going to want to be a part of your team for the long term. So, some things might be a one and done, whereas others are now we're part of your group of people that you're going to follow with, so, we can make sure that you're strong and healthy.
Conner: Doctor Schmitt, thanks for this information about oncology physical therapy.
Dr. Schmitt: You're so welcome.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
