Cancer Rehabilitation Services

Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center offers cognitive rehabilitation through our dedicated occupational therapists and speech language pathologists who will help you develop strategies to improve your cognitive abilities and performance, improve your ability to complete everyday activities, create an individualized plan that equips you to better manage your symptoms and identify ways to improve your overall health and well being.

As part of our L.I.F.E. Survivorship Program, we offer a Cancer Exercise Program that helps cancer survivors reengage in physical activity and exercise after a cancer diagnosis.

Pelvic floor physical therapy uses biofeedback, exercises, and massage to encourage relaxation and strengthen the lower pelvic floor muscles.

• Mobility such as walking, climbing stairs and other daily activities
• Recommendations for equipment such as wheelchairs, canes or walkers
• Pain management and symptom control
• Managing fatigue caused by cancer and its treatment
• Specialized exercise programs designed for you
• Family and caregiver training on how to safely assist you
• Prevention and treatment for swelling caused by edema or lymphedema

• Self-care and home care activities such as being able to bathe, dress and groom yourself and to manage your home and care for yourself or others
• Managing fatigue caused by cancer and its treatment
• Visual perception caused by cancer or related treatments
• Adaptive equipment such as wheelchairs or bathroom equipment
• Orthotics to promote proper positioning, resting, stretching and protection of joints in the arms, wrists and hands
• Improving your coordination, strength and range of motion

• Prevention and rehabilitation of swallowing problems resulting from cancer or related treatments
• Memory, attention and other problems in thinking caused by cancer or its treatment
• Impairments in communication due to problems understanding, speaking, reading or writing
• Speech changes due to cancer or its treatment

Neuromuscular massage therapy can help relieve side effects from cancer and cancer treatments by:

• Reducing scarring or fibrosis restriction
• Reducing pain
• Improving joint range of motion
• Alleviating stress
• Relieving nausea
• Reducing depression and anxiety
• Improving sleep and lessening fatigue
• Relieving lymphedema

Please refer to your insurance company for determination of coverage. Reduced self-pay rates are available to Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center patients without insurance coverage for this rehabilitation service.

Lymphedema occurs due to a blockage in the lymphatic system and can occur as an aftereffect of surgery or cancer treatment. Lymphedema usually affects an arm or leg, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the head and neck or breast tissue.

Prevention and early treatment of lymphedema play an important role with this chronic healthcare condition. If lymphedema is not controlled, it can lead to worsening quality of life with increased swelling and limited mobility as well as increased risk of skin infections.

Our lymphedema therapists are specialty trained to help cancer patients with this serious condition. The goal of treatment is to control the swelling and reduce other health problems that can be caused by lymphedema. Treatment may a combination of following:

• Bandages
• Pressure or compression garments
• Manual massage
• Exercise recommendations
• Skin care recommendations

For later stages of lymphedema, surgical intervention may be recommended. The lymphedema therapist may recommend consult with one of our surgeons who specialize in surgeries aimed to restore lymphatic flow.