Movement During Cancer Care: How Physical Therapy Can Help You Preserve Strength, Function, and Connection
A cancer diagnosis can change how your body feels—and how much you trust it.
Walking to the mailbox may suddenly feel like a workout. Stairs may require a plan. Your balance may feel different. Your shoulder may become stiff after surgery. You may feel exhausted even after sleeping.
You might also hear conflicting advice:
“Make sure you rest.”
“Try to stay active.”
“Do not overdo it.”
“Exercise is good for you.”
All of those statements can be true. That is exactly why general advice is often not enough.
Movement during cancer care should not be about proving how strong you are. It should not become another task you feel guilty about missing. It should be an ongoing conversation between you, your oncology team, and—when appropriate—a physical therapist.
The better question is not:
“How much exercise should a person with cancer do?”
It is:
“What kind of movement is safe, realistic, and meaningful for me right now?”
Diabetes, Movement, and the Questions Worth Asking: A Patient-Friendly Guide to Diabetes, Prediabetes, Exercise, Foot Health, and Physical Therapy
Diabetes is not just about “blood sugar.” It can affect your energy, strength, balance, walking, healing, nerves, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, feet, confidence, and daily life. That may sound like a lot, but there is good news: there are many practical steps you can take, and you do not have to figure them out alone.
In the United States, diabetes and prediabetes are very common. Current CDC data estimate that 40.1 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, and 115.2 million U.S. adults have prediabetes.
There are different types of diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is usually related to the body not making enough insulin because of autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing cells.
Type 2 diabetes is often related to insulin resistance, meaning the body has a harder time using insulin well.
Prediabetes means blood sugar levels are trending higher than normal but not yet in the diabetes range.
Exercise is one of the most helpful tools for managing diabetes risk and supporting diabetes care. Movement can help your muscles use glucose, improve insulin sensitivity, support heart health, improve strength, help with balance, and make everyday activities easier.
Running Form: a Conversation, Not a Correction - A Patient-Friendly Guide to Recreational Running, Running Economy, Running Injuries, and Getting Started
Running sounds simple.
Put on shoes. Go outside. Move faster than walking.
Easy, right?
Then your knee starts talking. Or your shin gets cranky. Or your calf tightens up. Or you start a couch-to-5K plan and wonder, “Am I doing this right?”
Here’s the good news: you do not need to look like an Olympic runner to be a runner.
You don’t need the “perfect” foot strike.
You don’t need to run fast.
You don’t need to earn the word “runner.”
You don’t need to suffer through pain just to prove you are committed.
Running form isn’t a grade. It is a conversation between your body, your training, your strength, your recovery, your goals, and (if needed) your healthcare team.
If you are starting, restarting, injured, nervous, or just curious about how to run better, this guide is for you.
Cold Plunge, Saunas, Contrast Therapy, and Red Light Therapy: Recovery Tools or Wellness Hype? Patient-Guide
Cold plunges, saunas, contrast therapy, and red light therapy can be helpful recovery tools—but they are not magic fixes.
They may help with soreness, relaxation, recovery routines, and short-term symptom relief. But the foundation of recovery is still:
Sleep. Movement. Strength. Nutrition. Hydration. Load management. Good medical guidance from trusted providers.
Your provider can help you figure out:
Why you are sore
Whether your training load is too high
Whether your recovery plan matches your goals
Whether pain is normal soreness or something that needs care
Whether these tools are safe for your health history
In this post, we’ll talk about what exactly these recovery tools are and look at the evidence. The big message here:
Recovery tools can support your plan, but they should not replace the plan.
Sleep: The Conversation We Shouldn’t Sleep On - For Patients
Sleep is not “extra.” It is one of the ways your body repairs, resets, and prepares for the next day.
When sleep is off, life can feel harder. Pain may feel louder. Soreness may linger. Workouts may feel heavier. Your mood may dip. Your energy may disappear before lunch. You might even feel like you are doing “everything right” and still not recovering.
Here is the good news: sleep is something you can talk about with your healthcare team.
Your physician, physical therapist, occupational therapist, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or other provider may not ask unless you bring it up. So this post is here to help you know what to say, what to track, and when sleep may need a closer look.
Stronger, Simpler, and Built for You: What the New 2026 American College of Sports Medicine Resistance Training Guidelines Means for Your Weekly Training
Resistance training (strength training) is one of the best things you can do for your health—for strength, mobility, balance, and long-term independence.
It doesn’t have to be complicated to work.
A simple starting point:
Aim for 2x per week
Do 2–3 sets of each exercise
Use a weight that feels challenging for you
You don’t need:
Fancy equipment
Perfect programs
To feel completely exhausted after every workout
The real secret:
👉 Consistency beats perfection.