The fit side of Breast Cancer

NCPT     F.I.S.T.D     F.C.U.S.A.    Final Diploma.

For every situation in life there is generally a flip side to the situation at hand. If you have found yourself in the situation of experiencing Breast Cancer, I would like you to open your mind and indulge yourself in the flip or fit side of Breast Cancer.

Whether you or someone you know is struggling with Breast Cancer and its accompanying surgeries, treatments, reconstruction programs and adjuvant therapies, the process of treating and rehabilitating Breast Cancer can be long and arduous. As a result, patients should endeavor to seek a program to promote better health and mobility as soon as possible after treatments, albeit with their Surgical Teams consent.

In the quest to regain a sense of normality after Breast Cancer, rehabilitation and post rehabilitation programs are the areas that should be investigated; however, rehabilitation is more often overlooked or completely ignored. Rehabilitation and post rehabilitation should be the stages after chemotherapy, radiation, breast reconstruction and implant surgery where the patient’s body remains, no longer what it was before the process began.  A Pilates Rehabilitation Program can and does accommodate a patient in both stages.

Pilates can be used as a tool for regaining flexibility, strength, mobility and fitness after treatment. There are a wide range of exercises in the Pilates method both in the apparatus areas and mat sections. These exercises are useful for rehabilitation of the back, arm, chest, spine and abdominals following surgery. The vast expanse of exercises available in the Pilates method will not only assist in the areas affected by Cancer treatment, but will improve the patients’ entire body’s fitness levels, leaving one vitalized and ready to start anew again after Breast Cancer surgery.

Breast Cancer survivors often feel insecure about their new appearance and tend to worry about the possibilities of recurrence, future quality of life, and query whether their lives will ever resume its former qualities of existence. Pilates based instruction can help rebuild the harmonious fusion of the mind and body whilst working on regaining a similar quality of life before Cancer, if not a better one, and will assist in rebuilding the persons confidence in the new look and perception of the body. Pilates based exercises can help address the aforementioned concerns, when executed with a practitioner that is well versed in this particular field of rehabilitation therapy for Breast Cancer. The patient and practitioner must consider each case separately. The practitioner must consider the type of surgeries, reconstruction and therapies already performed on the patient before deciding on a unique rehabilitation program per individual client. For example, both the patient and practitioner would consider scenarios such as the presence of Lymphedema or Axillary Web Syndrome, possible nerve damage to proximal muscle groups, removal of the Pectoral muscle and Fascia, Chemotherapy, Radiation and Hormone Therapy to name a few, There are no two cases that would be identical due to the individual case history and human variables. Initial rehabilitation should be done on a one-on-one basis. Later, post rehabilitation therapy could be done in a group setting if variables are similar. The sharing of another patients’ experience is often helpful in the healing process of other patients.

Some of the following Pilates exercises are great to start a program approximately six weeks after all procedures are completed. These exercises are not in any suggested order.

                        M Arm Arc/ Arm Circles Supine

                        M Childs Pose with a small ball or roller

                        M Goal Post Supine/ Puppets / Candlesticks in other genres

                        M Quadruped/Choreography

                        M Bridging

                        M Assisted Rolls

                        M lateral flexion and extension/Props

                        Standing Goal Post/ Spider Walks/Push outs in other genres

                        Standing overhead stretch/ props

                        R Footwork

                        R Arm Arcs/circles

                        R Scooter

                        T Seated Mermaid

                        T Supine Leg Series

                        C Standing leg pumps

                        C Hamstring 1

As previously mentioned, the harmony of the mind and body is a priority for the body to work at its best. This ideal is one of the primary Pilates principles as is so with other types of disciplined exercise genres. With diligent and consistent rehabilitation therapy, the patient will look and feel better not only to themselves but to others. Invariably, the difficult step is the step to GET STARTED! A Breast Cancer patient needs to indulge themselves in the FLIP side of the Cancer leaving the patient with nothing to lose, but rather to gain. FLIPPING to the FIT side of Cancer would be the suggested path to follow.  Step forward and get started to the path of recovery!

Heidi Wright F.I.S.T.D.   F.C.U.S.A. Final Diploma   NCPT

Heidi Wright is a Master Teacher in the genres of Pilates and Ballet. She has been an International and residential guest instructor, lecturer, practitioner and published writer in both genres since 1992 and is a graduate in Pilates Mat, Allegro, Studio and Post Rehabilitation with Polestar Pilates and with Pilates elder Lolita San Miguel. She is a NCPT and a member of the PMA.

As a Breast Cancer Survivor, Heidi holds a special interest in Post- operative Breast Cancer therapy and holds a certificate in Post Rehabilitation/Recovery for breast cancer patients with the Pink Ribbon Program. Heidi also works with dancers suffering from injuries of overuse, surgery or simply those that are in special needs for their professions.