Even though COVID-19 has forced gyms and other facilities to temporarily close their doors, Dance Moms coach Abby Lee Miller is still working hard during physical therapy appointments and bringing workouts to her own home.
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In an Instagram video, Miller, 53, shared a sneak peek into her at-home physical therapy warm up session, which involved an instructor stretching and working her legs. Despite taking it like a champ, Miller did yell out in pain a few times, but continued working through it.
Read MoreHow Physical Therapy Can Help Patients Recover After Cancer Surgery
Following cancer surgery, many people may assume that avoiding exercise is the way to go. However, starting a physical therapy routine can actually offer a huge benefit when it comes to recovery. According to experts, easing into exercise after surgery can improve your circulation â which improves your wound healing and the fluid movement through your body, help soften any scar tissue that may be in the area (especially exercises that involve deep breathing or extending your chest and arms), and improve your endurance after surgery. However, it’s important that people recognize their limits and don’t strain their body too much which is where a physical therapist comes in.
“Physical therapists can help with assessing any issues with range of motion, mobility, fatigue, balance, and then create a program that is very much a prescriptive program,” says Dr. Angela Wicker-Ramos, an oncology physical therapist for Cancer Rehab and Integrative Medicine in Austin, Texas. “So a program that’s based on what you are at the time of your treatments.”
Dr. Angela Wicker-Ramos explains how physical therapy can help patients recover after cancer surgery
Since it can be difficult for many people to get back to their previous routine at the gym, cancer survivors have turned to dance as a way to get physical exercise and remain positive. Breast cancer survivor Tiffany Dyba is an example, who created "Hip Hop Chemo" as a way to cope with her cancer treatment and eliminate stigma associated with the disease. Dyba posts videos of her dancing to her favorite Hip Hop songs in order to show people that even though she is battling cancer, she is still in high spirits.
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"It's important for people to see that I'm OK," Dyba told SurvivorNet. "I sort of want to bust through those stereotypes and that stigma and say, I'm out here dancing because I feel good. I'm not going to act sick if I don't feel sick. And on the days that I feel tired and I don't feel good, I'm going to post about that too."
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