Cancer Rehabilitation in Edmonton
Supportive Care That Moves With You
More than only the illness itself, cancer and its treatment have an impact on your daily activities, emotions, and mobility. Our cancer rehabilitation in Edmonton is customized to meet your specific requirements. Whether you’re in the early stages of treatment or navigating life after recovery, our approach at Granville Physiotherapy in Edmonton is built around your goals, energy level, and day-to-day experiences.
What Is Cancer Rehabilitation?
Cancer rehabilitation is a supportive approach to managing the physical, emotional, and functional changes that come with cancer and its treatments. You may be dealing with lingering fatigue, joint stiffness, reduced mobility, or difficulty performing daily tasks. These effects can show up during or after chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, or other treatments.
Our physiotherapy-based cancer rehab helps you gradually rebuild strength, restore movement, and regain confidence. Every plan is guided by what matters most to you, whether that’s getting back to work, playing with your grandkids, or simply feeling steady on your feet again.
Who Can Benefit from Cancer Rehabilitation?
Cancer rehabilitation in Edmonton is open to people at all stages of their cancer experience. You don’t have to wait until your treatment ends to get started. Many people benefit from starting rehab early, even before surgery or chemotherapy, to build physical resilience.
You may find cancer rehabilitation helpful if you:
- Feel fatigued even after rest
- Have muscle weakness or stiffness
- Struggle with balance or walking
- Experience joint pain or swelling
- Notice reduced range of motion in arms, shoulders, or legs
- Feel anxious about falling or moving
- Want to resume exercise or physical activity safely
- Experience numbness or tingling (neuropathy)
- Have undergone surgeries like mastectomy or lymph node removal
Even if you’ve never worked with a physiotherapist before, our space is designed to meet you where you are, physically and emotionally.
When Should You Begin Cancer Rehabilitation?
Cancer rehabilitation doesn’t follow a fixed timeline. You can start:
- Before treatment: to prepare your body for surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy
- During treatment: to manage side effects and prevent deconditioning
- After treatment: to support long-term recovery and restore day-to-day function
Some people return to rehab months or even years later to address issues that emerge long after their primary treatment ends. If you’re unsure when to begin, we’ll help assess what’s right for your current energy levels and goals.
What to Expect During Cancer Rehabilitation at Granville Physiotherapy
No two treatment plans are the same. We take time to understand how cancer has affected your body and what kind of support feels realistic and meaningful for your lifestyle.
Your sessions may include:
Muscle loss and exhaustion are frequent treatment side effects. To rebuild strength in important areas like the arms, legs, and core, we emphasize progressive, low-impact exercises.
Scar tissue, radiation therapy, or inactivity may restrict your motion, especially in the areas of the shoulders or neck following breast or head/neck cancer therapy. Mobilization and stretching maneuvers performed gently restore motion in a safe manner.
Fatigue or neuropathy caused by treatment can also raise the risk of falls. We practice exercises that help with stabilization and re-learn your body’s natural balance reaction.
We can help you learn gentle movement techniques that promote lymphatic flow if you have lymph node removal or limb swelling. Although manual lymph drainage is not something we provide, we can collaborate with your care team if necessary.
Respiratory exercises, pacing strategies, and postural education can support better oxygen intake and reduce fatigue throughout your day.
We do more than just move during our sessions. We’ll talk about your worries, go over safety precautions, and give you resources to help you take charge of your healing.
Support Beyond the Treatment Room
Recovering from cancer is rarely a straight path. Some days you may feel strong, while others are slower or more emotional. That’s okay. We approach your care with flexibility, compassion, and attention to how your body feels, not just how it’s “supposed” to recover.
If needed, we can coordinate care with your oncology team, primary care physician, or other healthcare professionals to ensure your plan aligns with your overall medical care.
Family members or caregivers are welcome to join your sessions, especially if they’re part of your daily support system.
Our Philosophy
For us, cancer rehabilitation is more than just working out. It’s about restoring your sense of self-comfort, allowing you to move fearlessly, believing in your own abilities, and adjusting to change at your own speed. The “right” way to recover does not exist. It is our responsibility to provide you with options that respect your experience, structure, and empathy.
Conditions We Commonly Support
We work with individuals living with or recovering from many types of cancer, including:
- Breast cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Head and neck cancers
- Gynecologic cancers
- Lung cancer
- Hematologic cancers (e.g. leukemia, lymphoma)
Whether your challenges are recent or have been building over time, our physiotherapists will help you reconnect with movement and function that feels possible.
What Makes Our Approach Different?
We at Granville Physiotherapy foster an atmosphere in which you are not expected to “push through” or demonstrate anything. Rather than using a single therapy approach, we evaluate your level of function, motivation, energy, and comfort. We offer:
- One-on-one sessions in a private setting
- Flexible scheduling to match your energy levels
- A calm and non-judgmental space to rebuild trust in your body
- Clear, open communication throughout your recovery
We understand that your body may feel unfamiliar after treatment. Our goal is to help you rediscover it, slowly, gently, and with confidence.
Book a Cancer Rehabilitation Appointment in Edmonton
We can assist you if you’re prepared to investigate how physiotherapy might aid in your recuperation. You don’t have to go through it alone, regardless of whether you’ve just finished treatment or are currently dealing with symptoms.
We offer cancer rehabilitation in Edmonton for people at all stages of their journey. Contact Granville Physiotherapy to book an appointment or ask questions about how we can support you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cancer rehabilitation specifically addresses the physical, emotional, and functional consequences of cancer and cancer treatment, including fatigue, lymphedema, or neuropathy.
With gentle exercise, pacing, and movement education, physiotherapists enable you to develop endurance in a safe manner.
Rehabilitation can sometimes start within days or weeks following surgery, based on your condition and the procedure. Your treatment team will advise you on appropriate timing.
Yes. Fatigue caused by cancer is one of the most frequent complications, and structured activity, accompanied by rest planning, tends to enhance endurance over the long term.
How often depends on your needs and how your body is accepting. Some patients begin 1–2 times a week and taper off as they achieve independence.