For Consumers
What is Oncology Physical Therapy?
Cancer and its treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy, can result in physical impairments. Oncology physical therapy assists individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer to recover from these impairments – and in some cases to help prevent them all together! Our goal, as oncologic physical therapists, is to help you optimize your physical function, independence, and overall quality of life.
No matter what area of the body ails you – neck, shoulder, back, knee – physical therapists have an established history of helping individuals improve their quality of life. A physical therapist can help you learn to move without pain, while feeling renewed and ready to move on.
Oncology Patient Fact Sheets
APTA Oncology has developed a series of Patient Fact Sheets. Each Fact Sheet presents a different aspect of physical therapy treatment for patients with a history of cancer or HIV. These resources are intended to provide information regarding the individual topics and to facilitate discussions with health care providers if necessary – including physical therapists!
ACSM: Moving Through Cancer
The mission of ACSM’s initiative, Moving Through Cancer, is to assure that all people living with and beyond cancer are assessed, advised, referred to and engaged in appropriate exercise and rehabilitation programming as a standard of care.
We encourage you to explore the following resources that have been developed as part of this initiative to assist in the dissemination and implementation of the new ACSM Cancer Exercise Guidelines.
If you have a cancer exercise program affiliated with your clinic, hospital, or health system, please consider joining the registry. ACSM is supporting the development of a registry of programs and will leverage this information for patients and other providers to find your exercise program!
Evidence-Based Science
- Physical Activity in Cancer Prevention and Treatment: A Scientific Review
- Exercise Guidelines for Cancer Survivors: Consensus Statement from International Multidisciplinary Roundtable
- ACSM Roundtable Report on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Cancer Prevention and Control
- Exercise is Medicine in Oncology: Engaging clinicians to help patients move through cancer
Physical therapists are trained and educated to understand all of your health conditions, including a cancer diagnosis. Your physical therapist will work with you to develop a specialized treatment program to address your specific needs and goals. For more information and to find a PT in your area, visit ChoosePT.com.
Clinical Research Grants
Are you up on the latest Oncology Physical Therapy research or are you just starting out? New and experienced APTA Oncology members can make valuable contributions.
Clinical Internship Opportunities
This list of clinical sites is provided as a service to APTA Oncology Members.
Host a Regional Course in Your Area
APTA Oncology has several course offerings looking for partners to host. The host facility will be chosen based on the guarantee that they can draw a minimum of 20 registrants.
Member Awards
Know of a PT/PTA professional who deserves recognition? Here is the place to find out about our Member Awards.
Join the APTA Oncology ListServ
APTA Oncology's General Listerv is a very productive messaging system for answering your practice questions. In addition, we maintain specialized listservs for our special interest groups.
Resource Guide for Specialization
This document, prepared by APTA Oncology, is designed to help you in your preparation for the specialist examination.
OncoReads
OncoReadsSM allows you to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from the comfort of your own home or office. Begin earning today!
Partners Program
Any PT or PTA living in a country other than the US or a healthcare provider from another discipline, not eligible for APTA membership, can take advantage of our membership benefits by becoming a Partner of APTA Oncology.
Look Inside the Oncology Toolbox
What's in your Physical Therapy Bag of Tricks? Find more and contribute some.
Sign Up to Become a Volunteer
This Academy survives and thrives on it's exceptional line of volunteers. From experienced to clincians; if you want to be a leader, we have a position.