In addition, exercise reduces general muscle wasting and may help speed the return of previous physical activity levels if the patient encounters periods of weakness. In designing these programs, they consider each patient's cardiovascular endurance, joint flexibility, and muscular strength. A recommended accumulation of thirty minutes of exercise per day can improve your prognosis,helps speed your return to your prior activity level, and possibly lead to toleration of stronger doses of chemotherapy. Exercise also relieves boredom, and, when performed with others, inevitably produces laughter, camaraderie, and increased energy. Remember, just as fatigue is cumulative, so is energy.
Therapeutic massage helps relieve pain from muscular tension or joint aches.
Tapotement, short hacking motions using the sides of hands, is helpful for athletes, but may be too aggressive for some patients. Combined with an exercise program may save energy and lessen fatigue. If fatigue is your problem, you are not alone. It is unquestionably the most debilitating side effect experienced by cancer patients. Fatigue can be generated by depression, fear, frustration, pain, sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, poor nutrition, decreased physical fitness, worry about the future or almost anything.