When you’re diagnosed with cancer, it can affect many different aspects of your life. Depending on what type of cancer you have, the condition may impact how you move, feel and think. Or sometimes, the necessary treatments can cause side effects or pain that make it difficult to participate in your favorite activities or communicate easily.
The physical medicine and rehabilitation experts at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, can help you adjust to these changes and maintain or improve your quality of life while you’re managing your cancer diagnosis. Along with our oncology partners at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (the OSUCCC – James), the specialized services we provide can help you and your family deal with the physical, cognitive and emotional challenges of being treated for cancer.
Let us be a partner in your recovery journey as you navigate cancer while leading to survivorship. We want to help you get back to living your life.
What is cancer rehabilitation at Ohio State?
Cancer occurs when malignant (cancerous tumor) cells develop in tissue. Cancer may disrupt various organ and bodily functions, which can lead to discomfort or make it harder for you to move and communicate.
Through our award-winning Cancer Rehabilitation Program, our experts provide therapy services and interventions designed specifically for people who have been diagnosed with cancer, whether recently or years ago. Our cancer rehab program, which is nationally recognized for patient outcomes by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), provides a personalized care plan for you that includes education, treatment and support. We were the first such cancer rehab program awarded this accreditation in Ohio and the second in the United States, underscoring how we’re a national leader in providing therapy services to people with cancer.
Services that might be included in your cancer rehab include:
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Speech therapy
- Recreational therapy
- Music therapy
- Cognitive treatments
- Lymphedema therapy
- Cardiovascular or pulmonary rehabilitation
- Mental health services (rehabilitation psychology)
- Pain intervention, including injections and nerve blocks
The physical medicine and rehabilitation team partners directly with Oncology Rehabilitation Services at the OSUCCC – James, Ohio State’s globally recognized cancer hospital. If you have cancer, you may receive services with our physiatrists, with oncological rehabilitation, or both, depending on your condition, goals and overall health.
Inpatient cancer rehabilitation
If your symptoms, whether from treatment or the disease itself, are severe enough to require daily therapy and attention, you might stay at Dodd Rehabilitation Hospital. To meet the criteria for inpatient rehabilitation, you must need intense therapy for several hours, five days a week, and require two of the three therapy disciplines: physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology.
Some examples of people who may need inpatient cancer rehab include someone who just had a brain tumor removed or a person recovering from an amputation due to bone cancer.
Outpatient cancer rehabilitation and cancer pain management
If you have symptoms affecting your ability to function or have pain limiting your quality of life following cancer treatment, you may be treated in our outpatient cancer rehabilitation and pain management clinic. There, we offer many interventions, including injections, spasticity management, help with prosthetic devices, nerve blocks and neuromodulation, to help improve pain and function.
During this time, you may also require ongoing physical and occupational therapy and other services, which you can receive through the James Oncology Rehabilitation team.
Outcomes for cancer rehabilitation
Unparalleled experience
The Cancer Rehabilitation Program served 178 people with inpatient services at Dodd Hospital in 2024, and many more with outpatient services.
Better outcomes
Roughly 77% of people in cancer rehabilitation at Dodd were discharged back home. Functional improvement of self-care and mobility increased, on average, from a score of 57.48 at admission to 90.74 at discharge.
Patient satisfaction
Nearly 99% of people agreed or strongly agreed that the inpatient cancer rehab program prepared them for going home, while 100% of cancer patients in outpatient therapy felt the services provided useful information and helped them reach their goals.
View cancer rehabilitation outcomes
Who is a candidate for cancer rehabilitation?
Anyone who has ever had cancer may be a candidate for cancer rehabilitation. However, most often, the people we serve include those who:
- Have been recently diagnosed
- May be recovering from surgery related to their cancer
- May be receiving chemotherapy or radiation therapy
No matter where you are in your cancer treatment or survivorship, we can help you manage a variety of symptoms, whether they’re caused by your cancer or are side effects of medications, treatments or surgeries. Some of the symptoms or side effects we treat include:
- Pain, including muscle, bone and joint pain
- Lymphedema and other swelling
- Loss of function or mobility
- Decreased strength
- Fatigue or lack of energy
- Chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy and other nerve problems (pain, loss of sensation)
- Cognitive (memory or thinking) issues
- Difficulty with swallowing
- Difficulty speaking
Our cancer rehabilitation experts can help you, whether these symptoms started yesterday or have been occurring for months or years. Even if your symptoms don’t appear on the list, you might still benefit from cancer rehabilitation if you’ve ever been diagnosed with cancer.
What to expect with cancer rehabilitation
With cancer rehabilitation, we’ll work with you to improve your overall quality of life. Some other rehab goals we can help you achieve include:
- Tolerating treatment better
- Reducing pain
- Improving strength
- Learning techniques to overcome fatigue or increase energy
- Increasing range of motion
- Participating in favorite activities or finding adaptations to meet your current abilities
- Preparing for end-of-life care, including a discharge plan, pastoral care and counseling
Expertise in cancer rehabilitation
Whitney Luke, MD, medical director of the Cancer Rehabilitation Program, describes how Ohio State helps people with cancer manage pain and improve function throughout their treatment and beyond.
Services offered in cancer rehabilitation
The Cancer Rehabilitation Program at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center offers a variety of services to help you through the diagnosis, treatment and survivorship of any type of cancer. These services continue your care to help you achieve your highest level of recovery.
Functional assessment
We’ll do a comprehensive evaluation called a functional assessment to identify your capabilities, deficits, goals and needs. This will allow us to create a customized treatment plan that fits your specific condition and situation.
Gait assessment
A gait assessment examines how you walk, which can identify any challenges with movement, balance or coordination. This evaluation helps your care team understand your walking pattern, so they can recommend therapies to improve mobility.
Spasticity management
Spasticity refers to stiff or tight muscles with exaggerated stretch reflexes. This condition can make it difficult to move, walk or speak. We’re home to providers who are experts in spasticity management, giving you the care you need to improve symptoms.
Pain-related procedures
You may need to work with our physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians to manage pain caused by your condition or treatment. Your doctor will collaborate with physical and occupational therapists to create a treatment plan involving therapies, as well as pain management techniques, that may include:
- Joint injections
- Nerve blocks, including peripheral nerve blocks
- Epidural steroid injections
- Radiofrequency ablations, which use heat to destroy tissue, preventing the nerves from sending pain signals to the brain
- Celiac plexus blocks and neurolysis, which are procedures that help control pain coming from organs in the abdomen
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Peripheral nerve stimulation
- Pain pumps that deliver medication directly to the spinal cord
Physical therapy
Throughout cancer treatment, you experience functional limitations that dramatically impact your ability to complete certain tasks or participate in activities. Physical therapy, which can include exercise, stretching and manual techniques, can help you improve mobility and reduce pain.
Occupational therapy
Occupational therapy will help you continue to perform tasks important to your everyday life, such as getting dressed or cooking a meal. Managing fatigue and stress can be important parts of occupational therapy, along with exercises that focus on improving your range of motion.
Speech-language pathology
Certain cancers and their treatments can impact your ability to speak or swallow. Our comprehensive speech therapy services include swallowing evaluations, learning to eat and drink again following surgery or radiation, and highly specialized therapies for professional singers.
Why choose Ohio State for cancer rehabilitation?
The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s cancer rehabilitation experts have helped thousands of people with cancer achieve a higher level of independence and a better quality of life. Here’s why we’re a leader in cancer rehab:
- Personalized treatment: We’re home to a collaborative cancer rehab program created specifically to address pain symptoms and functional impairments caused by cancer or its treatments. The clinic includes an interventional pain physician and pain psychologist as well as embedded physical, occupational and speech therapists – all located in one convenient space, allowing people being treated at The James to access our services with ease.
- Accredited care: We’re proud to be the first in Ohio, the second in the nation and the third in the world to be awarded a CARF accreditation for our inpatient cancer rehabilitation program. CARF recognized our programs as meeting the highest standards in quality, safety and outcome measures, which provide risk reduction and accountability in our patient care.
- Nation’s best: Ohio State’s rehabilitation and cancer treatment programs consistently rank among the best in the nation. As an academic medical center, we offer unparalleled medical expertise, the most advanced technologies and treatment techniques, and innovative care backed by research knowledge. Our outpatient clinics, along with our inpatient cancer rehabilitation service at Dodd Hospital, provide one of the largest and most comprehensive cancer rehab programs in the United States.
Medical Director
Whitney Luke, MD
Medical Director, Cancer Rehabilitation Program