SURGERY

Immediate post surgery is a time that needs to focus on recovery and rest. 

For this reason, as you will see below, the program for post-surgery does NOT include the LIFT element.  That said:

Many studies have documented the value of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program.  In fact, there is an international organization dedicated to the study of ERAS.  One central tenet in ERAS:  movement.  Soon after surgery, perhaps the next day.    If you’ve been given medicine that has you dizzy or unsteady on your feet, perhaps you can hold on to someone or the wall.  Even being out of bed for a minute is worth doing.

When your surgeon tells you that you are able to return to normal daily activities, move to the appropriate program (prehabilitation if there is not treatment for a few weeks/months, chemotherapy, radiation, as fits your particular pattern of treatment).  Here’s the program for the weeks post surgery: 

Log

Eat

Sleep

Move – We have made specific surgical recovery pages for many common cancer sites including:

Breast

Colon and rectal

Lung

Prostate

Gynecologic

Melanoma

Bladder

Kidney

Pancreas

Head and Neck

Leukemia and Lymphoma

Lift: DO NOT LIFT!

If you want to read some of the science behind exercise during cancer treatment, try these sources:

https://www.exerciseismedicine.org/support_page.php/moving-through-cancer/

scroll to the bottom for the links to 5 papers that we think will convince you of the value of exercise before, during and after cancer treatment.