MEN suffering or recovering from cancer will soon benefit from a rehabilitation program in the state's North.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The STEEL Cancer Rehabilitation Program will be offered by Launceston physiotherapist Georgina Ball Smith at Wellington Street's Physiofit next year.
The program provides individualised, prescribed rehabilitation to help men heal and get back into, or started on, exercise.
"Often with the cancer treatment, patients get quite fatigued and lose muscle tone," Ms Ball Smith said. "So for people who used to go to the gym or bike ride, this is the step to getting back in to it."
The program is open to anyone, at any stage of their cancer journey.
"They could come along straight after they have had surgery or five years after they are cancer-free," Ms Ball Smith said. "It's really individualised and we do it for whatever their goals are."
Sessions are one-on-one and can include pilates, weight training, manual physiotherapy, physical and functional assessments and fatigue management. The STEEL program is only offered by certified cancer rehab physiotherapists and is part of women's cancer rehabilitation program PINC.
Physiofit also offers the women's program, while Hobart's Bodysystems is the only other clinic in Tasmania to also offer both programs.
Ms Ball Smith has worked with women for the PINC program for quite some time, but was excited to offer a similar service for men.
"It's not all about getting rid of the cancer, it's about getting back to their normal self."