The importance of physical exercise for children with cancer
If your child has just been diagnosed with an oncological disease (Leukemia, Ewing's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Osteosarcoma ...) it is very possible that the whole family goes into shock. It is a situation where parents do not understand anything and all they want to do is protect the child by
If your child has just been diagnosed with an oncological disease (Leukemia, Ewing's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Osteosarcoma ...) it is very possible that the whole family goes into shock. It is a situation where parents do not understand anything and all they want to do is protect the child by putting him in a bubble. In this situation parents are often overwhelmed, trying to understand what is the treatment and the phases of it, so the last thing they ask is whether or not the child can exercise. At Guiainfantil.com
we explain why physical exercise is important for children with cancer. Why is physical exercise good for children with cancer
Not only can children with cancer exercise, but they should, since
helps to improve tolerance to treatments and helps to alleviate the side effects of it. The main cancer treatment in children with cancer is chemotherapy, which is sometimes accompanied by radiation therapy and / or a third way, which is surgery.
Chemotherapy involves large periods of income, producing motor, endocrine and cardiac disorders, osteopenia, obesity and fatigue. In certain children, the treatment involves the administration of radiotherapy, with slightly different effects, but also harmful to health in general, being effects parallel to those produced by chemotherapy. Others have to go through surgery (solid tumors) which leads many children to go through a time of bed rest.
Spending so much time in bed (chemotherapy and / or surgery) carries a devastating side effect
, and that is that every 10 days in bed there is a reduction of 12% of the functional capacity of the child, also increasing the feeling of fatigue.A scientific review published in November 2012 shows that aerobic exercise during and after treatment can improve fatigue. In addition, regular exercise improves cardiac and muscular function, and attenuates the adverse effects of medication.
Psychological and physiological benefits
A good physical exercise program for children with cancer not only brings physiological benefits, but also produces many psychological improvements, as Myers published after his study and summarizes this table:
Psychological benefits
| Physiological benefits | Reduction of anxiety |
|---|---|
| Improvement of functional capacity | Decreased depression |
| Increased muscle strength | Increased energy |
| Greater flexibility | Improved physical capacity |
| Improved body composition / weight control | Improved self-esteem |
| Improved neutropenia and thrombocytopenia | Greater sense of control |
| Higher levels of hemoglobin | Higher quality of life |
| Decreased fatigue | Higher life satisfaction |
| Less nausea and vomiting. Better pain control Less diarrhea |
|
