Finishing cancer treatment is often described as a milestone. Whether it’s breast cancer, ovarian cancer, bowel cancer, blood cancer — or something else entirely — treatment can leave a lasting imprint.
But what happens after treatment ends?
When the appointments slow down.
When the chemo finishes.
When the surgery scars are healed — but your body doesn’t feel like your own.
For many women, this is when things can feel unexpectedly hard.
You’re eager to “get back to normal life.”
But your strength feels different.
Your energy is different.
Your pelvic floor may be different.
Your confidence in movement? Often shaken too.
And you’re left wondering…
Who actually helps me now?
The Part We Don’t Talk About Enough
Formal cancer care is intense and structured. Then one day, it tapers off.
Your oncology team has done their job. You’re cancer free. And while that is an incredible milestone, it can also feel like being gently (or abruptly) set adrift.
Common experiences we hear from women include:
- Ongoing fatigue
- Muscle weakness and deconditioning
- Joint stiffness or pain
- Pelvic floor symptoms (leakage, urgency, heaviness)
- Abdominal tightness or discomfort after surgery
- Pain or tightness around surgical scars
- Changes in balance or coordination
- Fear or uncertainty around exercise
- A loss of trust in their body
This is where physiotherapy can play an important role, particularly with a clinician who understands both women’s health and cancer rehabilitation.
How Physiotherapy Supports Recovery After Cancer
Our Senior Women’s Health Physiotherapist, Tara Redemski, has extensive experience supporting women through cancer recovery in both hospital and outpatient settings. She understands the physical and emotional layers of returning to movement after treatment and can help you rebuild your strength and confidence in a supportive setting.
There’s growing scientific evidence that being active after cancer treatment can influence long-term outcomes. Recent clinical research shows that personalised exercise programs can significantly lower the risk of cancer coming back and improve survival, supporting the idea that movement should be part of long-term recovery planning (source).
Here are some of the ways physiotherapy can help:
1. Rebuilding Strength
Muscle loss, reduced stamina, and general deconditioning are common after surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or extended rest. The instinct can be to “get fit again” quickly. But recovery responds best to gradual, targeted loading.
A tailored program can help you:
- Rebuild muscle safely
- Improve balance and coordination
- Support bone density (especially after hormone therapy)
- Return to daily activities without flare-ups
Tara is guided by the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia’s exercise recommendations, which suggest working towards 2–3 resistance sessions per week and around 150 minutes of cardiovascular activity.
“But this isn’t usually where we start,” she explains. “We build up to that gradually.”
One of the most common patterns she sees is the “boom and bust” cycle — doing too much, too soon, which can trigger pain and fatigue and ultimately set recovery back. Another is choosing exercise that feels like punishment rather than something sustainable.
“Exercise after cancer needs to be slow and sustainable,” Tara says. “It’s not a short-term fix. It’s something you’re ideally building into your life long term.”
2. Pelvic Floor & Core Rehabilitation
Depending on the type of cancer and treatment, the pelvic floor can be directly affected — especially following abdominal or pelvic surgery, radiation, or gynaecological cancer care.
You might notice:
- Urinary leakage
- Urgency or frequency
- A feeling of heaviness or pressure
- Pain with intimacy
- Changes in bowel function
Tara explains that many cancer treatments cause ovarian suppression, which can bring on genitourinary symptoms similar to menopause — often more abruptly and more intensely. This can contribute to dryness, urinary changes, pelvic floor weakness, and in some cases, vaginal stenosis.
Importantly, there are treatment options available.
“One common myth is that vaginal oestrogen isn’t safe after cancer treatment,” Tara says. “But growing research shows it can be safely used in many women after breast cancer, under the guidance of their oncologist or gynaecologist.”
When appropriate, medical management alongside specialised pelvic floor physiotherapy can significantly improve symptoms — including dryness, prolapse sensations, and urinary issues.
You don’t have to accept discomfort. Specialised pelvic floor assessment and rehabilitation can make a meaningful difference.
3. Scar & Tissue Mobility
If you’ve had cancer surgery — whether breast surgery, lymph node removal, abdominal or pelvic procedures — you might find that even when scars look healed on the surface, deeper tissue layers remain tight or restricted.
Targeted scar and soft tissue work can:
- Improve movement comfort
- Restore abdominal wall function
- Reduce protective tension
- Help you feel more at ease in your body
4. Fatigue & Energy Management
Cancer-related fatigue is different from “being tired.” It can feel heavy, unpredictable, and persistent, sometimes for months or years after treatment.
Exercise, when prescribed appropriately, can actually help improve fatigue over time. But the dosage matters.
A physiotherapist can help you:
- Pace activity
- Avoid boom-and-bust cycles
- Gradually build tolerance
- Learn when to progress and when to rest
Tara explains that managing fatigue means looking at the whole picture, not just exercise volume.
“I worked with a woman recovering from surgery who was moving into radiation therapy,” she says. “On her good days, she’d walk for long periods — but then she’d be unable to exercise for several days afterwards. Her sleep was poor due to pain and anxiety about treatment.”
“Instead of pushing her to do more, we spaced activity throughout the day and introduced a mix of gentle cardiovascular and simple resistance exercises. We reviewed her sleep hygiene — things like creating a relaxation routine and limiting screens before bed — and addressed her shoulder pain, which was contributing to discomfort. We also discussed a referral to psychology to support treatment-related anxiety.”
“When you look at each contributing factor and make small, sustainable changes, it can make a real difference over time,” Tara says.
Movement as a Way Back to Yourself
For many women, the hardest part isn’t just the physical changes — it’s the sense of disconnection from your body.
Returning to exercise after cancer treatment becomes less about fitness and more about noticing strength, steadiness, and confidence gradually return, and rebuilding trust in your body again.
