Kirsteen (pictured left) is our head Physiotherapist and Practice owner. Following her own breast cancer diagnosis Kirsteen realised that although she had received excellent care and treatment for the cancer itself, there is still so much more that breast cancer patients need. This motivated her to do additional training in breast cancer physiotherapy so she could provide the care, support and therapy to help others on their road to recovery.
Joanna (pictured right) qualified as a physiotherapist in Poland in 2007 and then completed a second degree in Physiotherapy when she moved to the UK in 2010 (so she is doubly trained !!) Joanna is always looking for self development but was extremely passionate about completing the breast cancer course with Kirsteen. After seeing a number of clients with range of movement and scarring problems following treatment she felt compelled to complete the additional training to ensure she could provide the best treatment and advice that she could.
Kirsteen and Joanna know that every cancer diagnosis results in a wide range of possible treatments, and that every single persons recovery journey is different. This is why just general physiotherapy is not enough. More care, consideration and in-depth knowledge is needed to ensure that the treatment plan for every single patient is tailored to their own needs.
Your treatment will move at the pace that is most suited to you. We will provide an in-depth assessment and do our utmost to manage your expectations as realistically as possible, ensuring we help you get where you want to be.
During and post treatment you may experience a number of symptoms. These can include:
Physiotherapy is a powerful tool and can help your symptoms in a number of ways. These include:
At Action First we can help you with your symptoms by creating a tailored plan that moves at a pace most suitable for you.
Depending on your individual needs this might include a number of techniques such as providing support, exercise, and mobilisation, to help reduce swelling, scarring, fatigue and pain.
Our key objective would always be to enable you to improve your quality of life during and after treatment. Physiotherapy has been proven to help with the side effects of cancer treatment and reduce the incidence of post cancer MSK disorders.
As more and more research is done into the effects of cancer treatment, we are finding there is so much more that can be done to reduce the side effects and prevent long term issues. It is wonderful that so much work has been done to improve identification and treatment of cancer although this has created a new "problem" known as "Cancer Survivorship". Cancer survivorship programs carry people through cancer, helping them to live as long as they can and with the best possible quality of life. Our ethos and approach to breast cancer physiotherapy is inspired by this emerging understanding. People don't just deserve to survive - they deserve to live a life as close as possible to the life they would have enjoyed without cancer. Our drive is to help you through the process of rediscovering the person you were!
If you are interested in our breast cancer service or would like to find out more then you can contact us at the clinic. Both Kirsteen and Joanna would be delighted to talk to you about your treatment objectives and how we could help you!
Kirsteen has been undergoing rehabilitative treatment for her own breast cancer. She has found this effective in improving mobility, reducing discomfort and allowing her to return to exercise. She is a keen swimmer and has now been able to resume her training again. She has entered an open-water swimming event in the Lake District next summer!
