WHAT ROLE CAN A PERSONAL TRAINER PLAY IN IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGHOUT ONCOLOGY TREATMENT FOR PEOPLE WITH A BRAIN TUMOUR

Abstract

Abstract AIMS Review of a single person case study to establish if a personal trainer (PT) could help build a personalised pro- gramme for people with brain tumours going through oncology treatment. The aim being to help manage resilience both physically and psychologically through treatment and improve quality of life. METHOD A young person who has completed radiotherapy and chemotherapy after surgical debulking of a brain tumour was contacted. He worked as a PT before diagnosis and continued throughout treatment. He gradually increased his exercise tolerance and tailored exercises to different days of the treatment cycle to match his needs. He managed his fatigue and gradually built his exercise tolerance up back to baseline and continue with treatment. RESULTS This patient created a ‘patient guide’ with suggested exercises from his unique perspective as a person who has been through treatment and as a PT. CONCLUSIONS This guide has not yet been trialled with the rest of the patient population. The hope is that this will be used to guide further research in this field and may lead to the implementation of a permeant PT member of staff to the oncology service. In his words ‘this is just an example of my journey and how I stumbled my way through the diffculty of a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment. If you can take something away and apply it to your own situation then that’s brilliant’, ‘each day is a testament to how well you’re doing’