The intervention group will receive PT 3 times per week for 60 minutes each session. The therapy sessions will include endurance, strengthening, and stretching exercises. Endurance exercises will consist of ambulating with assistive devices as needed, using the upper extremity (UE) ergometer, and/or playing the Wii. Strengthening exercises will involve both UE's and LE's. For UE's, bicep curls, triceps curls, shoulder flexion, and/or press-ups from the therapy mat or wheelchair will be included. For the LE's, bridging, long arc quads, hamstring curls, calf raises in standing, single LE squats, and/or dorsiflexion (DF) in supine will be performed on the uninvolved extremity. Resistance and exercise time will be increased depending upon participant's tolerance. Stretching will consist of ankle stretch into DF in supine or long sitting, hamstring stretch in supine with hip flexed to 90 degrees, and trunk extension in sitting.~PRIMARY OBJECTIVE~To determine if individuals diagnosed with a malignancy of the LE can participate in a 10 week preoperative strengthening, stretching, and aerobic exercise regimen.
This application proposes a prospective clinical trial to evaluate the impact of adding a focused physical therapy (PT) intervention to the preoperative regimen of individuals diagnosed with a malignancy of the lower extremity (LE). The primary aim will be to determine if individuals diagnosed with a malignancy of the LE can participate in a 10 week preoperative strengthening, stretching, and aerobic exercise regimen.