What kind of exercise can I do after rectal cancer surgery?

After rectal cancer patients receive surgical treatment, it does not mean that their condition is completely cured, because during the operation, doctors remove not only the tumor, but also some other nerves and some muscles. What should patients pay attention to after the operation? What kind of exercise can be done after rectal cancer surgery? Let's take a look.

1. Diet adjustment: Choose to eat light and soft food with high protein, high calories, high vitamins, easy to digest and appropriate amount of fiber. People with constipation can add honey or sesame oil to the food, drink more water, avoid spicy, dry, hard, crude fiber food and beans, garlic, milk and other gas-producing foods.

2. Drug treatment: For patients with more than 10 bowel movements per day and unformed stools, oral administration of compound phenoxylate or loperamide (Imodium) may be appropriate until the stools become formed, or the drug can be discontinued when the bowel movements are controlled to less than 3 times a day.

3. Sitz bath with warm water or 1/5000 potassium permanganate solution: 1-2 times a day, 15-20 minutes each time; it can reduce inflammation and edema of the anus, and promote the recovery of anal contraction function and defecation reflex. However, be careful not to squat for a long time during sitz bath, so as not to increase abdominal pressure and anastomotic tension, and increase the occurrence of anastomotic complications.

4. Anal function exercise: It is not only beneficial to the recovery of anal function after surgery, but also can promote local blood circulation, reduce congestion and dilation of hemorrhoidal veins, and treat and prevent hemorrhoids. It should be noted that when doing anal function exercise, you must persevere, but not rush for results, causing excessive fatigue, and it is better to feel comfortable.

The method is as follows: bring your legs close to your buttocks, tighten them toward your anus, and do the anal lifting and anal atresia (anal clamping) exercises while taking a deep breath; repeat this exercise 20 to 30 times, once every 3 to 4 hours; you can do it while standing, sitting, or lying down. For patients with weak constitutions, the number of exercises can be appropriately reduced according to the situation.

In the rehabilitation stage of rectal cancer patients, of course, drug therapy is the most important follow-up treatment method. However, in the later stage of rehabilitation, self-rehabilitation training is also indispensable. If patients feel that they are not capable of doing it, they can exercise for a small amount of time every day, which is also very useful.