The Positive Health Project - Oncology Physiotherapy
Giving cancer and lymphoedema patients access to the support and treatment they deserve in order to
A physiotherapy and lymphoedema clinic dedicated to the treatment and support of people affected by cancer.
Appropriate at all stages of the cancer continuum, with the focus on reducing or eliminating side-effects of cancer treatment and improving survivors' strength, ability to function and quality of life.
Treatment can consist of exercise prescription, education, cardiovascular training, resistance exercise, lymphoedema monitoring, pain management, scar management, lymphoedema treatment, manual lymphatic drainage, low level laser and compression garments
29/01/2026
What are the squat racks, barbells and weights all for? Well, behind the scenes I have been getting ready to start offering the Onero Program, a specific evidence-based program that uses weight lifting to protect and improve bone health. Now this is a big concern for many of my patients as common treatments for breast, ovarian and prostate cancer cause accelerated bone loss and can lead to osteopenia and osteoporosis. So I am excited to be able to offer this class starting next week. If you want more details, comment below and I can give you all the info you need.
20/01/2026
Exercise during cancer treatment is no longer just about “staying active.”
It’s increasingly being studied as a way to support treatment itself.
New research is exploring what happens when people with colon cancer cycle on a stationary bike during chemotherapy — right there in the infusion chair.
Why?
Because exercise increases blood flow, which may help chemotherapy reach tumours more effectively.
Researchers are measuring outcomes that matter: • Treatment tolerance
• Side effects
• Quality of life
• Tumour response
For cancer survivors, this reinforces an important message: Movement can be part of treatment, not something you wait to do “after.”
For oncology clinicians, it adds to the growing evidence that exercise is medicine — when it’s prescribed appropriately, individualised, and supervised by trained professionals.
This is where oncology physiotherapy sits.
Not fitness. Not rest. Targeted, evidence-based movement that supports recovery and long-term health. https://www.wcrf.org/research-policy/our-research/grants-database/chemotherapy-colon-cancer-exercise-bikes/
16/01/2026
We are back for 2026! Class resumed this week after 3 weeks off! It was wonderful to see everyone and hear how keen they were to come back and get their bodies moving! It is always nice to hear how my patients feel the benefit of their attendance and how they don't feel as good when they can't come.
My class also got to catch up with one of our ladies who had a double DIEP reconstruction in November last year and they were all so surprised at how well she is going. I was definitely not surprised as she worked so hard prior to her surgery and after her surgery to ensure she got the best results possible. It just reinforced to me how important prehab and preparation is for cancer treatment and the amazing benefit it has for recovery!
16/01/2026
For years, people with cancer were told to rest.
Avoid exertion.
Save your energy.
We now know that advice was wrong.
Cancer-related fatigue is not caused by doing too much, it’s often made worse by doing too little.
Prolonged rest leads to muscle loss, increased inflammation, weaker immunity, and profound deconditioning. All of which make treatment harder and recovery slower.
Today, the evidence is clear:
Exercise is safe.
Exercise is effective.
Exercise is medicine.
This doesn’t mean pushing harder or ignoring symptoms.
It means targeted, individualised movement that supports treatment, improves quality of life, and helps the body cope with cancer and its side effects.
This shift has changed modern cancer care — and it should change what patients, carers, and clinicians expect too.
💙 Movement matters. Even during treatment.
24/12/2025
Merry Christmas, from my family to yours ❤️💚❤️💚
22/12/2025
I am on break now until the 5th of January and will be having some much needed rest and relaxation! Thank you to all my amazing patients who spoiled me with some beautiful gifts. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and as the new year approaches I am excited to share with you some new things coming to The Positive Health Project!
05/11/2025
I have been so happy with the treatment effect the lymphatouch has had for my patients since purchasing it in July. I especially love seeing and feeling the changes in the tissue when treating scars. In the video you can see the negative pressure gently lift the tissue, stretching the scar in a direction we normally can't do. It's a very effective and gentle way to mobilise a tight scar.
22/10/2025
A big thank you to everyone who came last night to our info session on the Onero program. We are looking forward to working with Andrew from at getting this program up and running for our oncology population!
20/10/2025
FREE INFORMATION SESSION! 21st October @ 6pm
Research shows that the right exercise can stimulate bone density and muscle development. The Onero™ Program is a proven, safe approach tailored for people recovering from prostate, breast or ovarian cancer. We are having an information session in collaboration with Macarthur Physiotherapy for anyone who is interested in learning more.
It is great to see research coming out supporting what we already thought to be true. Patients who began a structured exercise regime with the help of a trained professional after they completed treatment had a 37% lower risk of death and a 28% lower risk of recurrent or new cancers developing, compared with patients who received only health advice.
First clear evidence that structured exercise regime reduces risk of dying by a third, can stop tumours coming back or a new cancer developing
01/06/2025
I attended my 5th Macarthurs Annual Breast Cancer Gala last night. I was honoured to share the night with close friends and some of my wonderful patients. It was extra special to hear a patient's husband bravely go up on stage and share his experience as a loved one of a wonderful woman going through her breast cancer treatment. Thanks to Nat and her team for putting together yet another great fundraiser for the NBCF!
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Why is it's important for all people to have access to cancer rehabilitation?
When it comes to treating an individual, who has been diagnosed with cancer, we fall significantly short of providing holistic, optimal cancer care. In Australia we have some of the best cancer survival rates in the world. We have many amazing charities and organisations that raise money for cancer research and assist in awareness campaigns. We have great screening programs for breast cancer, cervical cancer and bowel cancer and the availability of the HPV vaccine for preventing cervical cancer. However, we are unfortunately seeing our cancer rates increase, with 1 in 7 women being diagnosed with breast cancer and 1 in 7 men being diagnosed with prostate cancer. This increase in number of people being diagnosed, combined with the previously mentioned increased survival rates, means a high percentage of our population have had an unwanted intimate experience of a fight against cancer. The battle can leave many significant, long-lasting and debilitating ‘scars’, impacting all aspects of a person’s life and health. It is understandable that ensuring the eradication of the cancer the main focus of the medical team, but it is possible to minimise the damage done to the patients’ health and wellbeing and this is why cancer rehabilitation should be accessible for all cancer survivors. We should be empowering cancer survivors to take control over their cancer, not just be passive passengers that are left to clean up the mess the cancer and cancer treatment has made. And this is possible through the provision of high-quality, evidence-based cancer rehabilitation services.
Despite all the research, exercise oncology and cancer rehabilitation are still relatively unheard-of terms in our oncology world. I was motivated to move into cancer rehabilitation by the release of a position statement from the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia regarding exercise and in cancer care. This statement recommended that exercise should be “embedded as part of standard practice in cancer care and be viewed as an adjunct therapy that helps counteract the adverse effects of cancer and it’s treatment”. As a physiotherapist, I never knew the role I could be playing in the area of oncology as it was never part of my formal studies or resulting clinical experience. Once I went down the metaphorical ‘rabbit-hole’ and committed to learning more about cancer rehabilitation, I was in shock. I was shocked at how much evidence there was to support the implementation of cancer rehabilitation and also shocked at the fact that this evidence hasn’t be translated into services in our health system.
There are beginnings of cancer rehabilitation and exercise oncology making its way into our health care, with some small programs and services being integrated into our public and private systems. But trying to get the oncologists to change their ways and refer to these services has been one of the most difficult steps of starting my own private cancer rehabilitation clinic. Armed with the evidence, passion and word of mouth, I hope I can change this, to show the medical and my local community the importance of cancer rehabilitation and why all people should have access to cancer rehabilitation. I no longer want to hear ‘why wasn’t I told about this sooner?’ or struggling to get doctors to refer early. When the evidence is so strong about how cancer rehabilitation can attenuate the side effects of cancer treatment and enhance the outcomes and recovery from cancer, we need continue to work hard to ensure all people have access to cancer rehabilitation.
I could present to you all the statistics and evidence in favour of cancer rehabilitation that have been published over the last decade.
I could write a long list of side effects that cancer rehabilitation can prevent and treat in order to reduce disability and improve quality of life.
I could show you the international guidelines that support the inclusion of cancer rehabilitation services as part of standard cancer care.
All of that is important for me as a health professional, it helps me know that my skills and knowledge have the potential to help someone during one of the most difficult times in their life. But for cancer survivors, cancer rehabilitation is more than data, statistics and articles. It is an alternative pathway for them to have a more empowered experience, to take back some of the thing’s cancer can take away like their physical health, psychological wellbeing, financial security, confidence, self-esteem... hope. Cancer rehabilitation sees the person, not the cancer, giving people a voice in what they want and allowing health professionals, such as myself, the opportunity to really make a difference in someone’s cancer journey. Ultimately, cancer rehabilitation should be accessible to everyone because everyone deserves the best chance at beating their cancer and have the support needed to help return them back to the life they want, and this is what cancer rehabilitation can help provide.
