Course Description:

This course provides learners with evidence-informed approaches and strategies for the medical management and cancer rehabilitation of people living with and beyond (PLWB) multiple myeloma. PLWB multiple myeloma offer unique challenges to physical and occupational therapists, even for experienced cancer rehab therapists from multiple myeloma high propensity to impact the skeletal system, elevating osseous frailty, and consequently increasing the risk of fractures. Awareness of how the malignancy develops and progresses, and its treatment pathways are important features to safely treat PLWB Multiple Myeloma. Additionally, most people’s treatment is palliative, not curative in nature, leading to a body of survivors with long-lasting and latent effects of treatment including systemic therapy, radiation, transplant, and skeletal stabilizing procedures. Effective use of prospective surveillance in this population, requires therapists to distinguish between acute on chronic and chronic changes in the skeletal system which indirectly have an impact on other body systems, the patient’s functional activities, occupations and participation in community and occupational roles.

Physical and occupational therapists will also be educated on typical and disease-based changes of the skeletal system, and important precautions and contraindications when managing people with osseous frailty during both the evaluative and intervention aspect of client care. To provide a holistic approach to care, clinicians will learn through a case study based on the ICF framework or occupational profile, to understand the interactions of various changes in body structure and functions on the patient’s function and quality of life. This course will be rounded out through application of the Dietz classification in both pre-habilitation and prospective surveillance for PLWB multiple myeloma.