The Royal Marsden hospital recently held an annual exercise oncology study day. Horsham-based cancer personal trainer, Becky, attended and reviews the day here…
The Royal Marsden Exercise Oncology Study Day – round three
I can’t quite believe this is the third of these that I’ve now attended. The event has grown since I first attended in 2023, which is so pleasing to see. It continues to attract people from a range of disciplines – from academics and clinical staff, to those working the community setting. We got to hear from researchers, physiotherapists, and those with lived experience. It’s great to connect with others who are working in the industry – my job is fairly solitary, and with no other specialists particularly local to me, it can feel quite isolated. During this day, I’m reminded that I’m not alone in my campaign to support those living with and beyond cancer to get stronger.
Quotes of the day
We all love a snappy quote, and there were a few moments throughout the day that made me want to stand and give applause.
A massive thank you to physiotherapist, Jo Jewtha, who said that, “There’s always hope for people.” She was talking about not giving up on the idea of seeing some form of improvement, and I couldn’t agree more. In my world, too many people believe that if you can’t hit textbook form or figures, something isn’t worth doing, and I think that a lot of those people perhaps haven’t ever had to adapt around something unexpected. In my practice, I don’t promise to make everyone a superstar, but I do hope to always see even a marginal improvement in their own situation.
In further proof that physiotherapists talk a lot of sense, academic physiotherapist, Matthew Maddocks said that, “ ‘Optimal’ may be supporting someone’s decline and helping them adapt to their circumstances.” For me, this aligns with another phrase that I like to use frequently: practical trumps optimal. As I alluded to above, fitness isn’t just about reaching for what a textbook tells us we should aim for – our care and support should be person-centred, rather than by the book.
And I sadly didn’t write down the name of the person who gifted us this one: “Brochure therapy doesn’t change behaviour.” For the benefit of the uninitiated: a lot of academic study involving exercise has groups of participants given information in leaflets… and often finds that this intervention isn’t particularly successful, which this comment supported. Perhaps I’m professionally biased, but I do agree – receiving coaching from a person is far superior to following a template exercise guide.
Favourite things I learned
One of the talks I found most interesting focused on patients with vestibular symptoms – that is, difficulties with balance and other related challenges. I knew nothing about the anatomy of the vestibular system, and so picked up some very basic knowledge which underpinned some other things I already knew. I love working with clients on balance and proprioception, so it was great to hear more about this and begin to understand it further.
My own growth as a professional
There are times when I still get overwhelmed by science. Lots of really technical stuff is beyond my current understanding, and that’s ok, because for other people, it’s their entire career, and therefore their level is far higher than mine will ever be. But I have learned that some of it comes down to practice and increased exposure. The more I engage with this kind of work, the better I get at adapting it to my needs, and recognising how I can better understand it and put it to use.
I no longer walk into a conference and expect to feel like I’m listening to a foreign language, and instead am able to pick out bits that I do appreciate, as well as learning new things. Some of this also comes from each day bringing me more practical experience – so many things are easier to understand given that I’ve worked with more clients, and have a broader understanding of what does and doesn’t work within my own day to day. It’s nice to be able to reflect on the growth and see that the time I put into professional development pays off.
What I’m looking forward to next
Excitingly – and not before time – there is to be a full International Exercise Oncology conference in 2026. Even better, it’s being held in Europe, which makes it more accessible to me logistically and politically. A group of academics has become frustrated with the continued lack of exercise content within other cancer forums, and so we’re going it alone! I’ll be off to Germany for two days of learning next year – see you there?