ROLE OF PHYSICAL THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF OROFACIAL CANCER

Aim: To review the existing literature on orofacial cancer and imply the importance of physiotherapy in the management of orofacial Cancer. Methodology: Search strategies from databases like Google Scholar, PubMed, PubMed Central, Scopus Index, Cochrane library and cross-references of retrieved articles. Full text and abstracts articles from the year 1988-2018 were included. Discussion: Oral cancer, referring to cancer that starts in any part of the mouth is the eleventh most common cancer in the world. Symptoms like fatigue, trismus, pain, cachexia, xerostomia etc. greatly reduce the quality of life of the individual suffering from orofacial cancer. The conventional treatment modalities given depend upon the severity and type of cancer and include chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. Physiotherapy given along with the conventional treatment substantially improves the quality of life and helps in managing the adverse effects of the treatment. Techniques like manual therapy, dry needling, stretching, MFR, therapeutic exercises, TENS, cryotherapy and postural re-education can be used to facilitate the patient. Conclusion: Physiotherapy management along with other conventional modes of treatment is essential to recuperate from complications of orofacial cancer.