Exercise and myeloma

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for everyone. It can help improve general wellbeing, increase energy, reduce fatigue, and help with managing your weight. It can also help to prevent and manage chronic health problems like diabetes and heart disease.

Living with myeloma — both the condition itself and the side effects of treatment — can impact many parts of your physical and mental wellbeing, which are often long-lasting and complex. Some of these effects can make exercise feel more challenging, but they also make exercise especially important in helping to manage your symptoms and side effects.

We have outlined some key information about exercise and myeloma on this webpage. If you would like to read more, see our infosheet below.

The many benefits of exercise

Targeted exercises performed regularly can help to improve:

• pain and discomfort 
• cancer-related fatigue 
• anxiety and depression
• weakness 
• breathlessness 
• loss of appetite 
• weight management 
• peripheral neuropathy 
• bone strength
• muscle tone, strength, endurance, and flexibility 
• balance 
• sleep 
• mood changes 
• motivation 
• ‘chemo brain’ and cognitive function
•  general wellbeing and quality of life.

What types of exercise are best?

Exercising safely with myeloma does have some additional challenges. Remember to always talk with your treating team before starting a new exercise program. 

Your accredited exercise physiologist (EP) or physiotherapist (physio) can provide you with more information and a targeted exercise program that’s specific to your needs. These health professionals can tailor an exercise program to help cater for and improve myeloma bone damage, pain, fatigue, breathlessness, muscle weakness, balance, motivation, and more.

Search for an accredited exercise physiologist by location, specialty, or name. Visit the Exercise & Sports Science Australia website: www.essa.org.au and click on ‘ESSA Search’. 

Some types of exercise that may be especially helpful for people with myeloma include:

• Resistance training or muscle strengthening exercises
• Walking
• Tai chi, qigong and balance classes
• Swimming 
• Stationary cycling

Remember to begin each exercise session with warm-up exercises, and finish with a cool-down and stretching.

I’ve been working with an exercise physiologist to improve my strength and balance. It’s been really empowering to feel my body respond to the training and my strength improve — and I have more energy after my exercise sessions.

– Mia, Northern Territory

Are there any exercises or sports I should avoid?

There are some exercises and sports that may place unnecessary stress on your bones and joints, or increase the risk of fracture or injury, especially if you have myeloma bone disease. 

It is usually best to avoid:

• high impact exercises and contact sports, such as football, rugby, netball, and squash
• activities with a high risk of falls, such as ice skating, roller skating or skiing
• lifting weights without the guidance of an EP or physio.
• depending on the location and extent of any bone lesions, playing golf may also need some special consideration because of the extreme rotating motion of the golf swing.

I’ve always been very active and was worried that my myeloma diagnosis would severely limit what I could still do. I may not be able to do everything I used to, but with the help of my exercise physiologist, I’ve been able to make small changes to the sports and exercise I love so I can stay active and social.

– Simon, South Australia

Are there any other considerations for exercise in myeloma? 

There are some extra things you should consider to help make exercise as safe as possible when you have myeloma. 

• Pain: Stop exercising and see your doctor if you experience any new or worsening pain with exercise. 
• Low blood counts: If you have low blood cell counts, check with your treating team to find out if the type of exercise you’d like to do might put you at risk of infections or bleeding.
• Peripheral neuropathy: Can cause symptoms including pain, numbness, and burning or tingling in your hands and feet and can also affect balance, and cause dizziness. Take extra care with exercise if you have symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, and ask your EP or physio how you can modify exercises to make them safer. 
• Blood pressure: If you have a history of heart problems, and you have a home monitor, you can check your blood pressure before starting a higher intensity exercise session and spend longer on your warm-up and cool-down. If you start feeling dizzy or nauseous, stop to rest.

How often and how much should I exercise?

It’s ideal to exercise on as many days of the week as possible.

Start with a small amount of exercise when you’re feeling at your best or most energetic. Increase your amount of exercise a little each time, and aim to build up to at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on most days, increasing to vigorous exercise if you’re able.

Aim to build this up to meeting the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia’s exercise guidelines: – at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic exercise each week, and two or three resistance training exercise sessions each week.

Remember that ‘something is better than nothing’ and ‘more is better than less’ when it comes to physical activity. Your EP, physio or treating team can provide you with more specific advice about the ideal amount and intensity of exercise for you.

I joined a walking group and was interested to find that many of the members have various different health challenges — so I definitely didn’t feel alone. The group really helps me to be accountable and turn up every week to walk — and we always have so much to chat about!

-Aki, Tasmania