Cancer treatment often includes a surgery to remove the tumour and surgery to remove nearby lymph nodes, which are located in the neck. This surgery is known as a neck dissection, and can cause pain, stiffness and weakness in the neck and shoulder region. Physiotherapy can help to regain movement and strength in the neck and shoulder, as well as the donor site (if tissue has been taken from another part of the body to reconstruct the area where a tumour was removed).

Sometimes cancer treatment (or the tumour itself) can cause a person to develop a restriction in mouth opening, which is known as ‘trismus’. Physiotherapy treatment aims to reduce or prevent trismus from occurring. Treatment is tailored to each individual but can include exercises, joint mobilisations, stretches and or a special type of soft tissue release (massage).

Radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy are also forms of cancer treatment. Side effects include fatigue, weakness and also a stiffening up of the skin and muscles exposed to radiation, a process called radiation fibrosis. Radiation fibrosis is often a delayed effect and can take months or years to develop. Physiotherapy can help to regain some strength and flexibility in an area that has stiffened up, as well as address factors that can help to manage cancer-related fatigue.

One of the over-arching aims of Physiotherapy treatment is to help a person to get back to doing things they were able to do before their cancer diagnosis.

Temporomandibular disorders can be caused by an injury to the jaw (for example, trauma such as a punch to the face or dental work, where the mouth is kept open for an extended period). In most cases, however, there is no obvious initial cause to trigger the onset of symptoms.

Further investigations, such as a cone beam scan or MRI, may be necessary to determine or rule out underlying problems with the joint itself.