Safe Exercise Tips for Multiple Myeloma Patients | Myeloma in a Minute or Less (https://www.myeloma.org/videos/safe-exercise-tips-multiple-myeloma-patients-myeloma-minute-or-less)
How Can You Safely Exercise While Living with Multiple Myeloma?
Join Dr. Joseph Mikhael, Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, as he explains the importance of staying active, the safest types of exercises, and what to avoid.
Exercise is essential for healthy living, even with a myeloma diagnosis. Walking and swimming are great options for most patients, but activities that put strain on the spine, such as heavy lifting, should be approached carefully. Always consult your healthcare team to find the right routine for you.
For more guidance or if you have questions about myeloma, visit us at myeloma.org, email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]), or call the IMF InfoLine at 1-818-487-7455.
How can people safely exercise while living with multiple myeloma? Hi, everybody. Doctor Joseph Mikhael here, Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, and I'm going to talk to you about exercise in multiple myeloma in less than a minute. I want to start my answer by saying exercise is good. We were built to move and to exercise, and even with the diagnosis of multiple myeloma, for the vast majority of our patients, there is a way to exercise. It's important to consult with your healthcare team to go over the details, but it is important to recognize that this is part of the healing process and part of healthy living with multiple myeloma.
We encourage our patients to be in motion, especially walking and swimming in particular, are very good activities for the vast majority of patients. Furthermore, we want to be careful of those exercises that can put a lot of strain and stress on the spine, like heavy lifting or very heavy jumping. Again, this can be discussed with your healthcare team, but we want to encourage people to be exercising because that will absolutely contribute to their quality of life and indeed their quantity of life. For more information or if you have personal questions about multiple myeloma for you or a loved one, please reach out to us at myeloma.org.
Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, FASCO
International Myeloma Foundation Medical Advisor
TGen, City of Hope Cancer Center—Phoenix, AZ, USA
Dr Mikhael is a Professor in the Clinical Genomics and Therapeutics Division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope Cancer Center. He is also the Director of Myeloma research at the HonorHealth Research Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr Mikhael specializes clinically in plasma cell disorders, namely multiple myeloma, amyloidosis, and Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. He is the PI of many clinical trials, primarily in relapsed multiple myeloma, and his other clinical research interests include pharmaco-economics, communication skills, and media relations.
Dr. Mikhael recently served as the Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) from 2018 to 2026 – he now serves as Medical Advisor to the IMF to provide guidance and strategic input in areas such as patient education, health disparities, collaboration with partners, international research, and publications.
Dr Mikhael has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles in these fields and lectures internationally on a regular basis. Dr. Mikhael is deeply committed to health disparities in myeloma and is the chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council at TGen. Dr. Mikhael is heavily involved in training future researchers and mentors junior faculty worldwide. Dr. Mikhael is an active member of the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) and recently led the ASCO guidelines in myeloma. Dr. Mikhael also serves as the Treasurer on the executive of the American Society of Hematology.
Dr. Mikhael did his medical training in Canada, including a fellowship in Multiple Myeloma at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. He also obtained his master’s degree in education from the University of Toronto. He then worked at the Mayo Clinic Arizona as a Hematologist from 2008-2018.