“My care is based on creating a patient-centered treatment plan in order to help them live life as close to normal or as actively as possible."
Michelle Corbin is an occupational therapist, specializing in lymphedema and oncology rehabilitation. She sees patients with many different side effects of cancer, including fatigue, muscle weakness, joint pain, decreased coordination, neuropathy and swelling. She also helps patients with hand, elbow and shoulder injuries. Additionally, Corbin has experience working with neurological disorders such as strokes and autism, and recommending home safety measures.
Corbin was drawn to this field after experiencing cancer in her family. She's especially passionate about helping patients maintain a quality of life that supports their work, their daily routines and their leisure activities.
“Many individuals feel that they just have to deal with swelling, heaviness, tightness or enlarged limbs that can come with cancer, and may not even know why this has happened to them," Corbin said. “I am very motivated in teaching these individuals how to make improvements and manage swelling, in order to live as normally and as actively as possible."
Corbin prioritizes the education piece of her care with patients, along with providing a safe place for them to ask questions throughout their rehabilitation journey.
“I feel that being a listener is very important and to focus treatment on what the patient wants," Corbin said. “Being knowledgeable about who each person is and what they have been through and are going through allows a provider to look at the whole person and ultimately provide the most successful outcome for them."
Corbin earned her bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Additionally, she's earned her lymphedema therapist certification at UW-Milwaukee and her oncology rehabilitation specialist certification at Physiological Oncology Rehabilitation Institute in Centennial, Colorado.