Exercise Shortly After Surgery Improves Arm & Shoulder Mobility

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Exercise Shortly After Breast Cancer Surgery Improves Arm and Shoulder Mobility
November 17, 2021
Women at high risk of arm and shoulder problems who started a physical therapist–led exercise program about a week after breast cancer surgery with no reconstruction had better upper arm mobility than women who received standard care. Read more...

FrackingHateCancerMPBC

Thank you!

I believe it! Thanks for posting on this! It took me two YEARS to get into Physical Therapy (PT). I mean covid might have added to the delay but who knows. It was never suggested. Not until I was in there all the time with pain, then finally. It's crazy. Physical therapy should start immediately. My breast arm and leg pain. Leg because of neuropathy, the breast is lymphodema mostly, and the arm is a combo deal with a lot of falling asleep of the muscle groups too. Physical therapy over ZOOM had improved my life SO much over the last 6 months. It's sad to think I didn't have to go through 2 years of pain. I mean it's not like you cant start now. Because I am going full steam on it (which for me just means doing some arm curls once or twice a day with five-pound weights, some walking, and some stretching.)

All of this has also improved the ASTHMA that I think I got because I wasn't moving my arms and chest as much as I had before for fear of pain. And possibly radiation or just ya know cancer and age. I'm 50 today.

Here's a quick Tai chi YOUTUBE study UCLA link for insomnia relief too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-nNPJb73P0

UCLA breast cancer insomnia relief tai chi

and ALSO.....you could do like me and just get some 5 lb weights and a stretchy band, opr just the weights, and do it yourself if you don't have access to a PT on ZOOM! I mean worst that can happen is you lose some stitches if you still have some? Then they put them back stronger. Ok, check with your doctor first. But you can do little curls with your forearms only arms pinned to your side while waiting for stitches to come out or whatever. If it saves you pain and pain meds......which it does for me...the pain...I don't do pain meds just ibuprofen and Tylenol...but the pain is mostly gone or I mean just a lot less. For normies, there's still daily regular pain that sucks, but for breast cancer patients for whom pain is just an old friend reminding us we're still alive and kicking cause we can take a licking, it's basically gone.! Like so much better! And the numbness is mostly gone, etc. AND...I have something I can do about it. That's proactive. More curls! Curls Breast Cancer girls! And boys, and nonbinary whoever! needs it! My arms arent looking half bad either. My arms might look better than they have ever looked in my life and I'm 50 and I have breast cancer. If I could shake my covid tan (the wan never travels for fun anymore, and stays home far too much due to global pandemic non-tan)

So this is absolutely a great post I believe it ....but I want to add, you can start right now and have the same results. The boat hasn't been missed, it's just a bummer you had to go so long without a boat! This is one hundred percent based on my own experience, strength, and hope, and was reaffirmed anecdotally by my PT who works with breast cancer patients almost exclusively!

Happy Holidays my people! Thank you! Now I'm just trying to cheer up the frowny face tone-detector in the lower corner. What did I say tone detector? I'm probably the only one who cares about that little emoticon meter in the corner.

-Frak out

flatbarbie

How long do I need to wait to do exercise In my second week after mastectomy with no reconstruction.

MinusTwo

FlatBarbi - every doc is different so you really need to check with your surgeon(s). YOu don't want to pop internal stitches. My doc gave me printed pages of exercises with rules when I could start & when to go to the next level.

msphil

Hell I had reconstruction after mastectomy but my body rejection the implant extender as a foreign object was rush to hospital by fiance now husband. Had high fever and it hardened was taken into surgery to remove it. About 2wks after surgery went to physical therapy to use my arm and shoulder walked my hand up n down wall and other therapy it worked after wks. Praise God I am a long time survivor 28 yrs this yr also your 28 wedding anniversary.msphil idc stage2 0/3 nodes 3 mo chemo before n after Lmast then got married and 7wks rads and 5 yrs on tamoxifen had adriamycin cytoxin and 5 Fu. Hang in there.