How Physical Therapy Can Help Breast Cancer Treatment

Physical therapy plays a vital role in helping people through the breast cancer treatment process. In the early stages, before any cancer treatments have been performed, you should meet with a physical therapist (PT), who should also be a lymphedema specialist. The physical therapist can provide education about preventing and treating lymphedema (protein-rich swelling), managing pain, and optimizing shoulder function through the treatment process.

Baseline Measurements

Often, cancer treatments can cause lymphedema, an abnormal accumulation of protein-rich fluid in the body. For breast cancer patients, lymphedema is usually located in the limb or upper body of the side of the cancer. That's why it's important for the physical therapist to gather baseline volume measurements of the arms before breast cancer treatment begins.

Once a person acquires lymphedema, s/he must manage it for life. If it is not managed, the arm can gradually grow so large that it cannot fit in normal sized clothes. Recent research has found that if lymphedema is diagnosed and treated in its early stages, steps can be taken to eliminate it completely. Having pre-treatment baseline measurements greatly help in obtaining an early diagnosis. If a person does not get the measurements before cancer treatment, the measurements should still be taken as soon as possible, before symptoms arise.

Pain Control

Physical therapy can also help with pain control. The cancer treatment, surgery and breast reconstruction processes can leave a person with pain from the stresses to soft tissue. Physical therapy can reduce this pain with manual/massage techniques, gentle exercises and stretching.

Finally, physical therapy helps with shoulder function. After surgery, radiotherapy and/or during breast reconstruction, a person's upper body function can be quite limited because of pain, tightness and fear. Physical therapy will help a person through appropriate exercises and stretching, to safely regain full shoulder range of motion and strength.

Learn More

Southwest's Lymphedema Specialty Clinic
Joyce Masters, PT/CLT
360.514.2048
Email: jmasters@swmedicalcenter.org

Contact Us

Kearney Breast Center
200 NE Mother Joseph Place, Suite 420
Vancouver, WA 98665

360.514.6161 (Breast Center main number)
360.514.6164 (Nurse Navigator)
360.891.2642 (Radiologists)
360.213.9955 or 503.808.9803 (Southwest Medical Group Surgical Specialists)
360.989.3494 (Southwest Medical Group Plastic Surgery)

Published in Southwest Health, May/June 2009