Breast cancer rehabilitation

Breast cancer rehabilitation

Breast Cancer Rehabilitation with Physiotherapy

Breast cancer is one of the common cancers pervasive in cancer patients across the world; majorly affecting females. However, increasing awareness about this disease has encouraged the development of different medical techniques & treatments that can help in early diagnosis and cure. Cancer is the type of disease, which causes cells to grow out of control in body, which takes shape of a lump or a mass that eventually spreads from organ to other parts of body posing threat to patient's life.

The breast cancer cells begin developing in the breast tissues, which include lobules that are milk production glands, ducts that connect lobules to nipple, and lymphatic tissues. The intensity of the cancer is determined on the basis of the extent to which cancer cells have spread.

Why breast cancer survivor needs physiotherapy?

Breast cancer survivor undergoes surgery and strong medications that charges upon their strength, balance and flexibility and cause difficulty in doing day-to-day activities. The repercussions on physical health post-surgery can persist up to one year and they include tightness of scars, pain in neck, and difficulty in arm & shoulder mobility.

Rehabilitation for Breast Cancer

Physiotherapy is the science of healing pains it helps the breast cancer survivors to regain the strength and flexibility. The physical therapy session begins with assessing the condition, which includes evaluating range of motion, level of pain and prescribing appropriate exercises according to fitness goal.

Therapy

• Soft tissue therapy
  Mobilisation of scar tissues is improved using soft tissue therapy that helps the patient to overcome the physical difficulties caused by surgery and reduces the tightness in scar.
• Postural Assessment
  Physiotherapist evaluates static posture alignments and prescribes required exercises to achieve balance of the body that relieves the patient from the difficulties in making movements and other physical activities.
• Lymphedema Treatment
  Physical therapy provided to breast cancer survivor includes lymphedema treatment. Lymphedema is the accumulation of fluid in limbs that causes pain and swelling, which is commonly observed post-surgery. During the session, a physiotherapist helps in draining the fluid and provides treatment with manual lymphatic drainage.
• Manual Therapy
  Graded physiotherapy techniques are used to improve loss of joint range, increase localized muscle strength and work on core stability.
• Desensitisation
  Breast Cancer Rehab specialist physiotherapists use desensitisation technique to treat the neurogenic pain that is prevalent post-surgery in breast cancer survivors.