The Importance of Physiotherapy after Breast Surgery
If you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, you’re probably going to have to undergo surgery of some sort and radiation therapy after that. The surgery may involve the complete removal of your breasts, removal of your lymph nodes, a biopsy of the breasts, biopsy of the lymph nodes, breast reconstruction, or breast conservation – whatever it is, physiotherapy is the best post-surgery treatment there is to help you get back on your feet and return to normal life as soon as possible.
Therapy and rehabilitation exercises come in useful especially for those who’ve had their lymph nodes removed and are unable to move their arms and shoulders without some form of difficulty and pain. Besides this, physiotherapy after breast surgery is extremely beneficial because:
• It helps you get back to your normal routine as soon as possible after the surgery.
• It facilitates easy shoulder and arm movement.
• It helps decrease the side effects that arise because of the surgery.
• It improves flexibility in your arm and shoulders after you’ve had radiation therapy.
• It helps pump out excess lymph fluid from your arms.
• It helps decrease swelling after surgery.
• It improves mobility.
• It builds strength in your hands and arms.
• It reduces pain.
• It helps relieve stiffness.
• It improves blood circulation.
• It helps expedite the healing process.
• It improves the general quality of life after surgery.
A good physiotherapy program is one that’s tailored to suit your body and the kind of surgery you’ve had. It must be designed with the help of a qualified therapist and the surgeon who operated on you. The routine may vary as time goes by – initial exercises are usually designed to improve your range of motion while the ones that come later are meant to build your strength.
It’s important that you religiously adhere to your therapy routine if you want to get back to the kind of life you led before the surgery at the earliest. Exercise safely, at least twice a day, and stop if you experience pain and talk to your doctor before continuing. You can start out slowly and increase your pace as you feel your strength returning. Remember, the surgeon’s part in curing your disease ends the moment the surgery is over, and your part begins soon after; it’s up to you to keep going with your exercises, for up to a year or two if you’ve had radiation, if you want to live a normal life.
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This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of nursing careplans. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com or visit her site at RNCentral.com