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au0rei's avatar
au0rei
Member
9 years ago

Physiotherapist, Stretches After Mastectomy

Hi all,

I am starting three weeks of radiotherapy at The Alfred on Monday.

Thanks to a few ladies here, I am seeing a physiotherapist and also another one who specializes in mastectomy rehabilitation.  I am finding seeing them helpful. I had my surgery mid Dec but I still find the site tight and numb at times. I have not really been doing stretches much as I did not like any discomfort associated with my surgery site. But after my radiation oncologist told me it is really important to do so, plus the ladies here sharing, I saw the physio.

The physio told me I am quite tight while the one who specializes in lymphedema saw that I had some cording and helped massaged it. But she said I was not at risk of developing lymphedema, but really need to do more stretching to help prevent cording. So I will continue to see the normal physio.

Seeing the physios really helped me as they taught me stretches I can use. And radiation can make the area tighter and have scarring too. So keeping up with the stretches will be ideal.

I am just wanting to share this to all of you. :)

P S : I can't add more tags that possibly can benefit more ladies searching the web/site I am not sure why. I want to add tags like physiotherapy, physiotherapist, stretches etc but I could not. This site should allow that so it's easier for people to search and benefit. Or is there something I am not doing right? :smiley:

4 Replies

  • The BCNA DVD which has exercises post-mastectomy is excellent. I also went back to Pilates one month post op and the stretches got my range of motion back v quickly. 
  • @au0rei thank you for sharing your experiences! 
    It's very important to do stretches and exercises post surgery. I developed cording from the incision down to my bra line post lumpectomy late December last year. The breast nurse taught me to massage it with bio oil, while waiting for physiotherapist appointment. I also went back to gym and taking yoga, Pilates and body balance classes. By the time I had an appointment with a physiotherapist, the cording was disappeared. 

    I am going for double mastectomy and reconstruction next Friday. i will definitely follow the instructions of physiotherapist and listen to my body. 

    Good luck with your radiotherapy for the next 3 weeks! 

    Xxx 
  • I had cording as well. Over time it just went away, probably with my exercises. It felt really awful at the time and I wondered what the heck but it came good. My tightness is along the tendon for the arm, the front top one. Its taken a year to grow a little bit of the pectoral muscle back.
  • @au0rei 7 weeks post my Mastectomy/Diep Flap reconstruction, I was back at my Exercise Physiologist and she had me gently back into working the arm, I do them all daily and eventhough a little sore and tight not like it was. I think a mechanism we have is to support and protect our arm after a surgery like that, but the opposite is actually needed, to exercise it. Its really important and yes the radiotherapy will tighten it more, so definitely do them daily. Hugs Melinda xo