How to recover fast after breast cancer treatment

by | Aug 22, 2022 | Health Care Services

Breast cancer patients experience psychological distress and physical symptoms that adversely affect their quality of life. However very little emphasis is being placed to rehabilitate these cancer survivors. There is an urgent need to promote physical and psychological rehabilitation. At the end of the breast cancer treatment patient can live long and full life. Depending on the severity of disease women with breast cancer undergo various kinds of surgeries such as mastectomy and lumpectomy.
Additional surgeries for breast cancer may include:
  • Lymph nodes removal
  • Breast reconstruction
  • Surgical breast biopsy.
These surgeries can affect the movement of the arm and shoulder. Women with breast cancer often are treated with radiation also.

Excecise can be helpful after breast cancer treatment

Studies have shown that exercise (physical activity)helps to improve the quality of life after Breast cancer treatment and lowers the risk of breast cancer.

Exercise after breast cancer treatment have many benefits;

  • Manage stress and anxiety

  • It boosts energy

  • Reduce fatigue

  • Prevent weight gain

  • Improve sleep

  • Improve overall health

  • Trigger apoptosis- death of cancer cells.

Talk with your doctor :

Before starting any exercise after breast cancer treatment talk to your doctor.Do not start any physical activity without talking to your doctor if drains and stitches are yet to be removed.

Honor your body:

It is important to do exercise after Breast cancer treatment to get the arm and shoulder moving again. Do some very light movements to keep the blood flowing and lift your spirit. Walking, and yoga effectively help in producing happy hormones and lower certain hormones like insulin and estrogen that are associated with the development and progression of breast cancer.

Some easy steps help you get back in movement:
  • Making a fist
  • Elbow movement
  • Head turning and tilting
  • 90* and 180* hand raise
  • Shoulder shrug and back
  • 90* wall crawl (side and front)
  • Shoulder roll exercise
  • External arm rotation

Yoga for post-breast cancer treatment

Yoga has also been shown beneficial in reducing chemotherapy-induced side effects.

You can practice this yogasana after breast cancer treatment.

  1. Paschimottanasana
  2. Dhanurasana
  3. Chakrasana
  4. Gomukhasana
  5. Prasarita padottanasana
Physiotherapy also can be helpful after breast cancer treatment
Doctors might suggest you health professionals after breast cancer treatment. Physiotherapists are specially trained to design exercise programs during as well as after breast cancer treatment.

One single act that can determine the progress and outcome of recovery from injury or disorder:

Post breast cancer treatment women may experience;

  • Decreased strength of upper extremity
  • Decreased shoulder mobility
  • Upper extremity ache
  • Scar tightness
  • Neuropathic pain
  • Musculoskeletal pain

Physiotherapists use specific physical methods to restore the mobility, strength, and function of a bodily part. Physiotherapy is a highly specialized niche area of medical care for injuries. It has been proven to reduce post-cancer musculoskeletal disorders.

Dr.Sachin Marda recommends patients to wait upto 3-6 weeks after breast cancer treatment.

Step-by-step instructions help to improve range of motion and reduce tightness and pain of arms, shoulder, neck, and chest area.

Tips during physical therapy:

  • Breath well-helps ease pain and reduce pain

  • Be patient– don’t force muscle

  • Take a walk-improve blood flow

  • Warm up-start slowly and gradually increase movements

  • Look in the mirror– help in maintaining good posture

  • Always drink plenty of water during physical activity

Here are some physical activity needs to be done for easy and fast recovery:

  1. Lift the arms to shoulder level and hold for 5-10sec;
    1. Lift the arms upward and hold for 5-10sec;
    2. Arms on the side and hold for 5-10 sec;
    3. And finally arms on the back and hold for 5-10sec
    4. Do 15-20 sets in a day.You can split it into 3-4 sets in a one day.
  2. Stand next to the wall and take arm gradually up. – It facilitate movements of arms.In addition to this physiotherapist also suggest
  3.  Elbow wing exercise: Keep your arms back of the head and flap them like wings. This needs to be done 50-100 times a day.
  4. Exercise ball- Press a ball 400-500 times a day.

Physiotherapy also help with ;

  • Strength
  • Shortness of breath
  • Fatigue
  • Pain
  • Incontinence
  • Balance
  • Movement

Rehabilitation after Breast cancer treatment

The most important task you have is rehabilitating yourself after breast cancer treatment.
A customized programme will help to get back to your usual activities and help decrease side effects of your surgery /radiation and chemotherapy.

Rehabilitative efforts needs to be done in these areas;

  • Independence,
  • Body image,
  • Speech,
  • Confidence,
  • Sexuality,
  • Dignity,
  • Family,
  • Physical appearance,
  • Finance, etc.

Rehabilitation requires comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach

Exercise and physiotherapy strengthen the immune system and inhibit cancer growth.
It can boost quality of life during and after breast cancer treatment.

Physical therapy, Psychoeducation, social and emotional support, nutrition, complementary and complex intervention plays important role in rehabilitation of breast cancer patients.

Today’s advanced treatment and rehabilitation techniques help patients to to better cope up with cancer and treatment.
Most breast cancer survivors dont get cancer again.
Rehabilitation is particularly important as it increases survival rate of cancer patients.

As cancer care has become one of the fastest-growing healthcare imperative across the world, we believe in an early rehabilitation process. It plays an important role in preserving functions and returning the patient to her previous level of activity.  Dr.Sachin Marda and team have treated patients having breast cancer with a high success rate. Get treatment by top oncologists in Yashoda hospital. Here you’ll get complete and comprehensive solutions.  We offer the most advanced customized treatment to fight your cancer and assure you of a new beginning in life!

About Dr.Sachinmarda

"Dr. Sachin Marda is one of the best top leading award-winning renowned oncologists in Hyderabad and in India. He has 14 years of experience and treated more than 11000 patients till date. He completed his MS general surgery from Mumbai University in 2005 with a Gold medal and MCH Surgical Oncology in Gujarat University in 2009 with a First rank. He is also trained in UK with MRCS and in NCCS Singapore. He offers ethical, affordable complete cancer treatment with a holistic approach. He is specialised in all types of cancer treatment with laparoscopic, and robotic surgery. He has an extraordinary team with excellent knowledge in chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted immunotherapy. His expertees in oral, stomach, breast. uterine, lung, prostate cancer"

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