As with any period of recovery from illness, injury or surgery, exercise enhances your ability to heal following breast cancer treatment. Strengthening the body and increasing your endurance are essential to returning to normal activities and routines, and exercise programs created in consort with your doctor are the ticket to recovery.
Function and Benefits of Exercise
If you suffer breast cancer and undergo surgery to remove cancerous lumps -- or in some cases the entire breast -- exercise acclimates you back into everyday activities. Women suffering from breast cancer often undergo a procedure known as a mastectomy -- the removal of a cancer-infected breast. Regularly using arm and chest muscles following such a procedure keeps your joints from stiffening, stretches and softens any scar tissue and promotes blood flow to the surgical site, inducing swift healing, according to women's health website Imaginis. The American Cancer Society notes radiation therapy often affects your arm and shoulder nearest to the treatment site for up to nine months, causing potential stiffness. Exercise alleviates this stiffness. Cardiovascular exercises -- including walking and cycling -- help build endurance and contribute to recovery following surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
Consulting Your Doctor
In an article for CBS MoneyWatch.com, occupational therapist Naomi Aaronson stresses the importance of receiving a medical screening from a doctor prior to undertaking any rehabilitation exercise programs. Doctors evaluate your readiness for exercise and often refer breast cancer patients to physical or occupational therapists, according to the ACS. Such supervised therapeutic exercise becomes necessary if you lack full use of your affected arm three to four weeks following breast cancer surgery, the ACS notes.
Types of Exercise
Typical exercises following breast cancer surgery start out basic and ramp up to more challenging, strength-building endeavors. Within a week after surgery, doctors or therapists often ask that you use your affected arm as much as possible for everyday tasks, such as brushing your hair or teeth and dressing, states the ACS. Lying on your back or side with your affected arm elevated on a pillow for 45 minute intervals, two to three times per day, is another common exercise early in the rehabilitation process. Aaronson also notes the importance of range-of-motion exercise within 48 hours of surgery. These include flexing your forearm, hand and elbow. Within three weeks, patients often move on to more advanced shoulder stretches and exercises.
Post-Operative Effects and Other Considerations
Tight feelings in your chest or armpit area are normal following breast cancer surgery, and the feeling should diminish with exercise, according to the ACS. Soreness, burning and tingling also often follow surgery because of nerve irritation, and the sensations sometimes heighten a few weeks following your surgical procedure. Again, continued exercise shortens the window on this discomfort, states the ACS.
Long-term Benefits Beyond Treatment
Maintaining a regular exercise regimen beyond your cancer treatment diminishes the likelihood of contracting other diseases in the future, according to Cancer Supportive Care Programs. Some of the drugs associated with cancer treatment carry potential toxic side effects that affect your heart and other organs. Exercise and a healthy diet post-treatment keeps the heart muscle strong and better able to fend off adverse side effects.
References
- American Cancer Society: Exercises After Breast Surgery
- Imaginis: Exercising After Mastectomy and Lymph Node Removal
- CBS MoneyWatch.com: Survival of the Fittest - exercise for breast cancer survivors
- American Cancer Society: The importance of finding breast cancer early
- Cancer Supportive Care Programs: Late and Long-term Effects of Cancer and Its Therapy
