Mastectomy is an operation in which part or all of the breast is removed. This surgery is performed when breast cancer is found. With a simple mastectomy, only the mammary gland (or part of it) is removed, with a modified radical mastectomy, the lymph nodes that are located in the armpit, as well as the pectoralis minor, are removed, with a radical mastectomy, surgeons remove all the lymph nodes and two pectoral muscles: large and small.
Post-operative time
After a mastectomy, severe pain disappears on the third postoperative day. Doctors prescribe painkillers. During the recovery period, experts recommend not to lift weights, all hand movements should be smooth.
The rehabilitation period for a quick recovery begins immediately after a mastectomy. This is due to the fact that the patient loses lymph nodes and muscle tissue during surgery, which means that it is necessary to restore the process of arm movement. At firsta woman feels stiffness of the muscles, pain, passing from the hand into the neck and part of the back. Specialists have developed special therapeutic exercises for the hand after a mastectomy. Patients are also prescribed swimming to develop arm mobility. Weights should be introduced carefully and gradually. On the affected arm, you can not measure pressure, do vaccinations.
Exercise after breast mastectomy
Gymnastics is needed to develop the correct posture, to be able to properly adjust your breathing. All exercises must be done regularly, then the patient will quickly restore the mobility of the hands.
Warming up the muscles
Before starting exercises as a gymnastics after a mastectomy, it is necessary to warm up the muscles. To begin, sit down and alternately clench your hands into a fist, perform 6 times. After raising your arms up and turn your palms to the ceiling, repeat 5 times. Put your hands on your shoulders, raise your elbows up and down, repeat 5 times. Stretch your arms to the side, then raise up and lower, performed 6 times.
Workout
Exercises included in gymnastics after breast mastectomy:
- You need to stand straight, relax your back and alternately raise and lower both shoulders.
- Now the shoulders should be lifted up and pulled back, figuratively drawing a circle.
- You need to sit down. Spread your legs wide at a 90-degree angle, so that the knee is directly above the foot. Feet should not be torn off the floor. Now the body of the body must be straightened, the chin raised, the eyes lookstraight ahead.
- This exercise to restore posture. Take the shoulder blades back and lower down. During the task, you need to touch each other's fingers with your fingers.
- Then raise the shoulder blades and rotate them forward, keeping the arms loose.
- Raise your arms horizontally to the floor so that they are in a straight line with your shoulder and begin the rotation. We lower our hands to rest.
- From a sitting position, keep the body straight, tie your hands into a “lock” and lean forward, try to tilt your head between your legs, towards the floor.
- Then raise your arms and head with the body at the same time lift up.
- Standing put your hand on your hip and clench it into a fist, in this position turn your wrist up. Exercise to perform on both hands.
- Then touch the opposite ear with your fist.
- Do breathing exercises during the break. Deep breaths in and out.
- Raise your hands up and clench your hands into a fist 10 times.
- Try slow boxing. No sudden movements.
- Pick up a towel and straighten your arms in a horizontal position. Gently start raising your arms with the towel above your head.
- Carefully try to row. The exercise is performed smoothly, without sudden movements.
- Repeat breathing technique.
When doing exercises for the first time, it is better to do them in front of a mirror or in the presence of a specialist in order to immediately see the mistakes made. You should be patient in doing these exercises and understand that the faster the recovery is, the closer the return to normal life.
Gymnastics for the hands after a mastectomy should be started immediately in the postoperative period, initially perform 10-12 exercises, increasing their number every day.
The recovery phase helps tissue heal in a quick period of time and prevents the development of complications. If the doctor's recommendations are ignored, the patient, which includes gymnastics after a mastectomy, may develop depression, poor posture, shoulder pain radiating to the arm and neck, which are made up of improper load distribution.
Fixing the result
After the fifth week after the operation, with the permission of the attending physician, it is worth introducing loads from 0.5 kg to 1 kg. It is not necessary to buy dumbbells, you can get by with a regular plastic bottle filled with water or sand.
When the sixth week of gymnastics after a mastectomy is over, it is necessary to increase the load to 2.5-5 kg.
To begin with, it is better to do simple exercises with loads. Stand straight, stretch your arms horizontally and lower down. Then stretch the arms with the load (the palm looks at the ceiling) to the sides and, bending the arm at the elbow, touch the shoulder. Such repetitions should be done about 10 times. It is recommended to do it twice a week.
From the beginning of the sixth week, you can start doing household chores, but remember that all movements should be smooth, not abrupt.
Massage
As an addition to gymnastics after a mastectomy one month after the operation, whenthe sensitivity of the scar will subside, you should begin to do a light massage on your own. To soften the scar tissue, you need to make circular movements along the scar with your fingertips. The operation site should be massaged daily for a year to avoid muscle stagnation.
Lymphostasis
If neglected to perform therapeutic exercises after a mastectomy, a woman can develop lymphatic edema of the arm. It must be remembered that after removal of the lymph nodes, the hand must be protected from injuries, bruises, scratches and, as mentioned above, weight lifting. Otherwise, there is a huge risk of earning a complication - erysipelas. Such an infection of the skin contributes to the appearance of redness, provokes the development of fever, develops an increase in swelling of the hand. Erysipelatous inflammation is dangerous because it will appear again and again if you do not approach the treatment of this disease responsibly.
Lymphostasis (lymph stagnation) may appear in an operated patient a day, a month or a year after the operation. It manifests itself as a large swelling of the hand. It is necessary to initially contact an oncologist to exclude a recurrence of the disease. After that, you need to make an appointment with a lymphologist. You should not delay contacting a doctor, since at the initial stage the swelling is small, not so dense, and it will be removed much faster, preventing the formation of a skin infection. After the doctor examines the swelling of the arm and receives the test results, he prescribes non-drug treatment. The patient is bandaged with a limb, andcourse of manual massage, lymphatic drainage, magnetotherapy, laser therapy. When the edema begins to go down, the patient is selected for compression stockings from a special tight knit. If, after receiving the test results, the specialist notices that an inflammatory process has begun in the tissues, he prescribes antibiotics and drugs that can reduce swelling and improve blood flow (angioprotectors: Troxerutin, Troxevasin; enzymes; immunomodulators: Likopid, tincture eleutherococcus; phlebotonics)
As a preventive measure, after the edema is completely removed, the doctor prescribes special exercises for hand lymphostasis after mastectomy.
Gymnastics for lymphostasis
This complex is recommended to be performed slowly, without sudden movements, 6 sets of 7 times:
- You need to sit up straight, straighten the body, put your hands on your feet and alternately turn them over with your palms up. Relax your hands at this moment.
- Bring your hands back behind your back and secure them in a “lock”. Gently raise your hands to the shoulder blades.
- Sit down, put your hands on your feet, the body is straightened, alternately clench and unclench your fists.
- Then raise both hands horizontally in front of you, hands should draw a straight line, then gently raise your hands up. Breathing should be even and not confused.
- You should sit down and put your hands on your shoulders, start to perform circular movements with your shoulders.
- It is necessary to stand up straight, lower the body horizontally to the legs, each hand alternately swing forward, then back, left, right. The arms should be completely relaxed.
- From a standing position, you should raise your hand up, then lower it to the side and then down. Perform alternately for each hand. Don't forget to watch your breath.
Conclusion
Fulfilling all the doctor's prescriptions, not forgetting about the development of hands during the rehabilitation period and maintaining a normal psychological state, you can achieve success and a speedy recovery. Experts advise supporting a woman who has experienced a mastectomy. To be with her before and after the operation. Observe her behavior and condition. After all, a very important role is played by how the patient herself is set up for her recovery.
