A mastectomy is an operation in which part or all of the mammary gland 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 located in the armpit, as well as the pectoralis minor muscle are removed, with a radical mastectomy, surgeons remove all the lymph nodes and two pectoral muscles: the major and the small ones.
Postoperative time
After a mastectomy, severe pain disappears on the third postoperative day. Doctors prescribe pain medication. In the recovery period, experts recommend not to lift weights, all hand movements should be smooth.
The rehabilitation period for quick recovery begins immediately after a mastectomy. This is due to the fact that the patient loses the lymph nodes and muscle tissue during surgery, which means that it is necessary to restore the process of arm movement. First, a woman feels tightness of muscles, painful sensations, passing from the hand to the neck and part of the back. Specialists have developed special therapeutic exercises for the arm after a mastectomy. Patients are also prescribed swimming to develop arm mobility. Gravity should be administered carefully and gradually. On the affected arm, you can not measure pressure, do vaccinations.
Gymnastics after breast mastectomy
Gymnastics need to develop good posture, be able to correctly configure your breath. All exercises must be done regularly, then the patient will quickly restore arm mobility.
Muscle warming
Before you start the exercises as gymnastics after a mastectomy is necessary to warm up the muscles. To begin with, sit down and alternately clutch your hands into a fist, perform 6 times. After raising your hands up and turn your palms to the ceiling, repeat 5 times. Put your hands on the shoulders, elbows to lift up and lower down, repeat 5 times. Extend your arms to the side, then raise and lower, performed 6 times.
Workout
Exercises that go into gymnastics after a breast mastectomy:
- It is necessary to stand upright, relax your back and alternately raise and lower both shoulders.
- Now the shoulders should be lifted up and laid back, figuratively drawing a circle.
- Need to sit down. Widely arrange legs at an angle of 90 degrees, so that the knee was evenly over the foot. Feet must not be removed from the floor. Now the body must be straightened, the chin is raised, the eyes look straight ahead.
- This exercise to restore posture. Pull the blades back and lower them down. During the assignment, you need to touch each other's fingers.
- Then raise the shoulder blades and rotate them forward, hands hold freely.
- Raise your hands horizontal to the floor, so they were a straight line from the shoulder, and the starting rotation. To relax, we lower our hands.
- From a sitting position, we keep the body straight, tie our hands in a “lock” and lean forward, try to tilt your head between your legs, to the floor.
- Then raise your hands and head with the body at the same time raise up.
- Standing put your hand on your hip and squeeze it into a fist, in this position, turn the wrist up. Exercise to perform on both hands.
- Then with your fist touch the opposite ear.
- Do breathing exercises during the break. Deep breaths.
- Raise your hands up and clench your hands 10 times.
- Try slow boxing. Without sudden movements.
- Pick up a towel and straighten your arms horizontally. Gently start raising your hands with a towel over your head.
- Gently try rowing. Exercise is performed smoothly, without sudden movements.
- Repeat breathing technique.
First time doing the exercises, it is better to do them in front of a mirror or in the presence of a specialist to immediately see the mistakes. You should be patient in performing these exercises and understand that the faster the recovery, the closer the return to normal.
Gymnastics for hands after a mastectomy should begin immediately in the postoperative period, initially perform 10-12 exercises, increasing their number every day.
The recovery phase helps tissue healing in a quick period of time and prevents the development of complications. If you ignore the doctor’s recommendations, the patient, including gymnastics after a mastectomy, may develop depression, poor posture, shoulder pain, extending to the arm and back of the head, which add up to improper load distribution.
Result fixing
At the end of the fifth week after the surgery to permit the attending physician is administered load of 0.5 kg to 1 kg. It is not necessary to buy dumbbells; you can do with a regular plastic bottle, filling it with water or sand.
When finished sixth week gymnastics after mastectomy, it is necessary to increase the load to 2.5-5 kg.
To begin with, it is better to perform simple exercises with loads. Stand straight, stretch out your arms horizontally and lower down. Then stretch out your arms with the load (palm looks at the ceiling) to the sides and, bending your arm at the elbow, touch the shoulder. Such repetitions need to be done about 10 times. Recommended to do twice a week.
At the beginning of the sixth week, you can begin to do household chores, however, remember that all movements should be smooth, not sharp.
Massage
As a supplement to gymnastics after a mastectomy, a month after the operation, when the sensitivity of the scar decreases, you should start doing a light massage on your own. To soften scar tissue, it is necessary fingertips do a circular motion on the scar. Massage the site of surgery should be daily for a year to avoid stagnation of muscles.
Lymphostasis
In case of neglect of performing therapeutic exercises after a mastectomy, a woman can achieve the development of 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 complication - erysipelas. This infection of the skin promotes the appearance of redness, provokes fever develops an increase in hand edema. Erysipelas is dangerous because it will appear again and again, if you do not approach responsibly to the treatment of this ailment.
Lymphostasis (lymph congestion) may appear in the operated patient one day, a month or a year after surgery. It manifests itself as a large swelling of the hand. It is necessary to consult an oncologist initially to rule out a relapse of the disease. After you need to make an appointment with a lymphologist. It’s not worth delaying a visit to 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 skin infections. After the doctor will examine your hands swelling and get the test results, it assigns a non-pharmacological treatment. The limb is bandaged to the patient, and a course of manual massage, lymphatic drainage, magnetotherapy, and laser therapy is performed. When the edema begins to go away, the patient is selected compression knitwear from a special tight knit. If, after receiving the results of the tests, the specialist notices that an inflammatory process has begun in the tissues, he prescribes antibiotics and medicines that can reduce swelling and improve blood flow (angioprotectors: Troxerutin, Troxevasin; enzymes; immunomodulators: Likopid, tincture eleutherococcus; phlebotonics)
As a prevention, after the edema is completely removed, the doctor prescribes special gymnastics with lymphostasis of the hand after mastectomy.
Gymnastics with lymphostasis
This complex is recommended to be performed slowly, without sudden movements, 6 approaches 7 times:
- You need to sit straight, straighten the body, put his hands to his feet and alternately turn their palms up. Hands at this moment relax.
- Put your hands 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, the hands need to draw a straight line, then gradually raise hands. Breath set uniform and not inconsistent.
- You should sit down and put your hands on your shoulders, begin to perform circular movements with your shoulders.
- It is necessary to stand upright, lower the body horizontally at your feet, swing each arm forward, then back, left, right. Hands should be completely relaxed.
- From a standing position, raise your hand up, then lower it to the side and then down. Perform alternately on each arm. Do not forget to monitor your breathing.
Conclusion
Fulfilling all the prescriptions of the doctor, 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. Be near her before and after surgery. Observe her behavior and condition. After all, a very important role is played by how the patient herself is set up for her recovery.