more than 100,000 women American women get some type of mastectomy as part of their surgical treatment for breast cancer each year, which is the most common type of cancer among women in the country. If you or someone you know falls into this category, you may be considering how exercise might help you heal after a mastectomy. (Learn more: 11 Breast Cancer Signs Everyone Should Be Aware Of)
The physical therapist Dani Luna, D.P.T., and celebrity trainer Beth Nicely collaborated to develop an exercise program for those recovering from mastectomy surgery on her fitness website, The Limit . Anyone who wants to test out the 12-week program can now do so for free online.
According to the American Cancer Society. , a mastectomy is a breast cancer procedure that involves removing the breast. Recovery times vary depending on the specific procedures carried out and whether or not the breast or breasts were rebuilt. While it might only take some patients four weeks to resume their regular activities, others can need several months to recover their full level of activity. According to Nicely, The Limit’s program is suitable for patients during their whole recuperation after lumpectomies and other breast procedures, such as mastectomy surgery.
According to Nicely, a New York City-based NASM-certified personal trainer, corrective exercise specialist, and certified pre/postnatal specialist, she has experience working with cancer patients who have undergone mastectomies. She frequently enjoys learning new ways to support her patients while they heal from an illness or medical treatment. Nicely was only able to locate online advice during the first six weeks after surgery when she searched for advice for women who had recently undergone a mastectomy. There were no suggestions on what to do next.
To make a better resource, Nicely and Luna started off. The program will continue to be accessible for the foreseeable future on The Limit’s website because “we wanted it to be accessible to everyone,” adds Nicely. For a 12-week period, users can watch the series for free by entering the code “SURVIVOR.”
Regardless of an individual’s prior level of fitness, the course is intended for all levels and can be started between three and seven days after surgery. Each session lasts 12 weeks and focuses on physical activities that will strengthen the body, boost blood flow, and enhance range of motion. In the films, Nicely is shown working out with four breast cancer sufferers who have all undergone mastectomies.
According to Nicely, the exercises build up to a full 30-minute class and work up to holding a plank. The method also accounts for various reconstructive components, post-surgical drainage, implant location, and other considerations in addition to paying particular attention to the wide variations in surgical experiences.
According to Tara Sanft, M.D. , assistant professor of medicine (medical oncology) at the Yale Cancer Center and leader of studies on how exercise affects cancer treatment and results, “Any activity after cancer can be useful.” It can aid in recovery from surgery as well as the aftereffects of surgery. She says that exercise can boost energy levels, reduce anxiety, and improve sleep quality.
Other specialists concur. According to Scott Capozza , P.T., M.S.P.T., a board-certified specialist in oncologic physical therapy who works for Yale New Haven Hospital and Smilow Cancer Hospital, “it’s actually crucial to be able to exercise after mastectomy surgery, as long as those exercises and those stretches are prescribed by someone who has experience working with people who have had mastectomy surgery.” He continues, “You don’t want to do too much too fast, but you also don’t want to be totally paralyzed.”
Breast surgery recovery times vary from person to person, as they do with many other treatments. According to Capozza, “If someone undergoes an lumpectomy {a breast-conserving surgery}, they will be able to return to exercise faster.” But it will take longer for someone to heal if they have a bilateral mastectomy with an most common type of cancer 0.
Dr. Sanft emphasizes that patients should speak with their care team and surgeon when deciding on actions to take during recovery and stresses that it’s crucial to begin exercising safely in the first place. She suggests that the best course of action is to inform your healthcare team about this “exercise program” and explain that you have been considering it and want to make sure that everyone in the team supports it.
Nicely and Capozza agree with this statement. In a press release for her program, Nicely advises, “Make sure you obtain authorization from your physician prior to physical activity.”
The Limit’s 12-week recovery program would be worth looking into if you or someone you know is searching for a post-mastectomy workout regimen (with a doctor’s consent, of course).
