Effects of Clinical Pilates Exercises on Patients Developing Lymphedema after Breast Cancer Treatment: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of clinical Pilates exercises with those of the standard lymphedema exercises on lymphedema developing after breast cancer treatment. Materials and Methods:The study comprised 60 female patients with a mean age of 53.2±7.7 years who developed lymphedema after having breast cancer treatment. The patients were randomized into two groups: the clinical Pilates exercise group (n=30), and the control group (n=30). Before, and at the 8th week of treatment, the following parameters were measured: the severity of lymphedema, limb circumferences, body image using the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale, quality of life with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life questionnaire (QLQ-BR23), and upper extremity function using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) outcome measure. Both groups performed one-hour exercises three days a week for 8 weeks.Results: After treatment, the symptoms recovered significantly in both groups. Reductions in the severity of lymphedema, improvements in the social appearance anxiety scale scores, quality of life scores, and upper extremity functions scores in the clinical Pilates exercise group were greater than those in the control group. Clinical Pilates exercises were determined to be more effective on the symptoms of patients with lymphedema than were standard lymphedema exercises. Conclusions:Clinical Pilates exercises could be considered a safe model and would contribute to treatment programs.

Effect of Exercise on Breast Cancer–Related Lymphedema: What the Lymphatic Surgeon Needs to Know

“…22 Step 2: Of the 26 articles, 10 directly reported the outcome measures selected for the meta-analyses. Four studies [23][24][25][26] were utilized for absolute volume, four studies 14,24,27,28 for relative volume, and five studies 21,24,27,29,30 for the DASH (►Table 1). Statistics were assessed using standard mean difference and were analyzed using SAS software.…”

Effectiveness of individualized physical rehabilitation programs for upper extremity disorders in women with post-mastectomy syndrome

“…A great deal of research [2][3][4][5] indicates that women, who undergoing breast surgery, axillary radiotherapy, chemotherapy are more likely to have higher risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema and impaired shoulder range of motion. The importance of the problem is underlined by the presence of numerous surgical methods 2 and conservative therapies 6,9,11,12 for overcoming upper extremity disorders in breast cancer survivors.…”

“…[6][7][8] The majority of women are treated with a wide variety of methods that have steadily improved their outcomes. Many reports showed the effectiveness of acupuncture, 9 lymphatic drainage, 10 Pilates-based exercises, [11][12][13] Yoga exercises, 14,15 Nordic Walking 16 for treatment and postoperative prevention breast cancer-related lymphedema, improvement quality of life of woman.…”

Psycho-emotional state and quality of life characteristics in women with post-mastectomy syndrome with different types of attitude to the disease

“…Previous research has shown that different types of physical activity may be an effective method of attenuating the depression, anxiety, and fatigue in breast cancer survivors [21][22][23]. At the same time, it is emphasized that the rehabilitation program should be individualized for all breast cancer patients in accordance with their age, functional state, and physical activity level.…”