Work

Effects of a multimodal physical therapy approach on breast cancer-related lymphedema: a retrospective pre-post study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Despite the availability of numerous lymphedema treatments, integrating physical therapy for breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) management has limited evidence. The objective is to evaluate the effect of a multimodal physical therapy approach in reducing upper limb (UL) lymphedema and improving shoulder range of motion (ROM) in women with BCRL. A retrospective study was conducted with 19 women diagnosed with BCRL. UL circumference and shoulder ROM were assessed before and after four weeks of therapy and showed significant improvement (p < 0.05). The mean difference between baseline and 4-week intervention was 2.11 cm for UL circumference (95% CI: 1.54, 2.68; Cohen’s d = 1.35), 46.31o for shoulder flexion (95% CI -57.5, -35.1; Cohen’s d = 1.68), 10o for shoulder extension (95% CI -13.4, -6.59; Cohen’s d = 1.74), 47.36o for shoulder abduction (95% CI -60.35, -34.38; Cohen’s d = 1.67), 18.94o for shoulder internal rotation (95% CI -24.4, -13.4; Cohen’s d = 1.37) and 16.05o for shoulder external rotation (95% CI -20.03, -12.07; Cohen’s d = 1.51). Women with BCRL showed significant improvements in lymphedema and shoulder mobility following four weeks of therapy. Further, robust randomised clinical trials are required to substantiate these findings in Indian women.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-27786-0

Authors: Divya varshini R, Mahalakshmi Venugopalan, Ashokan Arumugam, Filippo Migliorini, Nicola Maffulli, Rajkumar Kottayasamy Seenivasagam