How to exercise after breast cancer surgery

Rehabilitation training is very important for patients who have undergone breast cancer surgery, but it is very important to provide post-operative care for breast cancer. What aspects of life should be taken seriously? What exercises are better for patients who have undergone breast cancer surgery to do rehabilitation training?

The specific methods of rehabilitation exercises after breast cancer surgery are:

1) Ball throwing exercise: throw the elastic ball with the affected hand, then catch it with a rubber band, repeat several times. This is especially suitable for patients with limited forward flexion function.

2) Hair combing exercise: Use the healthy and affected hands to comb your hair alternately, repeatedly. Keep your head in a neutral position during the exercise, and do not tilt or turn it left or right. This exercise is especially suitable for patients with limited adduction and abduction functions. It is also suitable for patients with limited lifting functions.

3) Pendulum exercise: Stand upright, stretch your arms outward, then adduct and cross them, repeat several times, like a pendulum movement; or stand upright and lean forward, swing your arms back and forth, left and right, with the swing slightly wider than the shoulders. This is especially suitable for patients with limited adduction and abduction functions, and is also helpful for patients with limited extension functions.

4) Shoulder shrug exercise: The patient shrugs his shoulders and moves his shoulders in a circle, repeatedly. This helps to relax the muscles in the shoulder joint.

5) Wall climbing gymnastics: Use the healthy hand to reach up along the wall to the highest point, and use this as the goal to exercise the affected limb. First, face the wall, start climbing up along the wall with both hands from the shoulders, and gradually increase the touch point of the affected upper limb; then turn sideways to the wall, perpendicular to the wall, and start climbing up along the wall with the affected upper limb from the shoulder, and gradually increase the touch point of the affected upper limb. Note that you should stay for a while after climbing to the highest point to fully separate the adhesion of the soft tissue, and then slowly climb down from the highest point to avoid the severe pain when quickly lowering. When climbing the wall sideways, keep your body straight and do not turn your upper body. It is especially suitable for patients with limited flexion and abduction functions. It is also suitable for patients with limited lifting function.

6) Windmill exercise: stretch both upper limbs as far as possible to the sides, and repeatedly use the whole arm to drive the palm to turn up and down; or first abduct both upper arms, then bend the upper arm on the healthy side in front of the chest, abduct the affected arm, turn the waist toward the affected side, return to abducting both upper arms, then place the affected upper arm in front of the chest, abduct the healthy arm, turn the waist toward the healthy side, and repeat alternately. Suitable for patients with limited adduction, abduction, and extension functions.

7) Rope pulling exercise: Place a rope on a clothesline or door rail, hold both ends of the rope with both hands, and pull the rope with the healthy hand to stretch the shoulder joint on the affected side. This is especially suitable for patients with limited abduction function. It is also suitable for patients with limited lifting function.

8) Back washing exercise: Place an elastic band or towel on the back, hold the two ends of the elastic band or towel with both hands, with the healthy hand on top and the affected hand on the bottom, and use the healthy hand to pull the elastic band or towel to stretch the shoulder joint of the affected upper limb. It is especially suitable for patients with back extension dysfunction.

The above actions are intended to prevent and treat dysfunction of the affected shoulder joint, loosen adhesions, promote blood circulation in the affected upper limb and shoulder, and prevent edema. Perform for 20 minutes each time, 4 to 5 times a day. If the dysfunction is obvious, focus on the corresponding training.