The effect of upper body exercise on secondary lymphedema following breast cancer treatment

• Main Author: Kalda, Andrea Leigh
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/9169

The effect of upper-body aerobic exercise on lymphedema secondary to breast cancer treatment was examined in 14 subjects. Subjects were assigned to either an Exercise group (n=7) or a Control group (n=7). Before subject recruitment, groups were created by selecting a subject number and a group out of two separate containers. As subjects were recruited, they were sequentially assigned a number, and thereby a group. One subject was allowed to enroll as a control subject instead of in the assigned exercise group for geographical reasons. All subjects were assessed over an eight week period, during which the exercise subjects followed an upper body exercise program including but not limited to a Monark Rehab Trainer arm ergometer. Control subjects maintained their lifestyle as before the study. Lymphedema was assessed by arm circumference measurements as well as arm volume measurements by water displacement. The Medical Outcomes Trust Short-Form 36 Survey was used to measure quality of life before and after the intervention. Significance was set at α < .01. No changes were found in arm circumference or arm volume as a result of the exercise program. Three of the quality of life domains showed trends towards increases in the exercise group, although findings were not statistically significant: physical functioning (p=050), general health (p=048), and vitality (p= .023). Mental health increased, although not significantly, for all subjects (p=.019). Arm volume measured by water displacement was correlated with calculated arm volume (r=.973, p<001), although the exercise and control group means were significantly different (t=-24.19, p<001). Arm volume does not appear to increase in women with lymphedema following breast cancer due to participation in an upper-body aerobic exercise program, and they may experience an increase in quality of life. This suggests that further studies should be done in this area to determine the optimum training program.