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This information was developed with assistance from the Oncology Section of the American Physical Therapy Association.
Women with breast cancer often are treated with some kind of surgery which can include:
Any of these can affect how well you can move your shoulder and arm or go about your daily activities, like dressing, bathing, and combing your hair. Pain and stiffness can cause weakness and limit movement of your arm and shoulder.
No matter what type of surgery you have, it’s important to do exercises afterward to get the arm and shoulder moving again. Exercises help decrease side effects of your surgery and help you get back to your usual activities.
If you’ve had radiation therapy after surgery, exercises are even more important to help keep your arm and shoulder flexible. Radiation may affect your arm and shoulder long after treatment is finished. Because of this, it’s important to develop a regular habit of doing exercises to maintain arm and shoulder mobility after radiation treatments for breast cancer.
It’s very important to talk with your doctor before starting any exercises so that you can decide on a program that’s right for you. Your doctor might suggest you see a physical therapist or occupational therapist, or a cancer exercise specialist certified by the American College of Sports Medicine. These health professionals are specially trained to design an exercise program just for you. You might need this kind of help if you do not have full use of your arm within 3 to 4 weeks of surgery.
Some exercises should not be done until drains and sutures (stitches) are removed, but others can be done soon after surgery. The exercises that increase your shoulder and arm motion can usually be started in a few days. Exercises to help make your arm stronger are added later.
Here are some of the more common exercises that women do after breast surgery. Talk to your doctor or therapist about which of these are right for you and when you should start doing them. Do not start any of these exercises without talking to your doctor first.
The tips and exercises listed below should be done for the first 3 to 7 days after surgery. Do not do them until you get the OK from your doctor.
The exercises described here can be done as soon as your doctor says it's OK. They’re usually started a week or more after surgery. Be sure to talk to your doctor before trying any of them. Here are some things to keep in mind after breast surgery:
Here are some of the more common exercises that women do after breast surgery. Talk to your doctor or therapist about which of these are right for you and when you should start doing them. Do not start any of these exercises without talking to your doctor first.
This exercise helps increase your ability to move your shoulders forward. You will need a broom handle, yardstick, or other stick-like object to use as the wand in this exercise. Do these exercises on a bed or the floor. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat.
This exercise helps increase the movement in the front of your chest and shoulder. It may take many weeks of regular exercise before your elbows will get close to the bed or floor. Do these exercises on a bed or the floor. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat.
This exercise helps increase your shoulder blade movement.
This exercise also helps increase shoulder blade movement and improve posture.
This exercise helps increase movement of your trunk and body.
This exercise helps stretch your chest.
This exercise helps increase your mobility in your shoulder.
Start exercising slowly and do more as you are able. Stop exercising and talk to your doctor right away if you:
It’s important to exercise to keep your muscles working as well as possible, but it’s also important to be safe. Talk with your doctor about the right kind of exercises for you and ask about seeing a lymphedema specialist who can help with safe exercise. Then set goals for increasing your level of physical activity.
Exercise to help improve aerobic (heart-lung) capacity is also important for women who have had breast cancer. There’s evidence that fitness and weight loss may even help lower the risk that some types of cancer will come back after treatment. Ask your doctor about fitness exercises during and after breast cancer treatment.
Other exercises are designed to help reduce your risk of lymphedema, or swelling in the arm, on the side where you had surgery. The exercises shown here are mainly designed to help regain range of motion (flexibility) in your arm and shoulder. Ask your doctor about your lymphedema risk and if you should use exercises to help reduce that risk.
Strengthening exercises are now recommended as part of regular exercise programs to improve health. These are not started until 4 to 6 weeks after surgery, and must be tailored to your general health, medical condition, and fitness. Strength building starts by using small hand weights, and is increased slowly over time. Again, this is best discussed with your doctor or physical therapist. It’s probably best to start a strengthening program in a supervised setting with a cancer exercise trainer or physical therapist to be sure you’re doing the exercises properly.
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Anderson RT, Kimmick GG, McCoy TP, et al. A randomized trial of exercise on well-being and function following breast cancer surgery: the RESTORE trial. J Cancer Surviv. 2012;6(2):172-181.
McNeely ML, Campbell K, Ospina M, et al. Exercise interventions for upper-limb dysfunction due to breast cancer treatment. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;(6):CD005211.
Exercise and Lymphedema: Position Statement of the National Lymphedema Network. March 2018. Accessed at https://www.mylymph.com/2018/03/08/exercise-and-lymphedema-position-statement-of-the-national-lymphedema-network on August 12, 2019.
Petito EL, Nazário AC, Martinelli SE, Facina G, De Gutiérrez MG. Application of a domicile-based exercise program for shoulder rehabilitation after breast cancer surgery. Rev Lat Am Enfermagem. 2012;20(1):35-43.
Sagen A, Kaaresen R, Sandvik L, Thune I, Risberg MA. Upper limb physical function and adverse effects after breast cancer surgery: a prospective 2.5-year follow-up study and preoperative measures. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2014;95(5):875-881.
Last Revised: October 27, 2021
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