Mechanosensitivity in the upper extremity following breast cancer treatment
Betty Smoot1, Benjamin S Boyd2, Nancy Byl1
1Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0736, San Francisco, CA 94143-0736, USA.
Study Design:
Descriptive, cross-sectional.
Introduction:
Breast cancer (BC) treatments place the nervous system at risk, which may contribute to upper extremity (UE) mechanosensitivity.
Purpose Of The Study:
To evaluate elbow extension range of motion (EE-ROM) during upper limb neurodynamic testing (ULNT) post-BC treatment.
Methods:
ULNT EE-ROM was measured for 145 women post-BC treatment. Women were sub-grouped by presence/absence of pain and lymphedema.
Results:
Mean EE-ROM during ULNT1 was -22.3° (SD 11.9°) on the unaffected limb and -25.99° (SD 13.1°) on the affected limb. The women with pain and lymphedema had the greatest limitation in EE-ROM during ULNT1 testing, particularly of their affected limb (-33.8°, SD 12.9). Symptoms were reported more frequently in the affected chest, shoulder, arm, elbow, and hand. The intensity of symptoms was greater at the affected chest (p = 0.046), shoulder (p = 0.033) and arm (p = 0.039).
Conclusions:
Women with lymphedema and pain after BC treatment may present with altered neural mechanosensitivity.
Level Of Evidence:
3a.
