Dynamic body posture after unilateral mastectomy: a pilot study

Abstract

Background: Postural changes after unilateral mastectomy may appear in relation to the dominant hand, postoperative duration, and dynamic conditions. This study aimed to compare the postural changes by inclination angles and muscle activities in the static and dynamic sitting position between women with breast cancer who underwent mastectomy and women who did not have breast cancer.Methods: The observational study design was conducted. We evaluated 17 women who underwent modified radical mastectomy (MRM) more than 1 year prior to the study. They were categorized into the Rt. mastectomy group (n=7) and the Lt. mastectomy group (n=10). An aged-matched cohort of 8 healthy females was also included. The inclination angle in both static and dynamic sitting positions was measured using the balance board system (BBS), and the muscle activities of 8 muscles were measured in the dynamic sitting position.Results: There was no significant difference in demographic characteristics between the patients, and all patients were right-handed. The inclination angle of the anterior-posterior axis when leaning forward was significantly increased to the anterior side in the Rt. mastectomy group than in the Lt. mastectomy group.Meanwhile, the inclination angle in the static sitting position and when tilted backward to both directions did not differ among the 3 groups. The inclination angle of the right-left axis was statistically increased to the left side during tilting anterior-left direction in the Rt. Mastectomy group. The muscle activities of the thoracic erector spinae were significantly lower when tilted backward in the Rt. mastectomy group than in the Lt. mastectomy group. Conclusions:Compared with left mastectomy, right unilateral mastectomy yielded more postural changes under dynamic sitting state in right-handed female patients with breast cancer. Thus, to maintain the trunk balance and prevent the postural changes after unilateral mastectomy, the postoperative exercise programs for the para-thoracic muscles will be helpful.

The Influence of External Breast Prostheses on the Body Postures of Women Who Have Undergone Mastectomies

“…Among the recently discussed breast cancer issues is the postural control assessment in women after mastectomy [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ]. A review of the above-mentioned publications indicated that the undertaken research was concerned with the impact of mastectomy on body static conditions [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ] and body posture of women who had received mastectomies [ 7 , 10 , 18 , 19 ,…”

Influence of the external breast prosthesis on the postural control of women who underwent mastectomy: Cross-sectional study

“…The reduced invasiveness of breast cancer surgical treatment is a widely acknowledged preference; hence, there is a tendency to perform the breast-conserving procedure, which increase the quality of patient’s life ( 7 , 8 ). Nevertheless, sometimes it is necessary surgical treatment to remove the entire tumor along with the entire mammary gland, the fascia of the pectoralis major, and the lymph nodes (Modified Radical Mastectomy or Simple Mastectomy), which is always associated with a structural and functional deficit ( 2 , 9 , 10 ).…”

“…In studies on the population of women after mastectomy, the most attention is paid to issues related to psychologic parameters, such as lack of acceptance of one’s own body, reduced attractiveness, and sexuality ( 14 – 16 ). Some studies have also reported numerous functional disorders resulting mainly from an extensive wound, scarring, swelling, limited mobility in the joints of the shoulder girdle, and low muscle strength on the operated side ( 9 , 13 , 17 ).…”

“…Recently, post-mastectomy postural control disorders have become the subject of interest of many researchers ( 4 , 9 – 11 , 13 , 18 – 27 ). The authors attempted to determine whether and how breast prosthesis affects body posture ( 28 ) and postural stability ( 11 , 24 ).…”

“…However, most of the abovementioned studies ( 4 , 9 – 11 , 13 , 19 , 25 – 27 ) assessed stability disorders in women after mastectomy by comparing them with their healthy counterparts. Considering the individual nature of regeneration of the body and primarily the course of compensation processes after treatment and unilateral breast amputation, it seems that the assessment of postural control disorders through inter-individual comparisons (women after mastectomy vs. healthy counterpart) may not be reliable.…”