WEDNESDAY, Aug. 12, 2009 (Health.com) — Occupational therapist Cathy Kleinman-Barnett works with breast cancer patients, but she has never encouraged women with lymphedema, a breast cancer–related swelling of the arm, to lift weights.
However, she may be changing her tune, thanks to a new study in the August 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. It turns out that breast cancer survivors with lymphedema who engage in a progressive, supervised weight-lifting program fare better than their counterparts who do not lift weights.
Lymphedema occurs in as many as 70% of women who have breast cancer surgery. Sometimes lymph nodes in the armpit are removed for cancer testing, which can cause the clear fluid (lymph) that circulates in the body to build up in the affected limb. As a result, women must wear a compression sleeve and glove during waking hours.
“For so long, we were taught no heavy lifting and no resistance for our patients, but this article is shouting out yes to resistance and weight,” says Kleinman-Barnett, who is a lymphedema specialist at Northwest Medical Center in Margate, Fla. “The benefits seem to outweigh the risks, and a weight-lifting program may help these women prevent injuries from everyday tasks by boosting strength in the affected limbs.”
Oftentimes breast cancer survivors were told to steer clear of weight lifting—or even carrying their children or heavy grocery bags—because doctors thought it could worsen the swelling. The new study, the largest to date, seems to contradict that recommendation.
Next page: What the study found
Comments (1)
In August of 2007, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to have a mastectomy. This past June, I decided to sign up at a local gym. I had never done any rigorous exercising before, but being 47 and going through a forced menopause because of the medicine I have to take, I was putting on the pounds. I signed up with a personal trainer at the gym and started weight training. I love it! I have noticed that I have much less swelling under my arm. I am building up strength, and I am not working only with light weights; I can do 50 lb lat pulls. Try it if you can! Be a strong survivor!