Kleinman-Barnett currently prescribes range-of-motion exercises, stretching, and massage to stimulate lymphatic flow in her patients. “I will now incorporate weight lifting using 2 to 3 pound weights, and slowly increase it, and teach them how to monitor themselves to be sure they are not increasing swelling,” she says. Red flags that weight lifting may be making things worse include more swelling, heaviness, and pain in the arm, she says.
Marisa Weiss, MD, the president and founder of the advocacy group Breastcancer.org, and the author of the forthcoming new edition of Living Well Beyond Breast Cancer, says the new study is good news for two groups of women—those who have lymphedema and those at risk of developing it.
“For women who already have lymphedema, this is good news because we have not known how to get them back to moving and grooving again,” says Dr. Weiss, who is the director of breast radiation oncology and breast health outreach at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Penn. “Our arms are essential to our ability to be physically active, and we haven’t known how to advise these women in the past.”
Lymphedema is more common after surgeries that remove most or all of the lymph nodes in the under arm area because there are few if any lymphatic drains left intact after such surgeries, she says. “If regular weight lifting with a sleeve in a supervised setting is OK for women with lymphedema, then it is reasonable for women with breast cancer treatment who are at risk of developing lymphedema to go back to some of the things they enjoyed in the past,” she says.
Karen Strauss, a 50-year-old breast cancer survivor who developed lymphedema four months ago, is excited about the findings because she may be able to return to some of the exercises she did before developing breast cancer.
“I used to do a whole workout when I went to the gym, but I have gotten away from it because I am afraid I would make things worse,” says Strauss, a clinical social worker in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “I have been afraid to do anything, but not anymore.”
Strauss currently wears a compression sleeve and glove, gives herself light-touch massages, and does non-weight-bearing exercises to treat her lymphedema. But the new study results have convinced her to talk to her lymphedema specialist about adding light weights to the mix.
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Comments (4)
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!
An excellent way to help in fat loss while weight training is to super hydrate with ice cold water. This process will help burn fat in that drinking a gallon of water within a 14 hour period.
Since it takes energy to bring the ice cold water to core temperature as it is consumed , calories will be burned off in this process. 1 gallon of ice water requires 123 calories of heat energy to warm it to core body temp.
Also since the liver’s main function is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy, it could be very well minimized if the kidney function is hampered by dehydration calling on the liver to flush out the stored fat needed to metabolize into this enrgy.
Great post, thanks. Good info like this is hard to come by, I’ve been looking, and you summed it up perfectly.
I really like your post, nice one, it’s a good read !