Article

Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of manual therapy (MT) associated
with upper limb (UL) exercises in women with impaired shoulder range of motion
(ROM) after axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) for breast cancer. A randomized, prospective, blinded clinical trial with 131 women with a ROM <- 100
degrees for shoulder flexion and/or abduction on the first day postoperatively
were evaluated. Sixty-six women were allocated to group exercises and 65
underwent the exercises followed by MT. Shoulder ROM was measured by goniometry,
and function was evaluated by the Modified-University of California at Los
Angeles Shoulder Rating Scale-the UCLA Scale, in the 1st, 6th, 12th, and 18th
month after surgery.
The chi-square test was used for the relationship between
clinical characteristics and oncological treatment between groups, and ANOVA for
repeat measures was used. No difference in recovery of shoulder ROM as well as UL
function was observed between groups. Improvement in ROM
was gradual from the 1st
to the 18th month, and the function achieving a good classification at 18th
month. MT associated with exercises did not enhance the results obtained with
exercises alone for shoulder ROM and ipsilateral UL function.

Langue : ANGLAIS