Medical & Clinical Reviews

Long Term Effect of Physiotherapeutic Intervention on BCRL-A Case Report

Introduction: BCRL is commonest complication arriving after the breast cancer treatment, can be complicated if not managed and prevented early. This case study presents the BCRL at later stage and been resolved with long term intervention.

Patient concerns: A 67-year-old woman presented with heaviness and increase size of the left arm and is progressive in the last 8 months and is a left breast cancer survivor.

Diagnosis: She was diagnosed with BCRL which was diagnosed on the basis of her increased circumferential measurements and breast cancer history with axillary lymph node dissection.

Interventions: The patient was provided with the CDT a gold standard treatment for lymphedema with IPC and resistance exercises training as the progression with later stages in addition in exercise therapy.

Result: Patient followed the treatment for 70 days and resulted in decreased stage from 3 to 1 and enhancer muscular power and decreased circumferential measurements.

Conclusion: BCRL is the complication which requires the prevention and management as early as possible. The BCRL is only managed and not cured so prevention measures required even after resolved and reoccurrence is possible.

Abbreviations: BCRL- Breast cancer related lymphedema, VAS- Visual analogue scale, CDT-Complex decongestive therapy, IPC- Intermittent pneumatic compression, AROM-Active range of motion, LT UL-Left upper limb, RT UL- Right upper limb.

Author(s):

Bhavna Anand, Ruchika Kalra*, Harshita Sharma

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