Item Details

abstract

Early diagnosis and treatment have led to 5-year survival rates of almost 90% among women diagnosed with breast cancer. Although shoulder mobility declines have been observed, there is little known about whether women are engaging in flexibility programs during treatment. Purpose: To prospectively document the prevalence of flexibility training and range of motion and to assess the relationship between training and shoulder mobility in breast cancer survivors (BCS). Methods: Data were collected at diagnosis, 6- and 12-months post-surgery. Meeting flexibility guidelines was defined as 2 or more days per week of stretching to improve flexibility. Shoulder mobility was operationalized as flexion and abduction measured by goniometry. Results: BCS (n=396) were on average 57.2  11.9 years and diagnosed with early stage breast cancer (90.7% Stage 0-II). 77 (19.4%), 43 (31.4%), and 44 (28.9%) met the flexibility guidelines at baseline, 6- and 12-months, respectively. Although measures of shoulder mobility fell within normal limits prior to treatment, both measures of range of motion significantly (p<.01) declined over 12-months. Participating in more flexibility training was significantly (p<.05; p<.01) correlated with better flexion and abduction at 6-months (r = .217 and .253, respectively). Conclusions: Flexibility training at 6- months was associated with better flexion and abduction. Future research should examine the efficacy of supervised flexibility programs for improving shoulder mobility into survivorship.

subject

Breast cancer

Flexibility

Range of Motion

Shoulder

contributor

Marshall, Lara Alexandra (author)

Mihalko, Shannon L (committee chair)

Brubaker, Peter H (committee member)

Berry, Michael (committee member)

date

2020-05-29T08:35:58Z (accessioned)

2020 (issued)

degree

Health and Exercise Science (discipline)

2025-06-01 (liftdate)

embargo

2025-06-01 (terms)

identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/96818 (uri)

language

en (iso)

publisher

Wake Forest University

title

FLEXIBILITY TRAINING AND SHOULDER MOBILITY IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER

type

Thesis