Patients with Shoulder Dysfunction After Mastectomy Can Benefit from Nurse-Assisted Home-Based Range of Motion Exercises

Abstract

Background: Shoulder dysfunction is very common after mastectomy, and there is also less follow-up for physiotherapy services among patients with mastectomy. Objective: A study was conducted to determine the role of nurse-assisted home-based range of motion (ROM) exercises in patients with shoulder dysfunction after mastectomy. Methods: A pre- and post-interventional study design was used to collect data from 30 post-mastectomy patients. The subjects were selected on a voluntary basis. Informed consent was obtained from post-mastectomy patients who were discharged from different oncology hospitals in Pakistan prior to their inclusion in this study. After obtaining a baseline measurement, the patients were supervised with nurse-assisted ROM exercises at home. The nurse-assisted home-based ROM exercise program was designed for such patients, and the patients were followed-up for up to 1 month. The total duration of the study was 1 year from August 2015 to August 2016. Post-intervention measurement was performed at the patients’ home. The difference in terms of pain reduction and ROM improvement at the shoulder joint was recorded using goniometric measurements and the 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS). Results: The mean age of the 30 subjects was 39.83 ± 5.89. The mean ROM of shoulder flexion before the exercise program was 106.03°, which improved to 133.93° after 1 month of the exercise program. The mean ROM of shoulder abduction before treatment was 94.83°, which improved to 127.13° after 1 month of supervised exercise program. The mean ROM of shoulder rotation before the exercise program was 127.53°, which improved to 152.03° after 1 month of the exercise program. Conclusion: The nurse-assisted home-based shoulder ROM exercise program is effective in terms of improving the range of motion and reducing pain at the shoulder joint in post-mastectomy patients.