The weight of an external breast prosthesis as a factor for body balance in women who have undergone mastectomy.

Abstract

It has been shown that women who have undergone mastectomy (BG) demonstrated greater postural changes than women after breast reconstruction. In this study we wanted to verify if unilateral mastectomy affected body weight distribution and balance in a standing position and if the weight of an external breast prosthesis (EBP) influenced those variables and might provide some insight into the current post-mastectomy care. In our study BG completed the data acquisition protocol in 4 variants: 3 trials without EBP (group A), and the next 9 trials with 3 different weights of EBP. Group B - wearing a prosthesis weighing 10 grams; Group C - wearing a prosthesis weighing 50% of the total breast mass; Group D - wearing a prosthesis of equal weight to the operated breast. Each control group subject (CG) completed 3 consecutive trials. Instrumental assessment of body balance was conducted using FDM pressure distribution measurement platforms. This is a quantitative baropedometric tool which allowed for measuring forces exerted on the support surface in a standing position. Ellipse width, length, area and the center of feet pressure (CoP) path did not differ significantly between the measurements performed in different groups. Group D was closest to CG in terms of the width and length of the ellipse. Group C, on the other hand, was most similar to CG with respect to the other study variables. The study results suggest that women after mastectomy do not differ from the healthy subjects neither with regard to CoP features nor in terms of weight distribution on the supporting surface.