Breast Cancer Rehabilitation With Acupuncture and Physical Therapy Protocol

The pain is very common complaint, and the neck is one of the most affected spots, mainly due to muscle contracture of the cervical and scapular region, triggered by emotional stress associated with muscle retraction involved resulting from postoperative scarring or post-radiotherapy.O fear fibrosis move the limb and inactivity postoperative lead to gradual impairment of muscle strength and flexibility, and loss of ADM, which also predisposes to the appearance of pain. Goals Study the effectiveness of acupuncture in rehabilitation of physical and functional disorders of women undergoing surgery for breast cancer. 1. Presence of pain by Visual Analog Scale of Pain (VAS). 2. Shoulder Range of Motion (ROM) by active goniometry of flexion movements, extension, adduction, abduction, internal rotation and external rotation 3. lymphedema presence through top member perimetry. 4. upper limb function through the DASH questionnaire. 5. Depressive symptoms through BECK questionnaire. 6. Quality of life through the EORTC questionnaire. 7. Muscle strength of flexion, extension, adduction, abduction, internal rotation and shoulder external rotation with the Hand Held Dynamometer 01,163 model of Lafayette Instrument Company. Patients will be divided into three randomized groups with 30 patients per group, who will receive weekly treatment for 10 weeks, and the group I treated with standard therapeutic exercise, pre-defined, based on stretching the neck muscles, shoulder girdle and exercises for ADM upper limb lasting 30 minutes; group II is treated com30 minutes classical acupuncture using pre-defined spots, and finally, grupoIII be used in the same acupuncture points of the group II, but using the Stiper® in place of the needles. If the patients in groups II and III still of pain at the end of 10 sessions will be treated complementarily with kinesiotherapy.

Sex

Female

Minimum age

18 Years

Maximum age

80 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* Underwent surgical treatment of breast cancer, radical or conservative, and exhibiting pain in the region of the shoulder girdle and upper limb, including thoracic and cervical spine after three months of surgery
* Patients should be older than 18 years
* Level of pain ≥ 3 on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Bilateral breast surgery
* Metastatic disease
* Vascular disorders and tactile sensitivity, with diabetes mellitus type I and II and decompensated with lower education level than four years