Abstract
Introduction Recent papers indicate that one-side mastectomy can produce deleterious effects on the posture and musculoskeletal system. This study was conducted to better understand the underlying mechanisms involved in trunk motion in external prosthesis users. Objective The aim was to evaluate the changes in surface electromyographic (SEMG) activity of the erector spinae muscles (ES) in postmastectomy women with and without breast prostheses during functional body movement tests. Methods In 51 one-side postmastectomy women the SEMG muscle activity of bilateral ES was measured during symmetrical and asymmetrical dynamic activities in a counterbalanced manner with different weights of the breast prosthesis. Range-of-motion measurements were taken for forward bending, backward bending, lateral bending, and rotation. Results The mean level of the ES activity in the lumbar region was not affected by the weight of the external breast prosthesis during most of the functional body tests (P > 0.05). The activity of ES during functional body tests with and without different external breast prostheses did not differ between the two sides of the trunk (mastectomy and nonmastectomy) for most of the movement tests (P > 0.05). Conclusion The lumbar ES activity during functional tests is not associated with the weight of the external breast prosthesis in postmastectomy women.
Highlights
Recent papers indicate that one-side mastectomy can produce deleterious effects on the posture and musculoskeletal system
Fifty-one patients with a history of mastectomy were included in the study
Even though we observed a significant increase in EMG activity of the erector spinae muscles (ES) on the nonoperated side, the weight of an external breast prosthesis did not contribute to posture changes in postmastectomy women
Summary
Recent papers indicate that one-side mastectomy can produce deleterious effects on the posture and musculoskeletal system. Even though more than 50% of women wear full weight breast prosthesis, the other use a lighter type of prosthesis or even home-made prosthesis of cotton, rice, and so on [2] This group of women is dissatisfied with various aspects of external prostheses and report dissatisfaction with incorrect fit, restrictive choice of clothing, and difficulty in dressing, discomfort, and prostheses’ weight or cost [3,4,5,6,7]. Recent clinical studies have underlined the functional state as the basis for rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment in breast cancer patients [11, 12]
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