Condition · Scars & Surgery
Mastectomy Pain
How Myofascial Release addresses it, and what to expect.
Mastectomy pain refers to the pain that can occur after a mastectomy, which is the surgical removal of one or both breasts, often performed as a treatment for breast cancer or as a preventive measure in individuals at high risk of developing breast cancer. Post-mastectomy pain can manifest in various ways and may include acute surgical pain, chronic pain, phantom breast pain, scar tissue pain, and nerve pain.
Why fascia is involved
Surgery leaves the chest wall tight, and the shoulder pays for it.
A mastectomy changes the fascia of the chest wall, the armpit and the shoulder. Scar tissue, radiation and the removal of lymph nodes can leave the tissue dense and stuck to the ribs, nerves and muscles beneath it. That restriction is a common source of post-mastectomy pain, tightness across the chest, limited arm movement, cording in the armpit and nerve pain that lingers well after the incision has healed.
Myofascial Release gently restores glide to the chest wall, scar, armpit, shoulder and ribcage, and addresses the neck and upper back that compensate. Therapists work with sensitivity to the emotional weight of this recovery. Many women find they can breathe more fully, lift their arm more freely and feel more at home in their body again.
MFR Resource
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Every therapist in the Directory is trained in the John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Approach®.