The Importance of Shoulder Mobility After Mastectomy
Recovering from breast surgery, whether a mastectomy, lumpectomy, or breast reconstruction, can bring many questions about when and how to safely get moving again. It is normal to want to “get strong again” quickly. Strength is empowering; it helps you feel capable, confident, and ready to move forward. But here’s the truth: mobility work must come first.
A loss of shoulder movement after breast surgery is a common side effect. Scar tissue, muscle tightness, protective postures, and pain can all restrict how your shoulder moves. If you don’t address this stiffness, it can slow your recovery and even cause long-term problems.
Without mobility, strength training can actually hold you back instead of moving you forward. A stiff, tight shoulder isn’t ready to handle heavy loads, and pushing too soon can lead to setbacks, pain, or even new injuries.
Thus, prioritizing mobility not only prepares your body for safe strengthening but also makes your recovery smoother. In this blog post, we’ll explore why regaining shoulder mobility after breast cancer surgery is such an important step and how it sets you up for safe, lasting strength.
Why Arm Mobility After Breast Surgery Matters
Reduce Pain and Stiffness: Research shows that gentle arm and shoulder exercises can help reduce pain when started soon after breast surgery. These exercises can also reduce stiffness and support a faster recovery, allowing you to return to your daily activities more comfortably.
Support Lymphatic Flow & Reduce Swelling: Your lymphatic system relies on movement to drain fluid effectively. Gentle mobility exercises encourage lymphatic flow, decrease swelling, and reduce your risk of lymphedema. Without full shoulder mobility, lymph drainage can be restricted on the side of your affected arm, leading to persistent swelling.
Restore Healthy Movement Patterns: When your shoulder is stiff, your body compensates with poor biomechanics, like arching your back or twisting your spine as you lift your arm. Over time, these compensations place extra stress on your muscles and joints. Restoring full range of motion allows your shoulder to move the way it’s designed to: safely, smoothly, and efficiently.
Prevent Long-Term Shoulder Problems: Limited mobility doesn’t just affect you in the short term. Over time, it increases your risk of frozen shoulder and chronic pain. In fact, approximately 10.3% of people will develop a frozen shoulder after mastectomy. This occurrence is 3 times higher than in the general population, where approximately 1-3% of individuals will develop a frozen shoulder in their lifetime. By focusing on mobility first, you protect your shoulder and preserve your independence for years to come.
Support Healing Tissues: Strength training before your shoulder is ready can overload tissues that are still healing. This may lead to pain, recovery setbacks, or even new injuries. Gentle mobility exercises give your body the time it needs to heal while still progressing toward strength.
Protect Against Secondary Injuries: When your shoulder mobility is limited, your neck, back, or even your other shoulder may be forced to compensate, potentially leading to new aches and pains throughout your body.
Reduce Radiation-Related Tightness: Radiation therapy can make shoulder and chest wall tissues tighter and less flexible, compounding the mobility restrictions that surgery already causes. Restoring mobility before radiation helps you stay comfortable during treatment (especially while holding the treatment position) and continuing movement afterward reduces long-term shoulder stiffness.
Lay the Foundation for Strength: Restoring your range of motion first ensures your shoulder joint can move freely and safely. This creates the foundation for proper form during strength training, so every exercise builds strength without putting you at risk of injury.
Mobility Before Strength: The Bottom Line
Mobility is not a step you can skip. It’s the key to reducing shoulder pain, improving arm mobility, protecting your body, and building safe, lasting strength after any type of surgery. By restoring your shoulder’s freedom of movement, you’re investing in both your recovery today and your quality of life in the future.
If Your Shoulder Movement Is Still Limited
If shoulder stiffness or limited mobility is still holding you back after breast cancer treatment, you don’t have to face it alone.
As a Physical Therapist and Certified Cancer Coach, I specialize in breast cancer recovery and provide safe, personalized exercise programs and guidance to help you restore your movement and strength. Over the years, I’ve supported numerous breast cancer survivors in finding relief from pain, overcoming shoulder restrictions, and regaining freedom in their daily lives.
Book an appointment with me today and take the next step toward moving freely and feeling more like yourself again.
