Breast Cancer Awareness Month 🎀

8th October 2020

 

October is breast cancer awareness month. This is an international health campaign organised by breast cancer charities to increase awareness of the disease as well as raise funds for research and support.

Bounce Back Exercise provides exercise support for people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer before, during and after treatment. This blog goes over some of the benefits of exercise for people with breast cancer as well as five exercises to help recovery from treatment. I have also included some key links to breast cancer charities and support groups and ways that you could get involved.

 

Benefits of exercise for people with breast cancer

 

• Exercise during treatment can assist in maintaining physical function, improving confidence and reducing levels of stress and anxiety.
• After treatment, exercise can assist in restoring function to muscles affected by chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
• Exercise can help reduce feelings of nausea during chemotherapy.
• After surgery, exercise can help prevent lymphedema and improve circulation and function to any affected areas.
• Exercise can improve your overall strength and mobility.
• Exercise can help you return to normal everyday activities.

Five breast cancer rehab exercises

 

Breast cancer treatment can affect how you move your shoulder and arm. It can cause pain and stiffness, limiting your arm movements and ability to carry out day to day activities such as getting dressed.

 

Tightness in the chest and shoulder is normal and should decrease as you do the exercises. Perform the exercises slowly and controlled. Take deep breathes to encourage oxygen to the muscles.

Repeat each exercise 5-10 times: 

 

1. Shoulder rolls

How to do it: Shrug your shoulders up to your ears and roll them backwards.

Muscles targeted: Opening up the chest muscles.

2. Thoracic extension

How to do it: Pull your elbows back, opening up your chest. Hold for 5 seconds, then relax.

Muscles targeted: Strengthens muscles of the upper back and stretches the chest muscles. Helps relieve tension in the upper back.

3. Row

How to do it: Pull your elbows back while squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold for 2 seconds, then slowly extend your arms.

Muscles targeted: Upper back muscles (trapezius, rhomboids, and latissimus dorsi).

4. Overhead reach

How to do it: Reach your arms up above your head. Interlock your fingers and gently lean to one side. Hold for 10 seconds.

Muscles targeted: Stretches the upper back (latissimus dorsi) and chest muscles.

5. Wand exercise

How to do it: Lying on your back, hold onto a wand, pole or dumbbell. Lift your arms slowly above your head. Hold for 5 seconds before controlling your arms back to your waist.

Muscles targeted: Engages the muscles in your shoulders and  chest.

Click here to watch the videos of these movements

For more exercise support or advise get in touch with beth@bouncebackexercise.com

 

Local breast cancer support

(Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Croxley Green)

Bounce Back Exercise – www.bouncebackexercise.com – exercise support

5K Your Way – https://5kyourway.org – exercise support

Bow Belles Wigs – https://www.bowbelleswigs.co.uk – wig fitting

Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre – https://www.ljmc.org – support group

Trojans Breast Cancer Support Group – http://trojansupport.me.uk – support group

 

Ways you can get involved

 

Start a fundraiser

 

Breast cancer support charities need all the support they can get. Get involved and raisie funds for research into causes, prevention, treatment and support for breast cancer. This could be through a sports challenge, a social event

 

Breast Cancer Now – https://breastcancernow.org

METUP UK – https://metupuk.org.uk

Make 2nds Count – https://www.make2ndscount.co.uk

Secondary 1^st – https://www.secondary1st.org.uk

Pink ribbon foundation – https://www.pinkribbonfoundation.org.uk

 

Volunteer or campaign

 

Organisations such as breast cancer now campaign to make sure that everyone affected by breast cancer receives the best possible treatment services, support and care.

To find out more visit https://breastcancernow.org

 

Join a clinical trial

 

There are many clinical trials around the world for people who are undergoing or have completed breast cancer treatment. Clinical trials are important for discovering treatments for breast cancer as well as new ways to detect, diagnose and reduce the chance of developing the disease. If you would like to get involved, talk to your health care provider who may be able to help you find a trial suitable.

 

Everything you do makes a difference. 

 

No matter how you choose to get involved, you will help make a difference to people diagnosed with breast cancer and their families now and in the future.