Rehab

Lymphedema can cause traumatic shoulder injury

Rehab Regs, March 17, 2005

A study reported in Nursing Home & Elder Business Week shows that lymphedema of the arm can lead to traumatic shoulder injuries in patients. The study group consisted of ten women between the ages of 58 and 81, who developed arm lymphedema after surgery for breast cancer. The average interval between the operation and the appearance of lymphedema was 9.8 years. All of the participants complained of shoulder pain, and half had tears in their supraspinatus muscle. Five also had chronic bursitis, according to the study. Treatment consisted of manual lymphatic drainage and intermittent sessions of pneumatic compression, reported Nursing Home and Elder Business Week.

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