Fisher, M.I., Donahoe-Fillmore, B., Leach, L., O'Malley, C., Paeplow, C., Prescott, T., & Merriman, H. (2014). Effects of yoga on arm volume among women with breast cancer related lymphedema: A pilot study. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 18, 559-565.
PURPOSE: To study the effects of yoga on limb volume in women with breast cancer-related lymphedema
SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of eight weeks of yoga on quality of life, self-reported arm function, and grip strength
Participants attended eight weeks of Hatha yoga three times a week. Participants went to the studio two times per week (60 minutes) and watched a prerecorded DVD at home (45 minutes) once per week. They all wore compression sleeves.
Pilot study with a pre- and postintervention design
It was too early to conclude that yoga benefits breast cancer-related lymphedema. Many variables may affect arm reduction such as body mass index and duration of disease. Participants had lymphedema for greater than seven years, and their lymphedema may have been less influenced by activity and therapy. It is likely that the length of the intervention is was long enough to affect quality of life.
Many evidenced-based guidelines encouraging exercise, including yoga, exist for the breast cancer patient population. However, there is a lack of data available regarding the effects of yoga on lymphedema. Nurses can confidently refer patients to an instructor-based program or a physical therapist for safe upper body exercise. More studies with rigorous designs are needed to examine the impact of yoga on patients with cancer-related lymphedema.