the effectiveness of complex decongestive physical therapy on severity of pain and quality of life in patients with secondary lymphedema after breast cancer surgery

abstract background and aims: one of the complications of breast cancer treatment is ipsilateral upper extremity lymphedema. secondary lymphedema is a chronic condition that leads to loss of function and disorder of quality of life. the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of complex decongestive physical therapy (cdp) on pain severity and quality of life in patients with secondary upper extremity lymphedema after breast cancer treatments. material and methods: a total 30 women (age 29-70 yrs.) with secondary lymphedema after breast cancer treatments participated in this study. they were referred by general and cancer surgeons to physical therapy clinic based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. they were treated with complex decongestive physical therapy. this protocol comprises of manual lymphatic drainage (mld), compression garments, remedial exercise and skin care for 4-weeks, once per day, 5 days per week. quality of life and severity of pain were evaluated before and after treatment. the quality of life was assessed with qlq-c30 questionnaire. the severity of pain was also assessed by visual analog scale (vas). results: after 4 weeks treatment severity of the pain are decreased after treatment. the physical and social roles of quality of life (qlq-c30) were significantly increased (p<0000). conclusion: based on the results of this study, utilization of complex decongestive physical therapy (cdp) in upper extremity lymphedema is a useful method for pain relief and increment of quality of life. keywords: upper extremity lymphedema, complex decongestive physiotherapy (cdp), severity of pain, quality of life