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Radial Shock Wave Treatment Alongside Decongestive Care for Arm Swelling After Breast Cancer
Sponsor: Selcuk University
Summary
Arm swelling can persist after breast cancer treatment and may interfere with comfort, movement, and everyday activities. Decongestive care combines several approaches to manage this swelling. This study examined whether adding radial shock wave treatment changed short-term outcomes compared with decongestive care alone. Twenty-one adults with stage 2 or stage 3 lymphedema affecting one arm were assigned to two treatment groups. Both groups were allocated to a four-week decongestive program. The combined-treatment schedule also included twelve shock wave sessions. Assessments before and after treatment covered arm size, the thickness of the skin and the tissue beneath it, pain, difficulty using the arm, lymphedema-related quality of life, and shoulder and wrist movement. A physician who did not know the treatment assignment performed the physical and ultrasound measurements.
Official title: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Complex Decongestive Therapy and Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Patients With Lymphedema
Key Details
Gender
FEMALE
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
21
Start Date
2022-10-05
Completion Date
2024-04-01
Last Updated
2026-10-07
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Complex decongestive therapy
The planned course comprised four weeks of treatment on five days per week. Components included manual lymphatic drainage, multilayer short-stretch bandaging, skin care, and therapeutic exercise. Exercise activities addressed breathing, posture, shoulder-girdle movement, gentle stretching, and low-intensity active movement of the upper limb and fingers. Movements were performed slowly within a pain-free range while the compression bandages were in place.
Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy
An Intelect RPW Lite system (Chattanooga) was used to deliver radial pressure pulses with the participant lying supine. The scheduled regimen consisted of three sessions per week for four weeks. Each session used a pressure setting of 2 bar and a frequency of 4 Hz, with 2,500 pulses in total. Of these, 750 were directed to the axillary region and 250 to the cubital region; the remaining 1,500 were distributed across the arm, forearm, and hand.
Locations (1)
Selcuk University Faculty of Medicine Hospital
Konya, Konya, Turkey (Türkiye)