Myofascial Versus Conventional Physiotherapy

A total of 61 patients who underwent total mastectomy for breast cancer with axillar lymph dissection and adjuvant radiotherapy were enrolled in this trial. The patients were randomized by toss of a coin to the treatment (n=30) or control (n=26) groups; of these, 48 met all study protocol requirements, including the final assessment. Inclusion criteria were: presence of functional difficulties in the shoulder area and/or upper torso on the surgical side, and 2) eligibility for physiotherapy (determined by the treating physician). Patients with recurrent disease and/or inflammatory or acute ailments were excluded. All patients gave their informed consent to participate in the study. The treatment group received myofascial treatment while patients in the control group received conventional therapy consisting of exercise and massage.