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Retrospective study of the physical therapy modalities applied in head and neck l ymphedema treatment
Author(s) -
Tacani Pascale Mutti,
Franceschini Juliana Pereira,
Tacani Rogério Eduardo,
Machado Aline Fernanda Perez,
Montezello Débora,
Góes João Carlos Guedes Sampaio,
Marx Angela
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.23899
Subject(s) - medicine , lymphedema , massage , head and neck cancer , manual therapy , retrospective cohort study , chiropractic , modalities , physical therapy , secondary lymphedema , tongue , radiation therapy , surgery , neck pain , cancer , breast cancer , alternative medicine , social science , pathology , sociology
Background Secondary lymphedema after head and neck cancer treatment is a serious complication and its management can be a challenge. The purpose of this study was to verify which physical therapy modalities were applied in the treatment of head and neck lymphedema through a retrospective analysis. Methods A retrospective study was developed, based on the analysis of medical records of 32 patients treated in the physiotherapy outpatient department of the Brazilian Institute of Cancer Control (IBCC). Results The physiotherapy included manual lymphatic drainage, massage, exercises, patient education, and compression therapy with an average of 23.9 ± 14.8 sessions. Measurement results showed a significant reduction of face and neck lymphedema ( p < .05) and pain (from 7.8 ± 2.2 to 3.6 ± 1.6; p < .001). Conclusion The physical therapy modalities based on strategic manual lymphatic drainage, shoulder girdle massage, facial, tongue and neck exercises, compressive therapy at home, and patient education showed reduction of the lymphedema and pain, both of them secondary to head and neck cancer treatment. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 301–308, 2016