A new study published in Supportive Care in Cancer suggests certain exercises, including Mat Pilates and belly dancing, may help women regain arm strength and movement after breast cancer surgery.
Many women report experiencing stiffness, weakness, swelling or difficulty using the arm on the side where breast cancer surgery was performed. These problems can make everyday tasks, such as reaching overhead, carrying groceries or getting dressed, more challenging.
To assess whether movement-based programs can help with these symptoms, researchers enrolled 69 women and randomly assigned them to one of three groups: a Pilates group, a belly dance group or a control group that continued usual activities and attended educational lectures. The two exercise groups took part in supervised, one-hour sessions three times a week for 16 weeks.
At the end of the program, women in both exercise groups showed clear improvements compared with those who did not participate in structured exercise. Women in the Pilates group experienced gains in shoulder range of motion, muscle strength and improved symmetry between arms. Participants in the belly dance group experienced improvements in overall upper limb functionality, muscle strength and range of motion, along with reductions in arm swelling related to lymphedema, a common complication after breast cancer surgery. In contrast, the control group did not show significant changes in any of these measures.
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However, when researchers followed up again six months and one year later, the earlier improvements seen in the exercise groups were no longer present. This suggests that while programs like Pilates and belly dance can help during active participation, ongoing exercise may be necessary to sustain these gains.
The study authors conclude that movement-based programs can play an important role in recovery after breast cancer treatment, helping women rebuild strength, confidence and comfort in using their arms again.
“Both Mat Pilates and belly dance are low-cost, accessible, and adaptable modalities that can be incorporated into oncological rehabilitation programs,” they wrote.
Future research is needed to determine how best to sustain these benefits over time and to provide standardized guidelines for clinical practice.
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