Motor Exercises Effect on Improving Shoulders Functioning, Functional Ability, Quality of Life, Depression and Anxiety For Women With Breast Cancer

Abstract

Purpose: This research aimed to study the effects of motor exercises on improving shoulder functioning, functional ability, quality of life, depression, and anxiety in patients.

Patients and methods: A randomized clinical trial in which 70 eligible patients referred to the oncology ward participated in two intervention and control groups. The intervention group (N=35) had been doing motor exercises for five weeks. Before the surgery, two days, and five weeks after surgery, shoulder Range Of Motion (ROM) was measured with a goniometer, and the functional capacity level was measured by the 6-Minute-Walk-Test. Quality of life, depression, and anxiety were measured using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23; and HADS questionnaires, respectively, at baseline and five weeks after surgery. Descriptive statistics, the T-test, and the Chi-Square t-hotelling model were used to analyze the data.

Results: The results showed that motor exercises had a significant statistical increase in the distance of 6MWT (P<.001) and ROM (P≤.001) compared to the control group. Moreover, there were significant differences in dimensions of patients' quality of life, depression, and anxiety in the intervention group, compared to the control group (P<.05).

Conclusion: Motor exercises had positive effects on improving physical functioning, shoulder ROM, and decreasing patients' anxiety and depression symptoms, consequently enhancing the quality of life.

Keywords: Breast Carcinoma, Exercise; Functional Status; Life Quality, Emotional Depression, and Anxiousness.