Lifting Weights After a Mastectomy - From No-No to Yes-Yes?

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For years, it was thought that heavy lifting was a cause of a painful condition called lymphedema in women who had undergone a mastectomy. But as recent research is showing, lifting weights might actually be the cure. An article published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that expert-guided weight lifting may actually reduce the symptoms of lymphedema, which include swelling of the arm, leathery skin and pain.

Individuals participating in the study who lifted weights twice a week over the course of a year reported less swelling and fewer exacerbations of other symptoms than those who didn't. Study author Kathryn Schmitz hopes the findings will encourage gentle exercise in mastectomy patients and, at the very least, stop doctors from cautioning them to avoid any weight at all -- a practice that she described to ABC News as a "crazy, backward situation that further stresses the survivors."

However, if you've had a mastectomy, hold off on buying that expensive home gym for now. The National Cancer Institute says that it's still too early to recommend a regular upper-body weight lifting routine to patients, adding that "an acute injury from overexertion could cause some cases of lymphedema." If you're determined to work out regardless, make sure you consult your doctor first, and be sure to get proper training from a qualified fitness professional.

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