Mastitis & Breast Health

Breast cancer treatments targeting the chest and axilla can lead to challenges in the upper body, including reduced shoulder mobility, muscle weakness, pain, lymphedema, and difficulty with everyday activities. These effects may continue even after treatment ends, with recovery being a highly individualized process.

Many people undergo surgery, but often, the support and guidance they need to ease their recovery are limited. Not having access to professional support during this time can make the physical changes that follow—like changes to mobility, strength, posture, and potential swelling—feel even more overwhelming. 

This is where your physiotherapist or massage therapist can step in to offer expert guidance. They can help you navigate these changes with a personalized treatment plan that offers tailored exercises, hands-on techniques, and education to ensure that you’re supported during your recovery. With professional help, you don’t have to face these challenges alone, and you can regain your strength and confidence in your body. 

In addition to physical recovery, adjusting to the emotional and psychological impacts of breast cancer treatment can be just as challenging. Our Registered Clinical Counsellors are here to support you during and after treatment, helping you process changes, manage stress, and navigate the emotional aspects of healing.

Scar tissue management: We use therapeutic techniques to reduce scar tissue buildup, promote healing, and restore fascia mobility, helping your body move with ease.

Lymphatic drainage: This gentle hands-on massage technique helps reduce swelling and discomfort caused by lymphedema while promoting circulation and overall recovery. 

Breast reconstruction support: Post-surgical rehabilitation looks different for each person. We tailor your treatment plan to your specific goals and needs. We can help build strength, improve posture, increase mobility and function, and decrease, pain and discomfort while focusing on what matters most to you throughout the recovery process.  

Movement and specific positions: Incorporating targeted movements and positions into your recovery can help improve shoulder mobility, reduce stiffness, and manage discomfort. Whether it’s specific stretches, gentle range-of-motion exercises, or proper postural alignment, these techniques can enhance circulation and optimize your recovery process.

Strengthening and stretching exercises: We create personalized programs that safely rebuild strength and range of motion in your affected muscles which may include your chest, shoulder, and arm.

Engaging in exercise during the early stages after breast cancer surgery can help improve shoulder function, especially for those at higher risk of mobility issues. Through physical rehabilitation, we aim to boost your confidence and sense of control, which can lead to a greater overall quality of life as you continue on your healing journey.

In addition to mobility work, incorporating cardiovascular exercise into your recovery can have significant benefits. Research suggests that aerobic activity may help reduce cancer-related fatigue, improve heart and lung function, and support overall well-being during and after treatment. Our kinesiologists can help you safely reintroduce movement, tailoring exercise programs to your needs to promote endurance, strength, and resilience in your recovery.

Breast or chest reduction & construction can lead to changes in upper body mechanics and posture, which may affect movement patterns and cause discomfort. To support upper body care either before or following surgery, we focus on:

• Restoring Upper Body Mobility: Exercises to improve shoulder function, enhance range of motion, and release tension.
• Scar Tissue Management: Scar Tissue Management: We focus on improving flexibility, circulation, and overall scar health to support your recovery. Our treatments help reduce restrictions, enhance mobility, and promote healthy tissue function. By boosting blood flow and optimizing healing, we aim to minimize discomfort and support long-term recovery.
• Postural Alignment: Techniques to address postural changes, reduce strain on the spine and muscles, and help you feel aligned and comfortable.
• Breath Mechanics: Assistance with chest expansion and deep breathing to support your recovery after binding or top surgery.
• Strengthening and Rehabilitation: Personalized therapy to rebuild strength, restore fluid movement, and support your recovery.
• Education: Understanding the ‘why’ behind your care is essential for long-term success. By educating you on how surgery impacts your body and the importance of ongoing self-care, we empower you to maintain lasting results. With the right knowledge, you can confidently navigate your recovery, ensuring you feel supported and capable throughout your journey.

Breast cancer treatment brings many changes, but your recovery is about more than just healing—it’s about moving forward and feeling at home in your body again. Whether you’re adjusting after surgery, managing side effects from treatment, or looking to regain ease in daily movement, rehabilitation can support your journey toward a future where you feel strong, capable, and comfortable.

Our oncology-focused care is designed to help you reconnect with your body and support your well-being through:

• Lymphatic support to manage swelling and reduce the risk of lymphedema
• Targeted movement therapy to improve mobility and range of motion
• Scar tissue management to restore flexibility and comfort
• Fatigue and pain management to ease daily activities
• Education and guidance to help you feel informed and supported

Recovery looks different for everyone, and we recognize that your needs will change over time. Whether you need gentle mobility work, progressive strengthening, or ongoing support for scar care, we’ll tailor your treatment to where you are today—so you can focus on what comes next.

From improving circulation to addressing muscle imbalances and soft tissue restrictions, physiotherapy and RMT treatments are invaluable tools in promoting overall breast health. By treating the muscles, fascia, and connective tissues around the breasts, these therapies can help alleviate pain, improve mobility, and prevent future discomfort.

Our posture plays a significant role in how our body feels, and poor posture can exacerbate discomfort in the chest and breast area. Slouching or forward head posture, for example, can cause tightness in the upper back, shoulders, and chest muscles, leading to restriction in the breast tissue. This restriction can feel uncomfortable and even painful, especially if combined with the added weight from breastfeeding, a demanding desk job, or other activities.

Physiotherapy can help correct postural imbalances by strengthening and stretching the muscles that support the chest and upper back. Targeted exercises, mobility exercises, and even Clinical Pilates, along with education on body mechanics and posture, can help relieve tension that contributes to breast discomfort. This approach supports whole-body care.

Breast pain, or mastalgia, is one of the most common concerns individuals with breasts bring up during their reproductive years. This type of breast pain isn’t connected to your menstrual cycle or hormone shifts it often has other causes. It may arise from changes within the breast tissue, past injuries, surgery, infections, or occasionally other breast conditions such as dense breast tissue or cysts. People often describe this type of breast pain as a sharp or burning sensation that’s focused on one specific spot. It usually affects just one breast, can be constant, or will come and go.

While these symptoms often improve over time, some people find they linger. Posture, daily activities, and exercise can all influence this type of discomfort, and for some individuals, other conditions like arthritis may also play a role. 

Many individuals with breasts experience tenderness in the days leading up to their menstrual cycle. Pain often increases in the couple of weeks leading up to a period, easing on the first day of bleeding and gradually subsiding over the following days. This pattern is most common in premenopausal women in their 30s or 40s. 

This discomfort, known as cyclical mastalgia, can be caused by hormonal changes that lead to swelling and engorgement in the breast tissue. While this can be a common experience, it can also be frustrating to manage each month. Physiotherapy and RMT services can help relieve this discomfort through targeted massage, lymphatic drainage, and stretching to ease tightness and reduce inflammation in the breast tissue.

Physiotherapists and RMTs use specific techniques to reduce pain and tension in the breast, chest, and surrounding areas. These can include gentle soft tissue massage, myofascial release, and trigger point therapy to release tension, reduce soreness, and increase comfort.

Disclaimer: Be sure to consult with your doctor to rule out any underlying medical conditions before exploring other options.

Plugged ducts occur when there is a blockage or narrowing in the milk ducts, often leading to painful, tender areas in the breast/chest. This can happen when there is inflammation caused by:

• Poor latching
• Improper feeding positions
• Altered feeding schedules
• Pressure on the breast from carriers, sleeping positions, bras, or binders

The result is usually a small, firm, tender area of redness that won’t cause a fever. While plugged ducts often resolve within 24-48 hours without medical intervention, if they persist, they can lead to more serious issues such as mastitis.

Physiotherapy treatment, including therapeutic ultrasound, can be extremely effective in resolving symptoms, restoring comfort, and preventing future blockages.

Mastitis begins when inflammation from a plugged duct intensifies. If left untreated, this can eventually lead to an infection. Early intervention is key to preventing bacterial mastitis, which requires antibiotics for treatment.

Common symptoms of mastitis include:

• Increasing pain and redness
• A warm sensation in the breast
• Fever and flu-like symptoms
• A general feeling of being unwell

If you suspect bacterial mastitis, we require that you see a physician before your physiotherapy appointment to treat the underlying blockage.

Research shows that physiotherapy treatments, such as therapeutic ultrasound and lymphatic drainage, can provide significant relief at all stages of mastitis. These techniques help reduce inflammation, promote milk flow, and prevent mastitis from recurring.

For those breastfeeding or chestfeeding, it’s common to experience tightness or discomfort in the breast tissue, especially when there are challenges with latching, feeding positions, or postural changes. 

Physiotherapists and RMTs specialize in assessing these concerns and creating personalized treatment plans to ease discomfort. These plans may include techniques such as:

• Soft tissue mobilization
• Therapeutic ultrasound with a physiotherapist
• Gentle massage can help reduce pain from engorgement or plugged ducts
• Education on optimal body positioning techniques to enhance comfort during feeding sessions and reduce the risk of future issues
• Mobility and strengthening exercises to improve range of motion, increase muscular endurance and strength

Engorgement occurs when excess milk buildup causes swelling in the breast tissue, leading to intense fullness, tightness, and tenderness. This is most common in the early days of breastfeeding as your milk supply adjusts or during changes in feeding frequency.

Physiotherapists and RMTs can assess the discomfort caused by engorgement and provide personalized treatments to help alleviate pain and improve comfort, with many clients feeling the benefits immediately. This may include techniques such as:

• Soft tissue mobilization to improve circulation and reduce swelling
• Gentle, targeted massage for relief from engorgement or blocked ducts
• Education on managing engorgement, including body positioning and techniques to improve comfort during feeds and prevent future engorgement
• Connecting you with a lactation consultant for additional support and care, if necessary

Therapeutic ultrasound works by passing extremely high frequency sound waves through the skin barrier.  In doing so, it:

• Improves circulation
• Improves tissue permeability
• Decreases inflammation
• Promotes fluid drainage
• Decreases pain in the affected breast(s)