STUDY OF THE PHYSICAL THERAPY MODALITIES APPLIED IN HEAD AND NECK LYMPHEDEMA TREATMENT

This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as an ‘Accepted Article’, doi: 10.1002/hed.23899 2 Background: Secondary lymphedema after head and neck cancer treatment is a serious complication and management can be a challenge. This study aimed 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 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. Measurements results showed a significant reduction of face and neck lymphedema (p<0.05) and pain (from 7.8±2.2 to 3.6±1.6; p<0.001). Conclusions: The physical therapy modalities based on strategic MLD, 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.

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