Helping patients recover from breast cancer treatment: a programme to prevent shoulder problems

Learn how breast cancer treatment can cause shoulder pain and how to overcome it

This course will equip you with an in-depth understanding of the side effects of breast cancer surgery and, more specifically, shoulder pain that is experienced by many women.

You’ll find out more about the types of exercises that should be prescribed through the PROSPER (the Prevention of Shoulder Problems) programme, as well as how to support breast cancer patients to do them.

Learn how to identify women at risk of shoulder pain after non-reconstructive breast cancer surgery

Rehabilitation following breast cancer treatment is important to help women return to full active lives.

This course will teach you how to identify women prone to shoulder pain following their treatment as well as how to prescribe the PROSPER programme to reduce the impact of the surgery’s side effects.

Improve your ability to care for breast cancer patients

Through the PROSPER programme, you’ll explore ways to deal with cancer treatment related problems such as cording and fatigue, as well as strategies to support breast cancer patients and help them get back to a physically active life and regular exercise.

You’ll also learn how to monitor and manage women’s post-surgery progression and rehabilitation.

Apply research-based findings from the PROSPER exercise programme

The PROSPER programme has been developed by experts and tested in a large clinical trial by research and clinical staff at the University of Oxford and Warwick. They found that women who followed the programme had better arm function and lower pain scores compared to women who received usual care.

You’ll not only learn how to identify women at risk of shoulder problems following breast cancer treatment and prescribe the programme, but also how to deal with several other cancer treatment related problems.

The Prevention of Shoulder Problems (PROSPER) programme was designed to be delivered by physiotherapists working with patients at higher risk of shoulder problems after breast cancer treatment.

This course is designed for those physiotherapists working with patients at risk of shoulder problems after breast cancer treatment.

However, other health professionals can also benefit, learn new skills, and help their patients recover post breast cancer treatment.

• Introduction and background to the course
• Introductions
• Introducing the PROSPER programme
• Breast cancer and related shoulder problems
• Why this approach?
• The PROSPER programme in detail
• Week 1 summary
• Getting started to deliver the PROSPER programme
• Welcome to Week 2
• Conducting the initial assessment
• Conducting the initial assessment: physical examination
• Conducting the initial assessment: range of movement
• Dealing with distress
• Changing behaviour
• Week 2 summary
• Exercise prescription and progression (part 1)
• Welcome to Week 3
• The PROSPER programme exercises
• Physical activity
• Behavioural strategies
• Management of complications
• Week 3 Summary
• Exercise prescription and progression (part 2) and putting it all together
• Week 4 overview
• Prescribing the PROSPER programme strength exercises
• The 3rd PROSPER programme face-to-face session
• Developing the service in your place of work
• What to do now
• Week 4 summary