Walking Poles Prove to be Effective For Breast Cancer Survivors Due to Shoulder Motion Exercise

Many breast cancer survivors suffer from impaired muscular endurance of the upper body following treatment. Shoulder impairment, which makes seemingly simple tasks such as pulling an object off of a shelf or reaching overhead difficult, often results in a decreased quality of life. Therefore, finding rehabilitation options that target shoulder function is of utmost importance for breast cancer survivors.

Walking poles are easy to use in a variety of situations, provide increased stability for those who may need a third point of contact, and also increase the intensity of walking. For breast cancer survivors in particular, using walking poles is more beneficial than performing cardio respiratory exercise and resistance training alone as a result of improved muscular endurance of the shoulder…Read Full PDF

References
Lisa K. Sprod, MS, Scott N. Drum, MS, Ann T. Bentz, PhD, Susan D. Carter, MD, and Carole M. Schneider, PhD at the University of Northern Colorado
The Effects of Walking Poles on Shoulder Function in Breast Cancer Survivors
Integrative Cancer Therapies, Vol. 4, No. 4, 287-293 (2005)