The effect of lower limb stretching exercises on reducing the potential of venous thrombosis in breast cancer patients under chemotherapy: Double-blind clinical trial

Introduction: There are many factors that can increase the potential for deep vein thrombosis, including cancer and chemotherapy. Having DVT can endure the treatment; therefore, non-prescriptive therapies for prevention in DVT-prone women can prevent this complication. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lower limb stretching exercises on decreasing tendency of venous thrombosis in patients with breast cancer under chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, conducted in 1397, 60 patients with chemotherapy-induced breast cancer who were susceptible to DVT based on caprini criteria were entered into the study by random sampling and after random allocation were divided into two intervention and control groups. The intervention group performed lower limb stretching exercises for two months. The DVT score was measured weekly for patients. Data were compared with Mann-Whitney U test. Results: There was no correlation between the scores of the two groups before the intervention based on the caprini criteria (P = 0.481). However, there was a significant correlation between the two groups after the intervention (P = 0.001) and, with time, the difference between the two groups was higher Became. Conclusion: Stretching exercises in women with breast cancer under chemotherapy that are prone to DVT can prevent this complication.

Keywords:

DVT , Breast Cancer , Chemotherapy