Exercise after mastectomy is one of the most helpful things you can do for your recovery. Gentle, regular movement helps you rebuild chest and shoulder strength, move your arm more freely, and feel more like yourself again.
But knowing when to start and which exercises are safe can be confusing. You don’t want to push too hard while your incisions are healing, but waiting too long can leave your chest and shoulder stiff and make your range of motion harder to get back.
As a doctor of physical therapy (PT, DPT), certified lymphedema therapist (CLT-LANA), and board-certified oncology clinical specialist, I’ve spent over a decade helping people recover from cancer treatment and reduce their risk of lymphedema.
In this guide, I’ll give you a week-by-week timeline for returning to exercise and walk you through 5 gentle exercises to start with.
What Is a Mastectomy?
A mastectomy is surgery to remove one or both breasts. Most people have one to treat breast cancer, but some choose it to lower their risk of developing breast cancer in the future, called a prophylactic mastectomy.
Here are the most common types of mastectomy:
- Total (simple) mastectomy: The surgeon removes the whole breast and leaves the chest muscles in place
- Skin-sparing or nipple-sparing mastectomy: The surgeon removes the breast tissue but keeps most of the skin, and sometimes the nipple, to prepare for reconstruction
- Modified radical mastectomy: The surgeon removes the whole breast along with some of the lymph nodes in your armpit
- Radical mastectomy: The surgeon removes the breast, chest muscles, and lymph nodes, though this surgery is rare today
- Double (bilateral) mastectomy: The surgeon removes both breasts during the same surgery, which usually means a longer recovery time
Many people also have breast reconstruction, either during the same surgery or later on.
Reconstruction uses implants or tissue from another part of your body, like your belly, and it can add restrictions to your exercise plan. For example, if your implant is under your chest muscle, your surgeon may ask you to avoid certain chest exercises for a while.
How a mastectomy affects your body
A mastectomy can affect your upper body. The surgery, incisions, and any lymph node removal can cause tightness, pain, and weakness through your chest, shoulder, arm, upper back, and neck.
It’s also common to round your shoulders forward after surgery to protect your incision. That posture feels safer in the moment, but over time it tightens your chest muscles even more and can lead to shoulder pain.
A mastectomy also raises your risk of lymphedema, especially if your surgeon removed lymph nodes from your armpit. Without those nodes, fluid may not drain as easily and can build up in your arm, chest, or breast, causing swelling.
Exercise helps you work against these challenges. It’s an important part of any breast cancer rehabilitation program, and you can start moving your body much sooner than you may expect.
The Benefits of Exercise After Mastectomy
Doing exercises after a mastectomy helps restore your range of motion, strengthen muscles weakened by surgery, and lower your risk of complications like lymphedema.
In the short term, exercise can help you:
- Ease stiffness and pain in your chest, shoulder, and neck
- Get back to everyday tasks like washing your hair or reaching into a cabinet
- Improve your posture so your shoulders don’t stay rounded forward
In a 2024 randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Surgery, people having a partial or total mastectomy began a tailored exercise program one day after surgery.
One month after surgery, 67.9% of the exercise group had fully regained their shoulder strength, compared with only 3.6% of the group that received usual care. The exercise group also lost less muscle mass and reported better quality of life.
Exercise and lymphedema
Your lymphatic system is a network of vessels and lymph nodes that moves extra fluid out of your tissues. When lymph nodes in your armpit are removed or treated with radiation, fluid may not drain as easily from your arm, hand, chest, or breast.
When that fluid builds up, it causes swelling called lymphedema.
Exercise helps because your muscles pump lymph fluid when they contract. Keeping your shoulder moving also prevents tight tissue from slowing down drainage around your armpit. Movement is one of the most important habits that can help you prevent lymphedema after surgery.
How Long After Mastectomy Can You Exercise?
You can often start gentle movement within a day or two of surgery. The type and intensity of exercise will change over the first few months, depending on your surgery, whether you had lymph nodes removed or reconstruction, whether you have drains, and how you’re healing.
Here’s a general timeline to give you an idea of what to expect. However, your surgeon’s instructions always come first.
Week 1
Focus on short walks around your home and gentle movements of your neck, hands, wrists, and elbows. Most surgeons ask you to keep your arm below shoulder height while your drains are in.
You can try these exercises after breast cancer surgery for weeks 0-3 as safe options for this stage.
Weeks 2-3
Once your drains are out and your surgeon gives you the okay, you can usually start raising your arm higher with movements like wall walks. You should feel a gentle stretch, but never pain.
Weeks 4-6
During this stage, you can work toward getting your full range of motion back and start light strength exercises, like rows with a light dumbbell. You can also start taking longer walks as your energy improves.
Weeks 6-12
With your surgeon’s clearance, you can gradually add light weights and low-impact cardio, like a stationary bike. Reconstruction may stretch out this timeline, especially if you had a flap procedure.
If you start radiation during this time, tightness can come back, so keep up with your stretches.
3 months and beyond
By the 3-month mark, many people are ready to resume exercise and try activities like yoga or swimming once their incisions have fully healed. Continuing to exercise also lowers your risk of lymphedema, since that risk lasts a lifetime.
Learn more about exercise for breast cancer survivors.
5 Exercises After Mastectomy and Reconstruction
Here are a few gentle movements to try after a mastectomy. If you feel discomfort during any of these exercises, scale back or stop exercising completely. Exercise shouldn’t be painful.
1. Neck Rotation
Start with simple neck movements. After surgery, your neck may get a little tight, so it’s important to regularly stretch it out.
To do the exercise, stand straight and look to one side, feeling a gentle stretch in your neck. Then, look to the other side. Keep going back and forth, pausing for a second or two. Repeat this exercise 10 times.
2. Shoulder Rolls
Bring your shoulders up toward your ears and move them back down and around, doing shoulder circles. You should feel a gentle stretch across your chest wall. You can go either direction. Repeat this exercise 10 times.
3. Scapular Squeezes
Stand straight and squeeze your shoulder blades. Hold it for a few moments and then relax. Repeat this exercise 10 times and try to do it a few times per day to improve your posture and get some movement in the chest area.
4. Wall Walks
Stand in front of a wall or a door frame and slide your palms up until you feel a gentle stretch. If you feel any discomfort or too much pull, make sure to scale back. The stretch should feel moderate. Repeat this exercise 10 times.
5. Bent-Over Rows
You can do this exercise without any weight or get a low-weight, 1-2 pound dumbbell. If you don’t have dumbbells, you can also use something from your pantry, such as a soup or bean can.
Find a surface you can lean on, such as a countertop or the back of the couch. Rest your forearm on top of the surface and keep your back as flat and parallel to the ground as you can. Make sure your position is comfortable.
Hang your arm down with the weight in your hand. Then, lift it straight up and feel your shoulder blades squeeze. Move your arm back down with controlled movement. Repeat this exercise 10 times and then switch sides.
If these exercises feel too easy for you, I have a video with more moderate exercises after breast cancer that you can try doing once you’re further along in your recovery:
More Exercises After Mastectomy
If you’d like breast cancer recovery exercises you can print out and follow at home, I’ve created handy digital guides.
Each guide includes clear instructions and pictures, so they’re easy to follow:
For a more complete approach to recovery, my program Breast Cancer Rehab includes step-by-step videos, education, and tools for healing and getting stronger.
Exercise After Mastectomy with Lymph Node Removal
If your surgeon removed lymph nodes from your armpit, exercise becomes an important part of lowering your lymphedema risk. As you exercise, keep an eye on how your arm, hand, chest, and breast feel.
Watch for these early signs of lymphedema:
- Your arm or chest feels heavy, full, or tight
- Your rings, watch, or sleeves fit more snugly than usual
- You notice swelling that doesn’t go down after rest
If you notice any of these signs, scale back your exercise and contact a certified lymphedema therapist (CLT). Catching lymphedema early makes it much easier to manage.
Cording After a Mastectomy
Cording, also known as axillary web syndrome, is a condition that can develop as a result of lymph node removal during a mastectomy. You may notice tight, rope-like structures under your skin. These “cords” can cause discomfort and limit your range of motion.
Physical exercise, especially stretching routines, can be very helpful when managing cording. In many cases, with proper treatment, cording gradually improves and even resolves over time.
Managing Scar Tissue Pain
Scar tissue is a natural part of healing after a mastectomy.
As your incision heals, scar tissue can stick to the layers underneath it. This can make your chest feel tight, pull when you move your arm, or feel numb or extra sensitive. Radiation can make the tissue in the area firmer, too.
Scar pain doesn’t always go away on its own, and some people notice it for years after surgery. Once your incision is fully closed and your surgeon clears you, scar tissue massage, soft tissue mobilization (STM), and stretching exercises can help soften the tissue and improve how it moves.
Learn more about mastectomy scars.
FAQs
How soon can I exercise after a mastectomy?
Most people can start gentle movement within a day or two of surgery, like walking and moving your neck, hands, and elbows. Your surgeon will tell you when it’s safe to start shoulder exercises, which is often once your drains come out. From there, you can slowly build up as your strength and energy return.
Can I lift weights after a mastectomy?
Yes, once your surgeon clears you. Start with very light weights, like a 1-2 pound dumbbell, and increase the weight slowly over weeks and months. Lifting weights is safe after a mastectomy as long as you’re giving yourself enough time to recover.
What exercises should I avoid after a mastectomy?
In the first several weeks, avoid heavy lifting, push-ups, planks, and any exercise that puts too much weight through your arms. Most surgeons also ask you to keep your arm below shoulder height while your drains are in. If you had reconstruction, your surgeon may give you extra limits.
When can I go back to my normal workouts after a mastectomy?
Many people can return to their usual routine around three months after surgery, but your timeline depends on your surgery, reconstruction, and any other treatment, like radiation. Build back up slowly and ask your surgeon before returning to high-intensity exercise.
Get More Support in Breast Cancer Rehab
No one should have to go through breast cancer alone. I took the exact information and tools I use with my private patients and turned them into Breast Cancer Rehab, an online program that comes at a fraction of the cost of physical therapy.
You can get support with:
- Breast-cancer-related arm lymphedema
- Axillary web syndrome (cording)
- Arm mobility
- Breast swelling/lymphedema
- Scar tissue
- Rehabilitation after radiation therapy
Learn more about Breast Cancer Rehab to recover after a mastectomy.
