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Lymphatic System and Diseases · Journal article
Cureus · August 15, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This case report documents a single 72-year-old woman with refractory post-mastectomy pain syndrome who received osteopathic manipulative treatment and reported subjective improvement in pain and functional mobility. The report is descriptive and exploratory only; it raises a clinical question but provides no quantified efficacy data, no control comparison, and no basis for generalizing outcomes to other patients.
Case report. A 72-year-old female with stage IIIA triple-negative breast cancer who developed refractory post-mastectomy pain syndrome following mastectomy, axillary dissection, and radiation therapy. Prior treatment with massage therapy yielded limited improvement.. Intervention: Osteopathic manipulative treatment incorporating myofascial release, muscle energy, and balanced ligamentous tension techniques.. n = 1.
Patient reported improvement in pain and functional mobility following OMT incorporating myofascial release, muscle energy, and balanced ligamentous tension Patient showed decreased reliance on adjunctive therapies after OMT Post-mastectomy pain syndrome affects an estimated 20-60% of patients following breast cancer therapy
Single case; findings are not generalizable and do not establish efficacy or safety profile across the PMPS population
This case suggests OMT may warrant investigation as an adjunctive therapy for PMPS, but clinicians should not rely on this single report to guide practice. Rigorous controlled trials are needed before OMT can be recommended for post-mastectomy pain management.
A single case report with subjective outcome reporting and no control group; describes feasibility and potential benefit but cannot establish efficacy or generalizability.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
This case suggests OMT may warrant investigation as an adjunctive therapy for PMPS, but clinicians should not rely on this single report to guide practice. Rigorous controlled trials are needed before OMT can be recommended for post-mastectomy pain management.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Post-mastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS) is a common yet often under-treated complication of breast cancer therapy, affecting an estimated 20-60% of patients. Characterized by persistent pain lasting greater than three months following breast surgery, PMPS is multifactorial in etiology, involving neuropathic injury, post-surgical fibrosis, radiation-induced tissue changes, and musculoskeletal dysfunction. Current management strategies emphasize a multidisciplinary approach, including pharmacological therapies and non-pharmacological modalities. Despite this, treatment outcomes remain variable, and many patients continue to experience refractory symptoms. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), a hands-on approach targeting somatic dysfunction and improving lymphatic and musculoskeletal function, represents a potentially valuable yet underexplored adjunct in this population. We present the case of a 72-year-old female with stage IIIA triple-negative breast cancer who developed refractory PMPS following mastectomy, axillary dissection, and radiation. After limited improvement with massage therapy, she underwent OMT incorporating myofascial release, muscle energy, and balanced ligamentous tension. She reported improvement in pain and functional mobility, with decreased reliance on adjunctive therapies. This case highlights OMT as a promising adjunct for PMPS warranting further investigation.
Taken from the source record, never inferred. Follow any of these and new work involving them reaches your briefing.