Clarification to Study of Weightlifting for Lymphedema Patients

• Posted on January 16, 2010 at 3:20 pm

Here’s the latest from the National Lymphedema Network (NLN) regarding the PAL study by Dr. Kathryn Schmitz and colleagues, Weight Lifting in Women with Breast-Cancer-Related Lymphedema, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on August 13, 2009. When the article first appeared the media overreacted, making several inaccurate and misleading statements about the research. The NLN and many of its affiliated clinics received phone calls from patients and professsionals expressing frustrating about the inaccurate reporting and requesting clarification of the study results and what these mean for individuals living with or at risk for lymphedema.

The NLN Medical Advisory Committee contacted Dr. Schmitz, who agreed to clear up misconceptions about what the PAL trial did and did not show, and to emphasize the continued need to follow risk reduction guidelines. (See the NLN Position Papers on Risk Reduction and Exercise.)

We hope that Dr. Schmitz’s response (Weight Lifting and Lymphedema: Clearing Up Misconceptions) will help clarify the study results for lymphedema survivors and people at risk for lymphedema. The Executive Director of the NLN recommends that lymphedema therapists apply the protocols for the PAL intervention to their practices.

Jan

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